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The American Catholic Church, in its original form, is no longer in existence, although many groups have made claims to its lineage through the consecrations of Paolo Miraglia-Gulotti and Frederick Ebenezer Lloyd. The State of Illinois Charter for the ACC obtained by Abp. Vilatte, dated 13 July 1915, is now in the control of Bishop Robert Clement, and his ministry is continuing in California. ==Origin== Joseph René Vilatte founded his independent Christian denomination, American Catholic Church (ACC), soon after he was consecrated. According to ''The New York Times'', Edward Randall Knowles was Vilatte's first ordination. The 1892 article called the two, Vilatte and Knowles, the hierarchy of the . That had a schism when Knowles desired to be consecrated a bishop. Vilatte wrote to ''The New York Times'', that he had "been pestered with applications from clergymen of other churches for episcopal consecration." I "would render myself ridiculous," wrote Vilatte, "were I to proceed to consecrate Bishops in a hurry." Vilatte rejected Knowles' request and Knowles resigned. Vilatte explained that three canonical conditions were not met: *Vilatte was alone, "and the law of the Church is that there should be at least three Bishops to consecrate another" *Knowles was married, "whereas in all the Eastern churches a Bishop must be a monk" *Knowles was too young, he "has not attained the canonical age" Vilatte complained against attempts to force him "to act against" his "better judgment" and declared: "I am, and intend to remain, faithful to the laws of our orthodox Church." Vilatte was mocked, in ''The Sacred Heart Review'', as being the "sole proprietor and General Manager of the new Old Catholic Church in America" confronted by a schism. While the "great 'neatness and despatch of Knowles' ordination was ridiculed and his judgment, for "resigning from his church because he can't be a bishop all at once", was questioned. "Knowles may ask, () is the use of having a () church of your own if you are going to let the rules stand in your way?". Knowles was a Baptist convert to the , he graduated from Princeton University, studied Christian Science for a time, interviewed Joseph Leycester Lyne, corresponded with Antonio Francisco Xavier Alvarez, Pedro Manoel Lisboa Pinto, Eduard Herzog and others. He was prepared to sail to Europe to consult with Hyacinthe Loyson, Herzog, and the Old Catholic Church of the Netherlands (OKKN) about the feasibility or desirability of starting missions in America. He abandoned his trip and waited for Vilatte. They met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Knowles was ordained in West Sutton, Massachusetts.〔 On , ''The New York Times'' published that Knowles had received a letter from Loyson. "The letter shows that the Old Catholic Episcopate in Europe have sided with () Knowles as against () Vilatte, and have entirely repudiated him." The name "American Catholic Church" was also used, from 1894, by a group of Polish parishes, at first associated with Vilatte, which were organized at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Cleveland, Ohio. On , ''The New York Times'' reported that Knowles was a guest at Holland House, London and was "a priest of the Old Catholic or Syrian Church" who will in Egypt "study the Coptic and Greek systems". It further reported that, "There is a feeling among the Old Catholics and others who sympathize with them that the present administration of the Church is not vigorous or progressive enough. Hardly any advance has been made since the consecration of Archbishop Vilatte () Negotiations were carried on with disaffected Polish Catholics () but they failed () through a lack of discretion and tact." It went on to report that the "facts will be laid before the Patriarch by Knowles" and that reforms will be suggested. "In point of fact", Orzell wrote, "most Polish dissidents proved more willing to make use of Vilatte's episcopal services at blessings and confirmations than to accept his leadership and embrace his curious blend of Eastern and Western Christian theology." Margrander wrote that Poles did not accept Vilatte's doctrinal reforms so he withdrew his approval of their movement; he also wrote that Vilatte was convinced that their motive was a "deliberate defiance of the canonical authority" of their bishops, rather than reform, so he "advised them either to accept fully and freely the Old Catholic principles, or to return to the Roman Church." Statistics about Vilatte's Old Catholic Church (OCC) sect showed its tiny size. Henry Carroll's ''The Religious Forces of the United States Enumerated, Classified, and Described'', summarized United States Census data from 1890 to 1910. It showed the had at most three minister, five edifices and 700 members; Moreover, the 1910 United States Census data showed that prior to 1910, the disintegrated and ceased to exist;〔 Carroll wrote that "a number of denominations, all quite small, have disappeared, including () the Old Catholic Church, and other insignificant bodies."