Catholic Apostolic Church in North America
The Catholic Apostolic Church in North America, otherwise known by the acronym CACINA, is a self-governing Catholic communion of parishes, missions, and ministries that operates principally in the United States. In its theology and emphasis on sacramental life and worship, CACINA broadly embodies the historic faith witness of the Catholic intellectual tradition.
History[edit]
In 1945, Dom Carlos Duarte Costa, Roman Catholic bishop of Botucatu, Brazil, after years of fruitless conversation with the Holy See, asserted his independence from the jurisdiction of Rome, and formed the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church, Igreja Católica Apostólica Brasileira. At issue were three points of contention: one sacramental, one pastoral, and one theological. In the first instance, Dom Carlos abolished celibacy as a requirement for the sacrament of holy orders, declaring it contrary not only to the New Testament witness, but to the first thousand years of Church history, as well. In the second, he officially declared that the Mass be celebrated in the local language of the people. And finally, in a crisis of Christian conscience, he repudiated the newly defined dogma of papal infallibility.[1]
In its subsequent emphasis on issues of liberation and social justice at a time when Brazil was ruled by a succession of military regimes, the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church rose swiftly to national prominence, advocating tirelessly for land reform, redistribution of wealth, judicial independence, and a return to constitutional government. Soon, it would be known popularly by a simpler title: "the Church of the poor".[1]
In his remaining lifetime, Dom Carlos, as primatial Catholic Apostolic Bishop of Rio de Janeiro, would consecrate eleven bishops, commissioning them to episcopal ministry in both Brazil as well as throughout Central and South America, where they, in turn, founded national Catholic Apostolic Churches. One bishop was consecrated expressly for the purpose of transplanting Apostolic Catholicism to North America, and in 1949 Bishop Estefan Corradi-Scarella arrived in the United States, establishing a mission in New Mexico. From his work, the Catholic Apostolic Church in North America (CACINA) would emerge.[1]
Size[edit]
As of this writing (2024), CACINA has parishes and missions in eight US states, along with two religious orders of canonical right, and stand-alone ministries in education, social services, health care chaplaincies, hospice, hunger relief, and restorative justice.[2] While the Church's US presence numbers less than one thousand communicants,[3] the various national Catholic Apostolic Churches worldwide account for nearly five million members.[4]
Organization and Governance[edit]
The Church's organization is comprised of two dioceses, with resident bishops exercising episcopal oversight. CACINA is governed by a bicameral assembly consisting of a House of Delegates (HOD) and a College of Bishops (COB), with representatives meeting annually in General Assembly under the pastoral jurisdiction of the Church's presiding bishop.[2]
Beliefs[edit]
The Catholic Apostolic Church in North America (CACINA) confesses:
- the Nicene Creed, the Apostles' Creed, and the Athanasian Creed as normative and definitive for the Sacred Deposit of the Catholic Faith.
- the teachings of the Seven Ecumenical Councils of the undivided Church.
- the Real Presence of the Lord Jesus Christ in the consecrated eucharistic elements of bread and wine.
- seven sacraments – Baptism, Reconciliation, Eucharist, Confirmation, Matrimony, Holy Orders, and Anointing of the Sick – as both signs and efficacious means of actual and sanctifying grace.
- the bishops of the Church as successors of the Apostles, each holding jointly and equally both teaching and pastoral authority granted them by Jesus Christ through apostolic succession of faith, service, and office.[2]
Sacraments, including marriage and holy orders, are open to all properly discerning persons without regard for gender/gender identity, marital status, or sexual/affectional orientation.
Apostolic Succession[edit]
The Catholic Apostolic Church in North America recognizes and maintains the historic episcopate of the Catholic Faith in its own episcopal line of succession from Bishop Carlos Duarte Costa, himself a Roman Catholic bishop in apostolic lineage. The Church is intentional in its utilization of the Roman Pontifical in its rites of Holy Orders.[2]
Liberation Theology[edit]
The Catholic Apostolic Church in North America has deep roots in theologies of liberation, or Liberation Theology. Recognizing God's preferential option for the poor, CACINA, in conscious solidarity with the crucified peoples of the world, has, from its inception, been a voice for the disenfranchised, the marginalized, and the disinherited.[2]
Clerical Life[edit]
CACINA clergy do not, as a rule, draw salaries in support of their religious vocation. Instead, in keeping with Duarte Costa's pastoral instructions to his own priests, and consistent with the French worker priest movement of the 1940's, CACINA clerics are expected to provide for themselves through independent, and often concurrent, employment.[2]
Theological Education of Clergy[edit]
The majority of CACINA clergy are comprised of two demographic groups: 1) former Roman Catholic clerics, religious, seminarians, educators, and lay ministers who voluntarily separated from that communion and subsequently associated with CACINA; and 2) ministry professionals from other Christian communions who discerned a vocation to sacramental ministry in the Catholic faith tradition. Accordingly, most CACINA clergy have exposure to graduate theological study, while others hold one or more advanced degrees in a theological discipline.
The St. Charles of Brazil Institute[edit]
The St. Charles of Brazil Institute is an educational project whose principal purpose is the academic training of women and men for effective sacramental and pastoral service in the ordained ministry of The Catholic Apostolic Church in North America (CACINA). Persons with little or no exposure to formal theological inquiry may avail themselves of the St. Charles of Brazil Institute as their primary source of theological formation.
The Institute, in partnership with Notre Dame University's McGrath Institute for Church Life, utilizes a distance learning format in its educational style, and administers a curriculum that addresses core competencies for aspiring ministry professionals who seek to ground their practice of intentional spiritual care in the Catholic intellectual tradition.[2]
Ecumenical Relationships[edit]
At both local and regional levels, CACINA clergy are pioneers in ecumenical dialogue, prayer, and worship.
CACINA is a member of The International Council of Community Churches, which in turn is a member of The National Council of Churches, The World Council of Churches, and Churches Uniting in Christ.
CACINA has intercommunion agreements with the Orthodox Catholic Church in America and the Apostolic Catholic Church in America.
CACINA's office of presiding bishop holds membership in the Catholic Bishops Forum.
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Jarvis, Edward. Testament of a Socialist Bishop. (Berkeley, CA, Apocryphile Press, 2019).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 "CACINA.org". Catholic Apostolic Church in North of America. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
- ↑ Schultz, Williard. Interview. Conducted by Michael Ellis. 28 March 2020.
- ↑ Byrne, Julie. The Other Catholics: Remaking America's Largest Religion. (New York, NY, Columbia University Press, 2016).
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