What Is the Old Catholic Church?

Catholic in faith, not Roman in control.
This page explains where the Independent Sacramental Movement (ISM) and Old Catholic movement comes from.

Catholic and catholic – what we mean

The word catholic did not begin as a brand name for a modern institution.

Small “c” catholic means “universal” or “according to the whole”. In the early centuries, Christians used it to describe the one Church spread through many cities and nations, sharing one apostolic faith, celebrating the same sacraments, and recognising one another’s ministries. When they spoke of the “catholic Church”, they meant the Church in its fullness, present in many local churches.

Capital “C” Catholic in modern speech usually refers to the Roman Catholic Church centred on the Bishop of Rome (the Pope), together with the Eastern Catholic Churches in communion with him. That is a later, narrower usage.

On this page, when we speak about the first centuries we will normally say catholic in this older sense of the one universal Church. When we mean the present-day Roman Catholic Church, we will say Roman Catholic or Catholic.

Rooted in the ancient Church — renewed in conscience

Where the Old Catholic Church Comes From

The Old Catholic Church began when faithful catholics chose to stay true to the early Church — even when Rome changed direction.

The Old Catholic Church is not a new invention or breakaway sect. It began with sincere catholics who loved the Church, believed in its ancient teachings, and honoured its sacraments — but could not accept new doctrines introduced by the Roman Catholic hierarchy in the 1800s.

To understand where the Old Catholic Church comes from, we need to go back to the beginning.

The early Church: united, sacramental, and shared in leadership

In the first centuries after Christ, the Church grew across the Roman Empire. Each city had its own bishop, who led the local Christian community in teaching, worship, and care. These bishops worked together in regional councils, guided by Scripture, prayer, and shared tradition. Even the Bishop of Rome — later called the Pope — was one among many bishops. He was respected, especially in the West, but he did not rule over the whole Church.

For roughly the first 1,000 years of Christianity, there was no single “head of the Church on earth.” The Church was one, holy, catholic (universal), and apostolic — built on Christ, guided by the apostles’ teaching, and passed down in community.

Growing centralisation and conflict

Over time, the Bishop of Rome began to claim more authority. Differences in culture, theology, and politics developed between Eastern and Western Christianity. In 1054, a formal split occurred between the Western Church (based in Rome) and the Eastern Orthodox Churches. Rome increasingly claimed that the Pope had supreme authority over all Christians everywhere.

Many catholics in the West accepted this over time, but not without difficulty. Some theologians and entire regions questioned these changes, holding instead to the older model of shared leadership among bishops.

The breaking point: Vatican I and papal infallibility

In 1870, the First Vatican Council met in Rome. This council declared that the Pope was infallible — that is, incapable of error when making official declarations about faith or morals. It also gave him universal jurisdiction, meaning authority over all churches and bishops worldwide.

These teachings were new. They had never been declared dogma in the Church before. Many faithful catholics could not accept them. They believed that:

  • No single bishop, even the Pope, should have absolute power
  • The ancient faith did not teach papal infallibility
  • These new doctrines went beyond Scripture and the early Church

Some bishops, clergy, and laypeople walked away from Vatican I — not from catholicism, but from these innovations. They wanted to remain catholic in the original sense: creedal, sacramental, and apostolic.

The birth of the Old Catholic Church

Those who rejected the new papal doctrines became known as Old Catholics. The word “Old” doesn’t mean outdated. It means they held to the original, undivided Church — the Church before new dogmas were added.

They formed independent Catholic communities in places like Switzerland, Germany, and the Netherlands. These churches:

  • Retained apostolic succession and valid sacraments
  • Rejected papal infallibility and central control
  • Emphasised freedom of conscience, local leadership, and shared responsibility
  • Welcomed dialogue with Orthodox, Anglican, and Protestant Christians

In 1889, Old Catholic bishops issued the Declaration of Utrecht — a powerful and clear statement of faith that affirmed the ancient Church’s teachings and rejected unnecessary innovations. This document is still a foundation for many Old Catholic Churches today.

A Church of continuity — not conflict

Old Catholics didn’t walk away from the catholic faith. They walked towards it — towards its roots, its beauty, and its original calling. Their decision was not about rebellion or reform. It was about fidelity. They wanted to preserve what the Church had always believed, before later doctrines and divisions took hold.

