The Liberal Catholic Church
How You Can Recognize the Authentic and Original TLCC
and Enter Into the Mission of The Genuine TLCC
When Bishop James Ingall Wedgwood became the First Presiding Bishop of The Liberal Catholic Church, he worked tirelessly to establish The LCC throughout the world. Bishop Wedgwood did not found a series of unaffiliated or independent churches, nor did he found a "movement" — Bishop Wedgwood founded a single, unified, world-wide Church, made up of national Provinces and Parishes, all under a single name, a single book of Canon Law, a single Liturgy, and a single Episcopal Synod working under an elected Presiding Bishop.
The Liberal Catholic Church began as — and continues as — a united, unique, and global Church working in accord under its own Episcopal Synod and directed by its own Archbishop Primate. Since its founding in 1916, The Liberal Catholic Church has faithfully carried forth its mission and has become known and respected in the Christian world.
The Flattery of Imitation
Is imitation the sincerest form of flattery? Apparently so, for in recent years a small number of unaffiliated individuals and unaffiliated groups have gone to the internet to falsely proclaim themselves as "Liberal Catholic bishops" or as a "Liberal Catholic Church," or as part of "the Liberal Catholic movement." These individuals or groups are misrepresenting themselves because they ...
How to Recognize the Authentic TLCC
To determine whether you have found the authentic TLCC or whether you have found impersonators, you need only ask one question of the clergy:
To continue, you can also ask the clergy in charge...
If you are at a web site that claims to be Liberal Catholic...
The official list of authentic Liberal Catholic Bishops and their Provinces is published in the Church journal, The Liberal Catholic. These Bishops constitute the Episcopal Synod of the bona fide, world-wide Liberal Catholic Church; these Bishops are in a direct line of descent, in both Succession and in Canon Law, from our Founding Bishop James Ingall Wedgwood. Any person claiming to be a Bishop of The Liberal Catholic Church whose name does not appear in the following list is not a Bishop of The LCC and does not, in any way, represent The Liberal Catholic Church. Any person claiming to be a priest or deacon of The Liberal Catholic Church must hold Canonical Obedience to one of the Archbishops (Regionary) or Ordinary Bishops in the official list HERE.
The actual name of this Church, world-wide, is The Liberal Catholic Church.** Provinces (national divisions) always add their names after the official name, as, for example: The Liberal Catholic Church — Province of Argentina. The Church often calls itself "The LCC" or "TLCC." See the list of The LCC's official Province web sites HERE.
The authentic and original Liberal Catholic Church recently celebrated its 100th Anniversary by holding a General Episcopal Synod and International Clerical Synod at The Church of Our Lady and All Angels in Rio Rancho, New Mexico U.S.A. On display at this 100th Anniversary Celebration was the Signatory Liturgy, which is always in possession of the authentic Archbishop Primate (Presiding Bishop) of The Liberal Catholic Church. At the 2016 General Episcopal Synod, the Synod unanimously voted to change the title of Presiding Bishop to Archbishop Primate and to change the title of Regionary Bishop to Archbishop. In 2017, the additional title of Presiding Archbishop was approved by the GES for use in English-speaking countries. These changes were made to meet problems of translation of the former titles in non-English speaking countries throughout the world where The LCC is established.
If you are looking for an authentic and original TLCC near you, please contact us.
The Liberal Catholic Church began as — and continues as — a united, unique, and global Church working in accord under its own Episcopal Synod and directed by its own Archbishop Primate. Since its founding in 1916, The Liberal Catholic Church has faithfully carried forth its mission and has become known and respected in the Christian world.
The Flattery of Imitation
Is imitation the sincerest form of flattery? Apparently so, for in recent years a small number of unaffiliated individuals and unaffiliated groups have gone to the internet to falsely proclaim themselves as "Liberal Catholic bishops" or as a "Liberal Catholic Church," or as part of "the Liberal Catholic movement." These individuals or groups are misrepresenting themselves because they ...
- are not now and were never associated with The LCC or ...
