Please feel free to reach out with any questions or comments. Someone will get back to you!
Email us at:
Friar Adrian Seán Madsen, O.F.A. who leads St. Andrew Mission to the Lost Sheep in Port Perry, ON has a ministry of prayer for sick and injured animals. You can reach him with your prayer requests:
{“version”:2,”isGlobalStylesUserThemeJSON”:true}
Canada
Russian Federation
Cameroon
Cuba
Sierra Leone
Mexico
The unequivocal answer is: Yes, you do. Each one of us has a God-given vocation. For each Christian, our primary vocation is to be a disciple of Jesus. Part and parcel of our vocation is to figure out – discern – how God desires me to be a disciple.
While each one of us is called by our Christian commitment to live the Gospel in every aspect of our daily life, God calls each one of us to do so in a particular state of life. Broadly put, these have been understood as lay (single, married, communal), clerical (ordained), and Religious (communal, active, monastic, hermetical, lay, clerical). Each of these states of life brings its own gifts and graces to the Church. Each has its own blessings and challenges.
Our Church welcomes and celebrates all vocations.
Our mission as Church is to be a witness to a Catholicism fully inclusive of 2SLGBTQIA+ people, women’s ordained ministry, married clergy and divorced people. As such we are a place of healing for those who have been rejected and hurt by their Church of origin, and have a desire to live their Christian vocation through Catholic liturgy and spirituality.
If you are searching and curious about us, please contact us and ‘come, and see’.
As a Baptized Christian you will simply need to adhere to our Profession of Faith to be admitted to membership. If you are not baptized, we will provide instruction and preparation for you to receive the Sacrament of Baptism within our Church. Contact us!
-Welcoming both women and men in the ordained ministry.
-Welcoming of married clergy
-Full inclusion of 2SLGBTQIA+ people as gifts of God in the life of the Church, including ordained ministry
-Diocesan and Religious priests
-Variety of Liturgical Rites
If you have a desire to serve as a Deacon or Priest, and/or as a Religious, within our Church, we would be happy to explore this with you. Please get in touch with Archbishop Roger.
An initial conversation to explore your desire and sense of vocation is the starting point. The ongoing conversation will include regular spiritual direction, personal and community prayer, and a customized self-paced course of study toward Ordination within our distance-learning Seminary program.
Are you ordained? Are you looking for a Catholic home? Please contact us to discuss your desire and explore our process of incardination
On the Feast of the Annunciation 2006, Archbishop Roger LaRade founded a religious community within l’Église Catholique Eucharistique – The Eucharistic Catholic Church. He named this new community the Order of Franciscans of the Annunciation of the Infinite Love of God, also known as the Franciscans of the Annunciation. The initials which members of the Order place after their names are O.F.A.
Following the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience we experience and live our vows as partnered/married or single persons, male and female, all under the same rule of life. We desire to have Saint Francis as a guide to our following of Jesus. We identify strongly with Jesus’ call to Saint Francis to “go, rebuild my Church”. We understand this in the contemporary world as a call to proclaim (announce – Annunciation) the Infinite Love of God for all people. God’s Infinite Love is shown us in the person of Jesus. As Mary, at the Annunciation, said “Yes” to God’s call to her to incarnate Jesus, so Franciscans of the Annunciation dedicate ourselves to live out our “Yes” to God’s call to each one of us to continue to incarnate Jesus through action and word.
In living this call, we have looked for a Franciscan community rooted in Tradition in its response to the modern world. We see this community as necessary in encouraging our ministry while shaping our mission. Membership in the Franciscans of the Annunciation provides this through the making of a commitment to live one’s vocation according to the rule of life of the Order under the guidance of the Guardian-General, and includes regular contact among members, ongoing study and discussion of Franciscan spirituality, and daily prayer and Mass, and ministry.
