THE UNITED ECUMENICAL CATHOLIC CHURCH

Our Beliefs

The UECC holds true to the faith professed by the ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC AND APOSTOLIC CHURCH; The Church as it was before any of the splits that have wracked its historical development.

We hold that faith described by Saint Vincent of Lerins as, "That which has been believed always, everywhere and by everyone."

Simply put that means that we believe everything defined by the first seven Ecumenical Councils and proclaimed in the Nicene Creed. Anything added or changed by any individual "Church" since the date of the Second Council of Nicea is not essential for the faithful to believe.

For example, if you want to believe in the Assumption of Mary (A pious Tradition from the earliest days) fine, but you do not have to. The same applies to legal strictures such as priestly celibacy imposed after that date, that cannot be held as universally obligatory.

We do not dismiss the beliefs of other traditions or jurisdictions, rather we believe that each person is free to reach her or his own conclusion on those matters and that belief in them is not essential to Salvation nor do they affect our personal relationship with Christ.

As a church that tries to live out the Commandments of Christ (to love God and love one another), we do not judge each other. We accept people, as they are, where they are, just as Jesus did. We accept also that many early interpretations of the Holy Scriptures were based on incomplete knowledge (particularly of the Aramaic and ancient Greek that they were written in) and later translations of the scripture have bought new understanding in many matters.

CANON LAW

The UECC has established both Canon Law and Canonical Regulations however we try to keep legalism to as low a level as possible. We are guided by the wisdom of our sister churches over the centuries in giving guidelines for the good conduct of church affairs and also the good conduct of all ministers and employees of the Church. The law of this Church is above all the Law as expressed by Jesus Christ: "Love God and love your neighbour." All legislation must help people to achieve this - if it does not then it is a millstone rather than a touchstone.


LITURGICAL PRACTICE

In the primitive Church it was recognized that the Sacred Liturgy, especially the Eucharistic Celebration, had certain essential elements, which must be present. However, the words used and the gestures that accompanied them were left entirely to the discretion of the celebrating Bishop. As priests were added to the ranks of the clergy they were expected to celebrate the Eucharist according to their Bishop's ritual. This led to a plethora of rich and varied Liturgies, almost as many liturgies as Bishops. As time went on both Eastern and Western branches of the Church became more and more centralized and the Liturgy became more rigid in its structure.

Some of the so-called "Independent" Churches attach themselves to a particular Liturgical expression and denounce all others. We do not do this.

Whilst our Bishops generally use the reformed Roman Ritual of the Second Vatican Council; they have given permission for any Rite of the Eucharist (or other Sacrament) which is, or has been, promulgated by any of the greater Churches of East or West, to be used freely by clergy according to pastoral needs. So, if a community has come to us from an Anglican tradition they can continue to use the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. Those from Roman background may use the Tridentine, Byzantine, or Reformed liturgy in the language of their choice.

All Celebrations of Sacraments within the church take place under the leadership of an appropriate Minister (Bishop, priest or deacon) vested according to tradition for their role, and should follow closely the rubrics for the chosen rite.

"One Church, United in Christ"