〔 Carroll's summaries did not list a sect named "American Catholic Church". Partially self-reported statistics about Vilatte's denominations were included in the United States Census Bureau's ''Religious Bodies'', 1916 edition. They show two denominations associated with Vilatte were grouped under the name "Old Catholic Churches".〔 The report also compiled statistics about similar types of denominations, though not ecclesiastically connected, which the report identified as the Polish National Catholic Church (PNCC) and the Lithuanian National Catholic Church (LNCC).〔 Of the two denominations under Vilatte's leadership, the first was the Old Roman Catholic Church (ORCC) with an episcopal see in Chicago, Illinois. Miraglia was associated with this organization and had special charge of Italian services. It was in close fellowship with the but a distinct organization. No report was made of this denomination in 1906, although some churches had been registered previous to that time. It claimed 12 organizations, with a membership of 4,700 with 11 church edifices. There were four organizations reporting parsonages. Of the 12 organizations, two, with 850 members, reported the use of English only in church services, and 10, with 3,850 members, the use of foreign languages only. The principal language reported was Polish, reported by three organizations, with 1,700 members; Lithuanian by one organization, with 325 members; Russian, used by one church, with 1,000 members; and, Portuguese, reported by three organizations, with 550 members. The number of ministers identified with the church was 14.〔 Of the two denominations under Vilatte's leadership, the second was the with an episcopal see in Chicago. It was incorporated in 1915 in Illinois.〔 Old corporate names officially used by the corporation were "American Catholic Church", "Mercian Rite Catholic Church", and "The Orthodox Catholic Church of America". The current corporate name, in 2013, is "The American Catholic Church".〕 Lloyd was associated with this organization. The denomination was formed for the special purpose of bringing Roman Catholics into the Old Catholic movement. It was in close fellowship with the but a distinct organization. This denomination was reported for the first time in 1916. It claimed three organizations, with a membership of 475 with one church edifice. There was one organization reporting a parsonage. English was reported as the only language used in church services in this denomination. The number of ministers identified with the church was seven.〔 After Vilatte retired as head of the in 1920, Lloyd was chosen by a synod of that church to replace him; that synod gave Vilatte the honorary title of Exarch. According to the ''Year Book of the Churches'', 1923 edition, Vilatte continued as head of the .〔 Also 〕 A third denomination grouped under the name "Old Catholic Churches" was the Catholic Church of North America (CCoNA). was not under Vilatte's leadership but under Bishop William Henry Francis Brothers' with an episcopal see in Waukegan, Illinois. This church was also reported for the first time in 1916. It claimed six organizations; 9,025 members with five church edifices. There were two organizations reporting parsonages. Of the six organizations one, with 725 members, reported the use of English only in church services; one, with 600 members, reported Slavic and English; and four, with 7,700 members, the use of foreign languages only. The principal language reported was Italian, reported by three organizations, with 7,400 members; Polish by one organization, with 300 members. The number of ministers identified with the church was 12.〔 The was organized by Bishop Stanislaus B. Mickiewicz with an episcopal see in Lawrence, Massachusetts.〔 It was in some type of connection, though not ecclesiastically, with the . This church was reported for the first time in 1916. It claimed seven organizations; 7,343 members with six church edifices. There was one organization reporting a parsonage. The only language reported in the conduct of church services in this denomination was Lithuanian. The number of ministers identified with the church was three.〔 The was organized by Bishop Franciszek Hodur with an episcopal see in Scranton, Pennsylvania. This church was reported for the first time in 1906. In 1916, it claimed 34 organizations; 28,245 members with 37 church edifices. There were 21 organizations reporting a parsonage. Of the 34 organizations, two, with 586 members, reported the use of English only in church services, and 32, with 27,659 members, the use of Polish only. The number of ministers identified with the church was 45.