In 1977, Archbishop Robert Clement received Fr. H. L. Quessy of Montreal and several other clerics, all ordained in Old Catholic orders, into the Eucharistic Catholic Church. Two mission parishes were established–one in Montreal, the other in Quebec City. Fr. Quessy was appointed Vicar General for the Canadian Church.
ON November 2, 1977, L’Eglise Catholique Eucharistique – The Eucharistic Catholic Church (ECE-ECC) was incorporated by Canadian Royal Letters Patent. However, by April of 1981, all the members of the ECE-ECC had left and joined the North American Old Roman Catholic Church (Archdiocese of New York). Fr. Quessy himself became the bishop for Montreal and French Canada and eventually the Primate of this jurisdiction of the Old Roman Catholic Church. Archbishop Quessy died in February of 2008.
On March 28, 2004, Archbishop Clement gave permission to Bishop Darrel D. Hockley of Regina, Canada, to restart the work of the ECE-ECC. Bishop Hockley was originally a member of various Old Catholic and Independent Anglican groups. He had been ordained by Bishop Ian H. Phillips as deacon, presbyter, and bishop on August 8, 1998, as an economia due to his being so physically isolated from other independent bishops in Apostolic Succession. Bishop Hockley moved to Vancouver in July of 2004 as a better location to restart the work of the church.
Wishing to retire from his responsibilities for the ECC-ECE, Bishop Hockley called on Father Roger LaRade to accept the leadership of the ECE-ECC in order that the mission and work of the Church might continue. Fr. LaRade had been ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 1986. Committed to witnessing the inclusive love of God and having an active gay-friendly ministry in Toronto, Fr. LaRade accepted to assume the leadership of the ECE-ECC. Bishop Hockley resigned his office of Presiding Bishop effected June 1, 2005, and turned over the legal charter of the ECE-ECC to Fr. LarRade as Bishop-elect.
Fr. LaRade was consecrated a bishop for L’Eglise Catholique Eucharistique – The Eucharistic Catholic Church on December 10, 2005, in Washington D.C at the hands of Bishop Francis-Maria Salvato, SFI, his Ordinary at the time, Bishop Steven Delany, CTMOSB, and Bishop Charles Braun. In the following year, for reasons of doctrinal orthodoxy, Bp. LaRade petitioned with regret and was granted release from Bp. Salvato’s jurisdiction. This did not affect Bp LaRade’s jurisdiction over the ECE-ECC.
Currently the ECE-ECC is organized into the Archdiocese of the Americas, the diocese of Cameroon, and the diocese of Cuba. Church ministries include parishes, spiritual direction, community relief, ecumenical collaboration, and consultation to other independent jurisdictions.
At the time Bp. Hockley contacted then Fr. LaRade, Hockley informed him that the relationship between the Eucharistic Catholic Church (under Archbishop Robert Clement) and L’Eglise Catholique Eucharistique – The Eucharistic Catholic Church was for all practical purposes non-existent. Further conversations with Abp. Clement confirmed this. Upon learning in conversation with Clement that the Eucharistic Catholic Church in the U.S.A. operated as an LGBT outreach of the American Catholic Church, of which Clement was the Primatial Archbishop, rather than as a separate jurisdiction. Bishop LaRade discerned the the ECE-ECC was truly an independent jurisdiction with a distinct leadership and ministry.
While valuing and celebrating its foundation from the Eucharistic Catholic Church in the U.S.A., the ECE-ECC had developed quite independently in Canada without spiritual and jurisdictional guidance from the Eucharistic Catholic Church,
The ECE-ECC functions primarily according to Latin (Roman) Tradition. The ECE-ECC, as an independent Catholic jurisdiction, adopted and adapted for its model of leadership that of autonomous Eastern jurisdictions. The head hierarch is termed ‘major Archbishop’, simplified in address to ‘Archbishop’. Ranking above metropolitan archbishops and just below patriarchs in the order of ecclesiastical precedence, major archbishops are heads of certain autonomous Eastern churches in communion with the Holy See who enjoy in practice the rights and dignity granted to patriarchs, but without the formal concession of the title by the Vatican. The major archbishop fulfills essentially the same role as a patriarch, as the head of a self-governing Eastern Church. The dignity was initially devised as a compromise to recognize the head of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church as that community endured persecution at home and many of its leaders were scattered in exile abroad. The major archbishop of the ECE-ECC is properly the Primate Archbishop.
