What is the
Diocese of the Holy Spirit?
The Ancient Tradition of the Christian Faith
The Diocese of the Holy Spirit is a community of communities, practicing the orthodox Christian faith in the ancient catholic tradition, united by episcopal servants. The term Orthodox simple means "right-thinking" (you may read more about the orthodox faith here). The term Episcopal identifies the Church as being served by bishops (You may read more about episcopal tradition here) and Catholic simply means "universal" and "all believers in Jesus Christ throughout all ages, regardless of denominational affiliation". You may read more about the Catholic faith here.......
This means we celebrate the traditional seven sacraments of the Church, namely Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist (Mass-Holy Communion-Lord's Supper), Reconciliation (confession), Marriage, Holy Orders (ordination of deacons-presbyters-bishops) and anointing of the sick. Baptism and the Holy Eucharist are the "Gospel Sacraments", and are celebrated as the center of our sacramental life.
We also have received and preserve the teachings of and connection to the Apostles of Jesus through the practice of Apostolic Succession, the unbroken line of succession from the Apostles to today's ministers through the laying on of hands. This is what makes the Diocese an "episcopal" Church, because the term "episcopal" simply means organized and served by bishops.
The services in any of our communities would be familiar to Christians of a litrugical background, such as the Anglican, Roman Catholic or Orthodox traditions. The most common forms of worship services in our communities are the Novus Ordo and the various editions of the Book of Common Prayer.
This means we celebrate the traditional seven sacraments of the Church, namely Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist (Mass-Holy Communion-Lord's Supper), Reconciliation (confession), Marriage, Holy Orders (ordination of deacons-presbyters-bishops) and anointing of the sick. Baptism and the Holy Eucharist are the "Gospel Sacraments", and are celebrated as the center of our sacramental life.
We also have received and preserve the teachings of and connection to the Apostles of Jesus through the practice of Apostolic Succession, the unbroken line of succession from the Apostles to today's ministers through the laying on of hands. This is what makes the Diocese an "episcopal" Church, because the term "episcopal" simply means organized and served by bishops.
The services in any of our communities would be familiar to Christians of a litrugical background, such as the Anglican, Roman Catholic or Orthodox traditions. The most common forms of worship services in our communities are the Novus Ordo and the various editions of the Book of Common Prayer.
Ancient Faith meets Modern Reality
The faith we believe and attempt to practice is the faith taught by Jesus Christ and passed down to the modern world through the Apostles and their successors, the bishops of the Church. The most common statements of our faith are the two ancient creeds of the Church, the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed. You may read more about the ancient Christian faith here.......
In particular, the Diocese of the Holy Spirit is a descendant of the Old Catholic Church of Utrecht, The Netherlands. The Catholic Church in the Netherlands came to be called "Old Catholic" because they refused to accept new innovations in teaching and practice that were foreign to the ancient Christian faith. You may read more about the Old Catholic faith here.......
We have also received much of our apostolic heritage from the Anglican tradition of the Christian Faith. The Anglican and Old Catholic Union of Utrecht have been in commuion with one another officially since 1931.The Diocese welcomes the use of the timeless and beautiful liturgies found in the historic Book of Common Prayer.
The Diocese of the Holy Spirit is also thankful for the ancient and historic witness of the Eastern Orthodox sisters and brothers. Thanks to their testimony, faithfulness and efforts, the Christian Faith as delievered by the Aposltes has continued to our present day. The Old Catholic Church and the Syrian Orthodox Church united in official communion in 1911. You may read the actual letter and translations of the 1911 documents here.
Although the Truth, perfectly expressed in the life of Jesus Christ (John 14:6) never changes, times and conditions do change. The world in which we live today is radically different than First Century Palestine. Culture, society and the demands of the modern life challenge us to find fresh and creative ways in which to live the unchanging message of Christ. We believe the essence of that message is love, because "God is Love".
In particular, the Diocese of the Holy Spirit is a descendant of the Old Catholic Church of Utrecht, The Netherlands. The Catholic Church in the Netherlands came to be called "Old Catholic" because they refused to accept new innovations in teaching and practice that were foreign to the ancient Christian faith. You may read more about the Old Catholic faith here.......
We have also received much of our apostolic heritage from the Anglican tradition of the Christian Faith. The Anglican and Old Catholic Union of Utrecht have been in commuion with one another officially since 1931.The Diocese welcomes the use of the timeless and beautiful liturgies found in the historic Book of Common Prayer.
The Diocese of the Holy Spirit is also thankful for the ancient and historic witness of the Eastern Orthodox sisters and brothers. Thanks to their testimony, faithfulness and efforts, the Christian Faith as delievered by the Aposltes has continued to our present day. The Old Catholic Church and the Syrian Orthodox Church united in official communion in 1911. You may read the actual letter and translations of the 1911 documents here.
Although the Truth, perfectly expressed in the life of Jesus Christ (John 14:6) never changes, times and conditions do change. The world in which we live today is radically different than First Century Palestine. Culture, society and the demands of the modern life challenge us to find fresh and creative ways in which to live the unchanging message of Christ. We believe the essence of that message is love, because "God is Love".
A community of communities
Following the ancient and traditional organizational model of the Christian Church, the Diocese of the Holy Spirit is one single Christian community, composed of individual local communities of the Church.
The Diocese of the Holy Spirit is also the Metropolitan See of the Province [click here for Provincial website] and is united with dioceses (groups of local faith communities united with a bishop), vicariates (groups of local faith communities who have not yet chosen a bishop), religious communities (sisters and brothers of various historical spiritual traditions of the Christian faith), parishes and missions (local faith congregations), ministries (servant-led communities providing faith support) and religious educational institutions (schools and seminaries for the training of deacons, priests and bishops).
The Diocese of the Holy Spirit serves as the Metropolitan See for the member communities of the Province. You may read more about the tradition of provinces of the Church here.......
The Diocese of the Holy Spirit is also the Metropolitan See of the Province [click here for Provincial website] and is united with dioceses (groups of local faith communities united with a bishop), vicariates (groups of local faith communities who have not yet chosen a bishop), religious communities (sisters and brothers of various historical spiritual traditions of the Christian faith), parishes and missions (local faith congregations), ministries (servant-led communities providing faith support) and religious educational institutions (schools and seminaries for the training of deacons, priests and bishops).
The Diocese of the Holy Spirit serves as the Metropolitan See for the member communities of the Province. You may read more about the tradition of provinces of the Church here.......
Have more questions?
Need more answers?
Feel free to contact us for more information.
info@holyspiritdiocese.com
Tel. 615-414-3234
or you may use the form below
to submit your questions or comments.
Need more answers?
Feel free to contact us for more information.
info@holyspiritdiocese.com
Tel. 615-414-3234
or you may use the form below
to submit your questions or comments.