Today, the Old Catholic Church continues that path: catholic in belief, sacramental in worship, and free in structure. Many communities, including those within the Independent Sacramental Movement (ISM), seek to carry forward the life of the early Church — with open hearts, clear teaching, and a deep respect for conscience.

Catholic in worship, creed, and sacrament

What We Share with the Roman Catholic Church

Despite separating from the Roman Catholic Church over issues of papal authority, the Old Catholic Church continues to share much in common with Roman Catholicism. We are not a Protestant church, nor a new invention. We are catholic in belief, worship, and apostolic tradition — just not Roman.

Here’s what we hold in common:

  • The Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds – These are our shared summaries of the faith, confessed in worship for centuries.
  • The Seven Sacraments – We celebrate the same seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Confession, Anointing of the Sick, Marriage, and Ordination.
  • The Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist – We believe that Jesus is truly present in the consecrated bread and wine — not symbolically, but sacramentally.
  • Apostolic Succession – Our bishops are ordained in historic continuity with the apostles, just as in the Roman Church.
  • Respect for Mary and the Saints – We honour the Blessed Virgin Mary and the communion of saints as part of our shared catholic heritage.
  • Liturgical Worship – Our worship follows structured, reverent patterns grounded in Scripture, prayer, and tradition.

In short: we didn’t walk away from the catholic faith — we walked away from centralised control. What we kept was the heart of the tradition: Christ-centred, sacramental, creedal, and universal.

A Church with open doors and grounded conscience

Old Catholic, the Union of Utrecht, and the Independent Sacramental Movement (ISM)

In a strict, historical sense, “Old Catholic” refers especially to the larger, continuous churches that emerged from the break over Vatican I and are now organised in bodies such as the Union of Utrecht (and, in a related way, the Union of Scranton and the Polish National Catholic Church). These churches are widely recognised as having maintained apostolic succession and a real sacramental life, and they often serve as a bridge between Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran traditions.

Over time, many smaller jurisdictions have arisen which draw their Orders, at least in part, from Old Catholic or Old Roman Catholic lineages. They often use names such as “Old Catholic”, “Old Roman Catholic”, “Independent Catholic”, or “Independent Orthodox”, but they are not part of the historic Old Catholic unions, nor of the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, or official Anglican structures.

Collectively, scholars often describe these smaller, self-governing bodies as part of the Independent Sacramental Movement (ISM) — a broad family of churches and jurisdictions which:

  • give central place to the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Holy Orders;
  • generally claim apostolic succession through lines from Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Old Catholic, Anglican, or related episcopal churches;
  • are not subject to direct jurisdiction from Rome, the Orthodox patriarchates, or Canterbury;
  • often consist of small, locally rooted communities, with clergy who may serve bi-vocationally.

Within this Independent Sacramental Movement (ISM), there is enormous variety — from small, prayerful communities with stable worship and sound teaching, to fragile groups more interested in titles than in real pastoral care.

The Apostolic Old Catholic Mission stands within this Independent Sacramental Movement. We draw from Old Catholic roots, respect the historic Old Catholic unions, and seek to live a recognisably catholic, sacramental, and apostolic life in our own small context.

What Makes the ISM and Old Catholics Different

The Old Catholic Church shares much with Roman Catholicism — but it also makes several important distinctions. These differences aren’t about being rebellious or “modern.” They’re about remaining faithful to the early Church and placing Christ at the centre — not hierarchy.

Here’s what sets Old Catholicism (and many serious ISM communities) apart:

  • No Papal Infallibility or Universal Jurisdiction
    We do not believe the Pope is infallible or has authority over every other bishop. We believe in local, shared leadership — guided by Scripture, tradition, and community discernment.
  • Freedom of Conscience
    We uphold the dignity of personal conscience. We don’t police belief with rigid dogma. Instead, we encourage honest wrestling with faith, trusting that the Holy Spirit leads us all into deeper truth.
  • Inclusion Without Exception
    Our sacraments are open to all who seek Christ in good faith — regardless of gender, sexual orientation, marital history, or denominational background. No tests. No barriers. No judgment.
  • Ordination Without Exclusion
    We ordain women. We recognise the callings of people from all walks of life. We believe the Holy Spirit gifts both women and men to lead, teach, and serve.
  • No Clericalism or Control
    Our clergy serve the people — they do not stand above them. The Church is not a power structure. It is a community of love, grace, and mutual service.
  • Pastoral First, Not Legal First
    We don’t use the sacraments as tools of punishment or control. If you are seeking God, you are welcome at the Table. The role of the Church is to heal, not to gatekeep.