Most Reverend Roger LaRade, OFA, Primate Archbishop of L’Eglise Catholique Eucharistique – The Eucharistic Catholic Church, is founding pastor of Beloved Disciple Eucharistic Catholic Church in Toronto, Canada, and Founding Father of the Order of Franciscans of the Annunciation of the Infinite Love of God (Franciscans of the Annunciation). He holds degrees in philosophy, educations, theatre, and theology.
He entered the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in 1977 and was ordained a Roman Catholic (Jesuit) priest in 1986. He left the Jesuits in 1990. His decision to leave was based on two factors: taking a public position against the Church’s teaching on gay and lesbian lives, and a desire to be in a committed relationship. He and his husband, Mark, met in 1991. After 12 years as a couple, they were married in the summer of 2003 following the Province of Ontario’s recognition in law of same-sex marriages.
Archbishop LaRade was called back to ministry by the gay and lesbian couples who asked him to officiate at their commitment ceremonies and Holy Unions.
Abp. LaRade and his inclusive Catholic ministry have been featured on CITY-TV and VISION TV. His views on gays and the priesthood have been carried in the Toronto Star, and the Glove and Mail – Canada’s national newspaper – have published his comments on Catholicism and the 2SLGBTQ+ issues.
He has participated in Toronto Pride as a member of Interfaith Pride, an ecumenical/interfaith group of 2SLGBTQ+ welcoming denominations. On the occasion of World Pride 2014 held in Toronto, Apb. Roger was the only Catholic cleric invited to be one of 12 religious officiants at a mass same-sex wedding at the historic Cass Loma. In 2015, at the invitation of Mariela Castro Espin, Director of Cuba’s National Sexual Education Centre, leader in sexual orientation rights, and daughter to President Raul Castro, he participated in Cuba’s Jornada Contra La Homojobia y Transfobia, walking prominently at the head of the parade, and blessing over one hundred same-sex couples. This was the first Catholic presence in the history of Cuba’s Jornada celebrations
Reflecting on his ministry, LaRade says: “My life as a Jesuit for thirteen years, and my priestly ministry since then, has given me experience and training which is helpful to others as they search to make sense of faith and spirituality. This search can be difficult because it is often based in the context of a negative experience within the church of their youth. My ministry is open to all. As an openly gay man prohibited as such from ministry within the Roman Catholic Church, I feel a special calling to assist others excluded by their church of origin who are searching for spiritual meaning. We desire to claim our rightful place in Christian life. Our Church, given its origins in seeking justice and inclusive Catholic practice for lesbians and gays, and its affirming and respectful inclusion of all believers, provides a Catholic community which can nurture our spiritual yearing.”
We are committed to Catholic Tradition.
The Catholic Church believes that “Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture make up a single sacred deposit of the Word of God . . .” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 97).
In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Church reasons that:
“The apostles left bishops as their successors. They gave them their own position of teaching authority.” (Par. 77)
“This living transmission, accomplished through the Holy Spirit, is called tradition…” (Par. 78)
“Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence.” (Par. 82)
Within the Catholic scope of Tradition, many doctrines have been “revealed” to the Church over the centuries. For example, there is the veneration of Mary, her Immaculate Conception and her bodily Assumption into heaven. There is also the Apocrypha, Transubstantiation, praying through the intercession of the saints, Purgatory, to list a few. Protestantism generally differs with Catholicism in these beliefs.
L’Église Catholique Eucharistique – The Eucharistic Catholic Church (ECE-ECE) embraces Catholic Tradition while holding what are considered to be “progressive views” on certain issues.
