18 Confirmed in Kearny, New Jersey

18 people were confirmed this year at Sacred Heart of Jesus American National Catholic Church, in Kearny, New Jersey. Quite a remarkable number, showing the vibrancy and health of this parish. 

The Freedom of the Local Church

Churches in the United States have a tendency toward congregationalism as their form of government. That is, property is owned by the local congregation, and all decisions reside with that body. It's a form of democratic governance that has not always been the case. Roman Catholic, Episcopal, and United Methodist churches are different, in that the local property belongs to the larger denomination. In United Methodist Churches in particular it's said that local property is held "in trust" for the denomination. The congregation can leave the denomination if they want, for example, but the property stays with the denomination. The American National Catholic Church (ANCC), by contrast, practices congregational autonomy. 

Most evangelical and Pentecostal churches in our times seem to be congregational. This is especially the case with "non-denominational" churches. It grants a certain freedom to the local church, although it can also remove accountability. People in a local church have no higher recourse than their own board to intervene when something goes wrong, like when a pastor is abusive. 

While the ANCC practices congregational polity, the clergy are still hierarchical. All the priests share in the ministry of the head bishop, wherever they may be serving locally. So while a congregation can join or leave the ANCC at any time, they won't necessarily have their same priest if they do so. Priests joining the ANCC have to be incardinated, while a congregation leaving the ANCC might not be able to persuade its priest to go along. And besides, who would be the priest's bishop in this situation?

General Absolution and Open Communion in the American National Catholic Church

Two practices that stand out as different in American National Catholic Church (ANCC) parishes when compared to those of the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) is that the former offers general absolution and open communion during mass. But what does this mean?

In the RCC absolution is offered through private confession. This is when the church member goes to the priest in private and shares their sins. In response the priest offers absolution and generally instructs the believer on how to show penitence. This could be through a number of "Hail Marys" and/or "Our Fathers," or through some other means the priest thinks appropriate. In the ANCC this is available to members who want it. However, each week at the beginning of mass the priest or bishop offers a general absolution for the entire congregation. This is at the point in the mass where the people confess their sins in a general sense, with the words "I confess to almighty God, and to you my brothers and sisters...." I have not found a written explanation for why absolution is offered to the gathered parish as a whole rather than strictly individually, but it does take down one of the barriers to participation that people can feel. Again, though, private confession is available by prior arrangement with the bishop or priest that is available. 

The Eucharist is the high point of the mass, and in ANCC parishes everyone is welcome to participate. The thought is that the sacraments are the gifts of God, not rewards. While we say that everyone is welcome to the table, and I have never seen someone turned away, I do believe that in theory it's meant for all baptized Christians in particular. The ANCC does hold to the Real Presence in the Eucharist, but on a Sunday morning no one is grilled about their beliefs regarding the sacrament.

These two sacraments, while practiced differently in the ANCC from the RCC, are deeply meaningful and contribute to sustaining the faith and spirituality of the parish. 

The Familiar Mass of the American National Catholic Church

Something nice about the American National Catholic Church is that it uses the familiar 2nd edition Novus Ordo mass. This is a descendent of the original Novus Ordo mass that came as a result of the 2nd Vatican Council, and is familiar to everyone from Boomers to Gen X. Even for Millennials and Gen Z it is close enough to the 3rd edition for them to adapt, though they might stumble here or there with some wording. 

Other jurisdictions of the Independent Sacramental Movement use a wide variety of liturgies, depending on what they've adopted and adapted for use in their churches. Some lean East, using St. John Chrysostom's Divine Liturgy, or a variation on it. Others lean West and draw from the Roman Church's liturgy. It is also true that some ISM jurisdictions are quite conservative and may use the old Latin mass of the Roman Catholic Church. 

By using the Novus Ordo 2nd edition, Roman Catholics who are familiar with the liturgy have little or no trouble following along and participating. I can only wonder how churches using another form of liturgy manage. Perhaps they print out the full service each week, as the Episcopal and ELCA churches tend to do. 

In the end, the ANCC's consistent use of the familiar Novus Ordo 2nd edition mass builds a bridge for Roman Catholics to join in, and puts everyone on the same page (literally) regarding the liturgy. This emphasizes the truth that mass isn't just about rules and rubrics, but more so about belonging. 

Reasons Non-Catholics Choose the American National Catholic Church

It makes sense that Roman Catholics seek out the American National Catholic Church (ANCC). It offers communities of faith that are not as rigid as Roman Catholicism, admitting remarried people to communion and both women and lgbtqia+ people to the full life and ministry of the church. This makes for a welcoming alternative for Catholics to the Roman Catholic Church. But what about non-Catholics who find their way into an ANCC parish? There can be a few reasons for their interest.

