The Old Catholic Ordinariate for Specialized Ministries welcomes congregations and communities within the United States and its territories that discern a call to share in its life and mission.
Congregations affiliated with the Ordinariate remain rooted in their own local charisms and forms of ministry while participating in the wider sacramental life and pastoral fellowship of the Church under the care of their local clergy, and supported by the Bishop Ordinary.
The Ordinariate is particularly attentive to communities serving beyond traditional parish structures, including ministries among the marginalized, emerging mission communities, and specialized forms of pastoral service.
Forms of Congregational Life
Congregations of the Ordinariate may take many forms, from traditional parish congregations to smaller Eucharistic communities gathered in homes, mission settings, or specialized ministries.
Communities discerning affiliation may include:
- Traditional parish congregations
- Small mission communities
- House churches and house church networks
- Specialized ministries rooted in service to particular populations
- Emerging Eucharistic communities gathering for worship and fellowship
While their structures may vary, all affiliated congregations share a commitment to sacramental life, pastoral care, and faithful witness to the Gospel.
Relationship with the Ordinariate
Congregations affiliated with the Ordinariate maintain their own local governance, property, and finances. Affiliation represents a relationship of shared faith, sacramental life, and pastoral oversight rather than a transfer of ownership or local authority. The Ordinariate is committed to functioning in a non-coercive manner.
The Bishop Ordinary provides episcopal oversight and support for the clergy and ministries of affiliated congregations while respecting the particular charism and mission of each community.
Discernment and Affiliation
Because affiliation represents an ecclesial relationship between a congregation and the wider Church, the process is approached through prayerful discernment.
The process ordinarily includes:
- Conversation between congregational leaders (lay and ordained) and the Bishop Ordinary
- Review of the congregation’s ministry, governance, and mission
- Identification of ministers for the congregation (if no clergy are present)
- A period of mutual discernment and familiarity
- Formal reception into the fellowship of congregations of the Ordinariate
A Heart for the Margins
Consistent with the mission of the Ordinariate, affiliated congregations are encouraged to cultivate ministries that serve those often overlooked by traditional parish life. These may include ministries among the poor, the homebound, the incarcerated, migrants, those struggling with addiction, or others whose pastoral needs call for creative and compassionate responses.
Beginning the Conversation
Congregations discerning affiliation with the Ordinariate are invited to begin a conversation with the Bishop Ordinary. Inquiries may be submitted using the contact form located in the right sidebar of this page, which will be received and reviewed by the Ordinariate.
The Ordinariate approaches such inquiries in a spirit of mutual respect, seeking to discern together how the gifts of each community may contribute to the life and mission of the wider Church.