The authentically Catholic progressive finds empowerment through God’s grace. The sensible progressive also knows that memory, gratitude, and prudence are essential for the good of the whole, be it for an individual, the community, or for the larger society. The well-known expression, “Don’t throw out the baby with the bath water” applies to the progressive Catholic.
The dynamic of reform within Tradition has existed throughout the history of Catholicism. The Desert Fathers, the Trappists, and the Capuchins, among others, all played reforming roles, often with a bent toward recovering authentic tradition, in that, they worked to reform their traditions – to become something more radical, closer to the original intent. Yet they all combined it with the commitment to conserve those things that were valuable and good in their traditions.
Following their example, progressive Catholicism is truly Catholic when it seeks God’s will to change what must be changed, and safeguarding and renewing what must be kept.
We choose to live as active witnesses in exile.
As individuals, members of the ECE-ECC have made a decision to live out their Catholic Christian vocations and lives in a Church which allows them the possibility of living authentic lives according to their consciences.
We have taken a position of active witness in relation to these deeply held beliefs. Rather than advocate from within the Roman Church, we have chosen to “actualize” those beliefs outside of the institution. While this conscious choice separates us from our parent institution, our exile brings freedom to live authentically as a child of God and pursue a deepening commitment to spirituality and mission.
Our active witness is not carried out in a reactive manner, where every action and decision of the parent institution propels the exiled into renewed action fed by anger. Rather, our active witness is characterized by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, discerned through a practice of daily meditation and liturgical prayer centred on the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus offered to us in the Eucharist. This latter characteristic implies and necessitates an individual attention to the development of an adequate level of psycho-spiritual maturity.
We profess the Catholic Christian faith.
Our Statement of Faith holds to orthodoxy as it is to be found in the Tradition of the Church, and specifically in the Roman Tradition. This Tradition is constituted of the statements of Faith found in the Nicene-Constantinople Creed as expressed and validated by the Council of Trent. As such, we profess the following:
With firm faith I believe and profess all and everything which is contained in the creed of faith, which the holy Catholic Church uses; namely:
I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible; and in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages; God from God, light from light, true God from true God; begotten not made, of one substance with the Father; through whom all things were made; who for us and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was made incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made human. He was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, died, and was buried; and He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven; He sits at the right hand of the Father, and He shall come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and of His kingdom there will be no end. And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who equally with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified; who spoke through the prophets. And I believe that there is one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the remission of sins; and I hope for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
I resolutely accept and embrace the apostolic and ecclesiastical traditions, liturgies and other practices of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. I accept Sacred Scripture as the inspired word of God given to numerous authors in differing circumstances. I acknowledge that, while its many writings are of different characters and therefore of unequal pertinence, Sacred Scripture in the light of the message of Christ is normative for the conduct of our lives in accord with God’s will.
I also acknowledge that there are truly and properly seven Sacraments, instituted by Jesus Christ our Lord, and that they are necessary for the salvation of the human race, although it is not necessary for each individual to receive them all. I acknowledge that the seven Sacraments are: Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction, Holy Orders, and Matrimony; and that they confer grace. I also accept and acknowledge the customary and approved rites of the Catholic Church in the solemn administration of these sacraments. I accept each and every article on original sin and justification declared and defined by the Catholic Church.
I likewise profess that in the Mass a true, proper and propitiatory sacrifice is offered to God on behalf of the living and the dead, and that the body and blood together with the soul and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ is truly, really, and substantially present in the most holy Sacrament of the Eucharist, and that there is a change of the whole substance of the bread into the body, and of the whole substance of the wine into blood; and this change the Catholic Church calls transubstantiation. I also profess that the whole and entire Christ and a true Sacrament is received under each separate species.