- are not now, but were formerly associated with The LCC, i.e., are schismatic (left the Church and abandoned their membership) or were expelled from the TLCC for Canonical violations.
How to Recognize the Authentic TLCC
To determine whether you have found the authentic TLCC or whether you have found impersonators, you need only ask one question of the clergy:
- Who is your Presiding Archbishop? (Correct answer: Abp William Downey. Any other response identifies a counterfeit.)
To continue, you can also ask the clergy in charge...
- What Bishop holds your Canonical Obedience? (Correct answer: must be one of the Archbishops or Ordinary bishops on the list, below, depending upon the territory. For example, in Ghana, the correct answer would be Archbishop Kofi Anyomi. Or, in in Finland, the correct answer would be Archbishop Gunnar Lindberg.)
If you are at a web site that claims to be Liberal Catholic...
- look for a statement that App William Downey is the Presiding Archbishop of The Liberal Catholic Church. The site is false if anyone other than the App William Downey is listed as the Presiding Archbishop. If no identification of Presiding Archbishop William Downey is provided, the site is false.
- a warning about the Wikipedia entry: The entry "The Liberal Catholic Church" at Wikipedia is controlled by those who are not part of the authentic and original TLCC. Corrections to the false data at the site are immediately removed by the inauthentic editors. Therefore, much of the "history" given there is rewritten to appear to give authenticity to the schismatic group; key points of the information in the Wikipedia article are incorrect and misleading, especially in the portion that claims that the actual Episcopal Synod of the authentic and original TLCC "left" the Church--no, it is they who quit the real TLCC, taking with them property that belongs to the original body.
The official list of authentic Liberal Catholic Bishops and their Provinces is published in the Church journal, The Liberal Catholic. These Bishops constitute the Episcopal Synod of the bona fide, world-wide Liberal Catholic Church; these Bishops are in a direct line of descent, in both Succession and in Canon Law, from our Founding Bishop James Ingall Wedgwood. Any person claiming to be a Bishop of The Liberal Catholic Church whose name does not appear in the following list is not a Bishop of The LCC and does not, in any way, represent The Liberal Catholic Church. Any person claiming to be a priest or deacon of The Liberal Catholic Church must hold Canonical Obedience to one of the Archbishops (Regionary) or Ordinary Bishops in the official list HERE.
The actual name of this Church, world-wide, is The Liberal Catholic Church.** Provinces (national divisions) always add their names after the official name, as, for example: The Liberal Catholic Church — Province of Argentina. The Church often calls itself "The LCC" or "TLCC." See the list of The LCC's official Province web sites HERE.
The authentic and original Liberal Catholic Church recently celebrated its 100th Anniversary by holding a General Episcopal Synod and International Clerical Synod at The Church of Our Lady and All Angels in Rio Rancho, New Mexico U.S.A. On display at this 100th Anniversary Celebration was the Signatory Liturgy, which is always in possession of the authentic Archbishop Primate (Presiding Bishop) of The Liberal Catholic Church. At the 2016 General Episcopal Synod, the Synod unanimously voted to change the title of Presiding Bishop to Archbishop Primate and to change the title of Regionary Bishop to Archbishop. In 2017, the additional title of Presiding Archbishop was approved by the GES for use in English-speaking countries. These changes were made to meet problems of translation of the former titles in non-English speaking countries throughout the world where The LCC is established.
If you are looking for an authentic and original TLCC near you, please contact us.
To go to the Centennial Page of the TLCC world-wide 2016 Centennial Celebration, click HERE.
To see the famous Signatory Liturgy, click HERE.
To see the famous Signatory Liturgy, click HERE.
** A note about terminology. Journalists and other writers sometimes erroneously use the term "liberal Catholic" to mean Roman Catholics who are politically or socially liberal (progressive). The term those writers should actually use is "Roman Catholic liberal" or "Catholic liberal" because the term "Liberal Catholic" denotes a member of The Liberal Catholic Church, a distinct and independent Catholic denomination not affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church, its hierarchy, or its dogma.