First, the ANCC offers sacramental spirituality without Roman constraints. People can enjoy the full depth of sacramental worship (eucharist, baptism, confirmation, etc.) with less institutional control and more inclusivity.

Second, that inclusivity I've already mentioned is a draw. The ANCC welcomes divorced and remarried people, lgbtqia+ folks, women clergy, and others who might feel marginalized elsewhere. For someone who wants both sacramental life and a progressive community, the ANCC can feel like a "home."

Third, ANCC parishes tend to be small, tight-knit communities. For someone seeking personal pastoral care and real community, the intimacy can be a strong draw compared to large, impersonal churches.  

Fourth, people from Protestant traditions may miss the sense of sacred ritual and historical continuity that ISM churches preserve. Others who are “exvangelicals” may find healing in a sacramental setting that doesn’t demand rigid adherence to conservative theology.

Fifth and finally, some non-Catholics are called to ministry but feel blocked in their own traditions. For example, women may not be permitted in ordained ministry, or lgbtqia+ folks can likewise be denied ordination. The ANCC offers recognition and a place to live out that calling, with a clear path to the diaconate or priesthood. 

It might be more common for Roman Catholics to seek out the ANCC than for non-Catholics, but the latter can have their reasons to do so as well. In this jurisdiction of the Independent Sacramental Movement, all are welcome.

Easy Theism or an Examined Faith

Before I spent 10 years among Humanists and freethinkers I thought everyone had an implicit understanding of God's reality, and that some simply denied it. I now understand what a terribly misguided and misinformed take that was. I have met many people over the past decade who told me that they never believed. Some said that they were told about God as a child and simply didn't accept the notion, while others believed until it dawned on them that it didn't all make complete sense. All this in childhood. Whereas my experience was one of always believing and only coming to break with that faith after I faced certain realities about life. Mine was an easy theism, one that I don't think holds much merit without testing. 

Easy theism is when people simply accept that God exists and generally believe there is a life hereafter. They don't question it, and more often than not criticize those who do. It can be expressed in the most banal of ways, such as when someone comes through a surgery successfully and people thank God rather than the doctors. I had my gall bladder removed in emergency surgery several years ago, and I made absolutely certain to let the surgeon know my gratitude to him. 

When someone recites the creed by rote memory at a mass without thinking about it, that's easy theism. Simply going along with it because that's what we've always done. 

When someone says "God needed an angel" when a child dies, or "Grandma's watching over us," these are expressions of easy theism.

Hard theism, by contrast, is an examined faith. It is faith in the face of suffering, not shrugging it off but wrestling with its reality while holding on to belief. It can be a philosophical theism, one born out of difficult study of arguments for an against (cosmological, moral, teleological, etc). This is a deliberate faith, not one that is reflexive. It is a faith willing to live with unresolved tensions. Hard theism is one that calls us to radical acceptance of the ethical demands of faith, such as living among the poor, renouncing wealth, or dedicating one's life to service. It isn't about comfort, but rather costly discipleship.

With hard theism, the questions are valid, considered, and dealt with either by turning away from theism or by persevering on while bearing the questions. 

Saints: Faith and Doubts

Saints are people whose testimony of faith extends beyond their lifetime. They are those whose exemplary lives continue to inspire. In Catholic thought, they are also understood to be companions to the living on their journey of faith. Through prayer to the saints, their intercession is requested in much the same way that living Christians might ask one another for intercessory prayer. 

There is, so far as I know, no process for recognizing someone as a saint in the Independent Sacramental Movement (ISM). Generally the ISM churches simply recognize any saints from the Western or Eastern traditions. 

As I've said, these are to be companions on our journey of faith, people to whom we pray, who then in turn pray for us. This is not the same thing as what Jesus does as our one mediator between the Father and humanity. While God the Son relates directly to God the Father, saints intercede for us through Jesus. At least, that's how I understand it. Mind you, I'm no expert on Catholic theology. 

Here's where my Humanist skepticism kicks in. There are questions, such as: how do our prayers reach the saints? They are not omniscient, so how could they be aware of our prayers? The Church answers that God ensures that our petitions reach them, however that occurs. Then I wonder: how do they keep track of all the petitions? Some saints, like Saint Jude, are quite popular. They would have to be hearing hundreds of requests at a time, at least. They are not omnipotent. Finally, how would they even understand our prayers? Languages have changed over the centuries, and I suppose we can fall back on the notion that God translates for them. But then, how do they understand the content of our prayers, given how much the world has changed with technology and scientific progress?

So there you have the faith, and the doubts, around the saints.