I firmly hold that there is a purgatory, and that the souls detained there are helped by the prayers of the faithful. I likewise hold that the saints reigning together with Christ should be honored and invoked, that they offer prayers to God on our behalf, and that their relics should be venerated. I firmly assert that images of Christ, of the Mother of God ever Virgin, and of the other saints should be owned and kept, and that due honor and veneration should be given to them.
I believe in the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary and in her glorious Assumption into Heaven.
I affirm separation in conscience and in fact from the jurisdiction of the Roman Pontiff. At the same time, I accept and profess the universal primacy of honour of the Bishop of Rome as successor of Saint Peter, the Prince of the Apostles. I affirm his title of Vicar of Christ as one of honour alone, as pertains to his ministry of guidance and unity of the Church universal. I promise him prayers for God’s guidance.
I further state that I accept the following teachings and disciplines to be held by l’Église Catholique Eucharistique – the Eucharistic Catholic Church:
Respect for the diversity of religious and spiritual traditions by which persons of good will seek to know God;
Equality of sexual orientations, whereby is found in homosexual, bisexual and transgendered people the creative purpose of God and whereby is found in the conjugal relationship of all couples the Sacrament of God’s love;
Call of all people to all ordained ministry in the Church;
Recommitment through a second marriage of once divorced people;
Compatibility of artificial contraception with the procreative nature of Matrimony and with the prevention of sexually transmittable infections; and,
Beginning of human life at conception and ending at natural death.
We hold to Apostolic Succession.
“Far be it from me to speak adversely of any of these clergy who, in succession from the apostles, confect by their sacred word the Body of Christ and through whose efforts also it is that we are Christians.” — St. Jerome: Letters 14:8 (A.D. 396)
The ECE-ECC is an autocephalous (self-governing, independent) Church in Apostolic Succession. The term “apostolic succession” refers to the doctrine in Catholic and Orthodox churches that holds that certain spiritual powers, who Jesus Christ first entrusted to the twelve apostles, is passed on in an unbroken line of succession from apostle to bishop to bishop, and from these bishops to the priests who assist them in their pastoral duties. The validity of apostolic succession is a key factor in determining the sacerdotal powers of the Church. Apostolic succession is the line of bishops stretching back to the apostles. All over the world, all Catholic bishops are part of a lineage that goes back to the time of the apostles, something that is impossible in Protestant denominations (most of which do not even claim to have bishops). Apostolic succession is supplied through the consecration/ordination of bishops by validly consecrated bishops. It is therefore known as ‘tactile’ in the sense that the consecration involves the laying on of hands by bishops on the one being consecrated.
Most Reverend Roger LaRade, O.F.A. is Primate Archbishop of L’Église Catholique Eucharistique – Eucharistic Catholic Church (ECE-ECC). He is founding pastor of Beloved Disciple Eucharistic Catholic Church in Toronto, Canada. He is Founding Father of the Order of Franciscans of the Annunciation of the Infinite Love of God (Franciscans of the Annunciation). He holds degrees in Philosophy, Education, Theatre and Theology.
He entered the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in 1977 and was ordained a Roman Catholic (Jesuit) priest in 1986. He left the Jesuits in 1990. His decision to leave was based on two factors: taking a public position against the Church’s teaching on gay and lesbian lives and a desire to be in a committed relationship. He and his husband Mark met in 1991 and live in Toronto. After 12 years together, they were married in the summer of 2003 following Ontario’s recognition in law of same-sex marriages.
Archbishop LaRade was called back to ministry by the gay and lesbian couples who asked him to officiate at their commitment ceremonies and Holy Unions. He returned to active ministry as a priest in 2003. On June 11, 2005, then-Father Roger was called to the Episcopate to be chief shepherd of ECE-ECC; he was ordained and consecrated a bishop in Apostolic Succession on December 10, 2005 in Washington, D.C.
Archbishop LaRade has been featured on CITY-TV and VISION TV. His views on gays and the priesthood have been carried in the Toronto Star, and The Globe and Mail – Canada’s national newspaper – has published his comments on Catholicism and LGBTQ issues. In 2015 he participated at the invitation of Mariela Castro Espin in Cuba’s Jornada Contra la Homofobia y Transfobia, blessing over one hundred same-sex couples.