〔 A movement similar to that started by Hodur and his associates was the one started by Bishop in Chicago. One or two churches in Chicago, together with churches in Indiana and Wisconsin, and several in the East, organized another independent diocese, known as the ''Polish Independent Catholic Church'', of which Kozlowski was eventually made bishop. Subsequently these two organizations united to form the , which by 1916 included all the ''Polish Independent Catholic Church'' parishes in the United States, except one in Buffalo.〔 By 1929, about four years after Vilatte's death, only one denomination derived from Vilatte was included in ''Religious Bodies'', 1926 edition. The report explained that, by then, "none of these American bodies or leaders are connected with or recognized by the Old Catholic Churches of any part of continental Europe, nor are their Orders or Apostolic Successions derived directly, if at all, from European Old Catholic Churches" and added a "caution against misinterpretation" of the term "Old Catholic Churches". It identified three subsets of denominations in the ''Old Catholic Churches'' group in the US: # and "its numerous derivatives" #''Old Catholic Church in America'' #''North American Old Roman Catholic Church'' and the "numerous separated personal leaders derived from its establishment" According to the report, these entities are no longer either connected with Old Catholic Churches of continental Europe, which "repudiated all responsibility for or connection with" bishops who derived their consecrations from the consecration of Mathew, or with the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch. "Of the many bishops that have been consecrated in this group, () most have assumed other names and titles and founded separate churches for themselves by civil incorporation. For most of these no statistics are published, for the reason that the Census Bureau collects its statistics directly from congregations rather than from the officers of corporations." So, "direct comparisons between the bodies as reported at the two censuses are impossible, () because of numerous organic changes," according to the United States Census Bureau. Which also stated "a reorganization since the census of 1916 makes it impossible to identify the whole group with any of the bodies formerly presented," in the 1916 data, under the name "Old Catholic Churches";〔 the reorganized claimed 11 organizations, with a membership of 1,367 with two church edifices. There was one organization reporting a parsonage. The number of ministers identified with the church was not reported.〔 ''Religious Bodies'', 1926 edition, named one denomination "which now has a thriving organization of congregations" derived from Vilatte, that "aspires to ultimate association with Eastern Orthodox Churches as a racial or national unit" and "does not desire any association with Old Catholic Churches"—the African Orthodox Church (AOC).〔 It had its episcopal see in New York City but incorporated in Florida. This denomination was reported for the first time in 1926. It claimed 13 organizations, with a membership of 1,508 without a church edifice. There was no organization reporting a parsonage. The number of ministers identified with the church was 30.〔 Another denomination, named the African Orthodox Church of New York (AOCoNY) also had its episcopal see in New York City and incorporated in New York. The was in a fellowship "strictly one of spiritual communion" with the and a distinct organization with "absolute independence." This denomination was also reported for the first time in 1926. It claimed three organizations, with a membership of 717 with one church edifice. There was one organization reporting a parsonage. The number of ministers identified with the church was not reported.〔 A notice from the Syrian Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East concerning schismatic bodies and ''ラテン語:episcopi vagantes'', dated , states that "after direct expulsion from official Christian communities" some schismatic bodies exist, including "all the sects claiming succession through Vilatte," that claim "without truth to derive their origin and apostolic succession from some ancient Apostolic Church of the East" and The notice named both the and the specifically as examples of such schismatic bodies.〔 According to James R. Lewis, in ''The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religions'', the "was taken over by bishops with theosophical leanings" after Vilatte's death. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「American Catholic Church (1915)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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