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Day: February 15, 2010

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PNCC members – Planning a Wedding?

If you are planning a wedding there are certain cautions you should take as a member of the PNCC. If your intended is a member of the R.C. Church, and you plan to marry in the PNCC, your intended may face difficulties with their pastor or bishop.

The core problem is that the R.C. Church requires that your intended obtain a “dispensation from canonical form“This from the R.C. Archdiocese of Chicago. It gives the general principals etc. Your intended’s diocese may have different requirements. from their bishop. If they do not, your marriage will not be recognized by the R.C. Church. Note that if your intended does not do so, the Roman Church may consider you to be “living in sin.”

For years, the dialog between the PNCC and RC Churches has tried to resolve this issue (as well as the ability of PNCC members to stand as godparents in the RC Church). The PNCC has repeatedly requested that the Roman Church do away with this requirement. The main difference between the Apostolic Churches is that the sacrament in both the PNCC and Orthodox ChurchesA dispensation from canonical form is required for validity in PNCC marriages while it is only required for liceity in Orthodox marriages. The requirements should, at-a-minimum, be the same since the theological argument is the same. are based on one sacramental theology while that theology differs in the Roman Church. In the PNCC and Orthodox Churches the priest is the minister of the sacrament. In the Roman Church the couple is said to be the minister of the sacrament.

Also of note, if you plan to marry in the R.C. Church, some priests therein may deny the Eucharist to your intended and their family. You do need to cover this issue with them in advance. If they insist that they cannot give your intended’s parents or family communion, grab the nearest pew missal and point to the section in the back regarding admittance to the Eucharist. If that doesn’t help — well that priest (or deacon) isn’t following the rules, so you may want to seek marriage in your PNCC parish.

Both of these problems are roadblocks placed in the way of PNCC members who attempt to practice and hold true to their faith. It has also been noted that some R.C. pastors and bishops have made the process of obtaining a dispensation extremely cumbersome for those intending to marry a member of the PNCC. Of course this is an attempt to coerce members of the PNCC.

While we may not like something, we should respect the theology of the R.C. ChurchOf course it is inconsistent in relation to validity versus liceity.. We do expect them to respect ours in turn. So it comes down to politics and certain Roman bishops and priests who wish to “drive the point home” in opposition to the Roman Church’s own teaching on admission to Eucharist and avoidance of coercion.

So, take note and plan ahead. Talk to your intended’s pastor and attempt to obtain the “paperwork.” If you are marrying in his parish do cover the issue of Eucharistic reception because there have been well noted cases of grandma getting up to go to communion and being told to go away. That’s not the sort of sadness you need on your wedding day.

Everything Else,

Vagante group falls apart

An older story, but worth noting for those who dabble in the vagante world.

This is why I am a firm believer in the Cyprianic definition of Orders. If one is in the Church you are ok, outside the Church, who knows… Also, to answer any response to those who would say that they are part of the “Old Catholic Union of Utrecht,” the Utrecht Union does not recognize any denomination in the United States or Canada other than the Episcopal Church. A list of member Churches is here.

The “Reformed Catholic Church,” a vagante group, fell apart in late November, early December amid a scandal involving its “Archbishop” and other “clergy.” The Columbus Dispatch covered the details in Catholicism offshoot dissolves after scandals:

An independent Catholic denomination with its global headquarters in Columbus has disbanded, having been torn apart after publicity about the criminal backgrounds of its top leader and a former priest.

Critics of former Archbishop Phillip Zimmerman of the Reformed Catholic Church say he covered up his 2005 felony conviction and allowed participation by a convicted child molester.

…

Zimmerman resigned last week because “I was becoming the focus of controversy,” he said Wednesday. The church’s bishops then voted to dissolve the denomination, which was founded in 2000.

Individual parishes probably will continue to operate. Most Reformed Catholic congregations rent space or meet in homes, and none received funding from the Columbus headquarters.

Zimmerman said he will continue to serve at the Ascension of Our Lord Basilica on E. Broad Street on the Near East Side, which will stay open. He wouldn’t rule out organizing a new denomination.

…

Its membership numbers are difficult to pin down, but Zimmerman has estimated the worldwide body at 200,000. A Web site lists six parishes and missions in Ohio; it’s unclear if they all have a physical address.

At the Ascension of Our Lord Basilica, the most-attended Sunday Mass might have 30 or 40 people, said Bishop Marcis Heckman, the church rector.

Zimmerman came under fire when e-mails and Internet postings pointed out that a convicted child molester and former priest was allowed to participate in the denomination’s annual meeting in October. Sean-Michael Lyons wore vestments and sat with priests during Masses.

Then, news of Zimmerman’s own conviction circulated online.

Zimmerman, whose full name is George Richard Phillip Zimmerman, pleaded guilty in 2005 to fraud for his role in a scheme that cost the U.S. Department of Education more than $533,000…

Per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, this was the group that the Rev. Marek Bozek (could have developed something if he sought Catholicism rather than vagante fun and other nonsense) had reached out to for coverage.

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