These differences are not just about what we don’t do — they reflect a deeper calling to live out the Gospel in simplicity, freedom, and love. We hold fast to the treasures of the catholic tradition, but without fear, legalism, or exclusion.

A Catholic witness for conscience and community

The Declaration of Utrecht

The Declaration of Utrecht is one of the most important documents in Old Catholic history. Written in 1889, it clearly stated what the Old Catholic Church believes — and what it cannot accept.

The bishops who signed the declaration were catholic in every way. They upheld the creeds, the sacraments, and the apostolic tradition. But they could not accept the First Vatican Council’s (1870) teaching on papal infallibility and supreme authority.

Instead, they returned to the foundations of the early Church:

  • Faith grounded in Scripture and the early creeds
  • Bishops who serve the Church, not rule over it
  • No new dogmas without the consent of the whole Church
  • Freedom of conscience
  • Sacraments offered for healing, not control

The declaration does not reject the catholic faith — it defends it from unnecessary additions. It reminds us that the catholic Church is bigger than Rome, and that true unity comes from shared faith and love, not from hierarchy.

To this day, the Declaration of Utrecht remains a guiding document for many Old Catholic communities, and an important reference point for honest Independent Sacramental Movement (ISM) churches as well.

Faithful. Inclusive. Apostolic. Still Catholic.

A Catholic Way of Being Church

We are catholic — but we are not Roman Catholic.
We are sacramental — but not exclusive.
We are structured — but never rigid.

The Old Catholic Church and ISM offers an alternative Catholic witness: one that honours tradition without idolising it, one that opens the Table rather than fencing it, and one that places pastoral care above power or politics.

In a world where many feel disillusioned or excluded by church institutions, we offer something different:

  • A space to rediscover ancient faith with modern clarity
  • A welcome that includes rather than excludes
  • A Church that believes the sacraments are for the healing of souls, not the reward of the righteous

We hold to the ancient faith of the apostles — and we do so freely, faithfully, and joyfully. Our way of being Church follows the model of the early Christian communities: rooted in Scripture, guided by the Holy Spirit, and shaped by shared leadership, hospitality, and sacrament.

At the heart of it all is our motto:

Christ at the Centre. Everyone at the Table.

Common questions, honest answers

What People Often Ask About the Old Catholic Church

Many people have never heard of the Old Catholic Church or ISM before — or have questions about how we differ from Roman Catholicism. Here are some of the things we’re most often asked.

Still have questions?

Yes. We hold to the same core faith — the creeds, the sacraments, and the apostolic tradition — but we do so without Roman control. We are Catholic, just not Roman.

No. “Old” refers to our commitment to the older form of Catholicism — the faith as it was before the modern dogmas of papal supremacy and infallibility. It doesn’t mean old-fashioned or stuck in the past.

Absolutely. We celebrate all seven traditional sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Confession, Anointing of the Sick, Marriage, and Holy Orders.

Yes. Our bishops and priests are ordained in historic apostolic succession — meaning they were ordained by valid bishops in an unbroken line back to the apostles. Just like the early church, of the first 1,000 years!

We do. No one is disqualified from grace. If you are seeking Christ, you are welcome. We don’t test or judge people before inviting them to the sacraments — we open the Table to all who hunger.

Not at all. We respect the Roman Catholic Church and pray for unity among all Christians. But we follow a different path — one rooted in the early Church’s model of shared leadership, open conscience, and local accountability.

We respect the Roman Catholic Church as a major, historic expression of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. We share much of the same faith, sacraments, and spiritual tradition, and we pray for genuine unity in truth and charity. Where we differ is not over Christ, the creeds, or the sacraments, but over later claims of papal supremacy and the idea that God’s grace and valid sacraments are found only in communion with Rome.

Our stance is therefore not “against Rome”, but against any claim that one modern institution is the whole Church or that others are automatically invalid or fake. We see ourselves as one local, independent sacramental expression among many – trying to live the catholic faith with integrity, without hostility or rivalry.