Clergy of the ECE-ECC do not receive remuneration from the Church. Archbishop LaRade is in private practice as a Registered psychotherapist, Jungian Analyst, and Spiritual Director. In addition, he has held positions as a teacher, university chaplain, health educator and Manager of HIV-AIDS Support Services.
He is a member of the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario, the International Association for Analytical Psychology, the Canadian Association of Psychodynamic Therapy, Spiritual Directors International, and the Ontario Association of Jungian Analysts. He was a Board member of the latter for nine years, six of which were as President. His work as an Analyst and Spiritual Director conforms to the ethical standards, codes and norms of these bodies.
Born of Acadian parents and heritage, Archbishop LaRade is fully bilingual in English and French. He is currently learning Spanish.
Reflecting on his ministry, Archbishop LaRade says, “My life as a Jesuit for thirteen years, and my priestly ministry since then, has given me experience and training which is helpful to others as they search to make sense of faith and spirituality. This search can be difficult because it is often based in the context of a negative experience within the church of their youth. My ministry is open to all. As an openly gay man prohibited as such from ministry within the Roman Catholic Church, I feel a special calling to assist others excluded by their church of origin who are searching for spiritual meaning. We desire to claim our rightful place in Christian life. The Eucharistic Catholic Church, given its origins in seeking justice and inclusive Catholic practice for lesbians and gays, and its affirming and respectful inclusion of all believers, provides a Catholic community which can nurture our spiritual yearning.”
Learn more about Archbishop LaRade’s Spiritual Direction approach http://www.curaanimarum.com/spiritual-direction.html
Coat of Arms of Archbishop LaRade, O.F.A.
In accordance with Church heraldic tradition, the Coat of Arms of the Primate is composed of:
– a shield with its charges (symbols) coming from family, geographic, religious and historical meanings and/or referring to the name of the Primate;
– a golden Patriarchal Cross, with two traversal bars, to represent the rank of the Primate as Archbishop, “impaled” (vertically) behind the shield;
– a ceremonial green hat (galero) with 30 (15 on each side) attached tassels, proper to primates and patriarchs, as shepherds of self-governing Churches;
– the primatial pallium, sign of the Primate’s jurisdiction over the Church; and,
– a scroll with the motto, written generally in black, below everything.
Archbishop LaRade’s shield is composed of three areas, representing God the Most Holy Trinity. These three sections are coloured white, red and blue, respectively, and are the colours found in the Acadian and French flags, representing his French Acadian heritage. Each third is religiously symbolic. By heraldic tradition, the arms of the Primate are joined (marshalled) to the arms of the ECE-ECC. This is seen in the main part of the shield, the top third, and represents the Eucharistic Body of Christ. On the right side (as seen by the viewer), the colour red and the chalice represent the Eucharistic Blood of Christ. On the left side, the colour blue is representative of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as is the star, symbolizing Stella Maris, Mary, Star of the Sea, a symbol also found on the Acadian Flag. Thus, the Archbishop’s Arms image the Most Holy Trinity, the Body and Blood of the Eucharistic Christ, and the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Archbishop LaRade’s episcopal motto, Deus Caritas Est (God is Love), is retained from his Presbyteral Ordination. The Archbishop has always understood his vocation as having its source and foundation in this truth from the First Epistle of Saint John, the Beloved Disciple.
Having been called to ministry, Peter spent many years attempting to reconcile his sexuality with his priestly vocation. Rather than enter the Roman Catholic Church, he searched for alternative faith practices. After many years, he returned to his Christian faith, and through a series of coincidences, was put in contact with Archbishop LaRade. After several months of spiritual direction, he flew to Toronto where he was baptized, confirmed, and took his first steps towards fully actualizing his vocation as a priest.
Peter was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop LaRade on September 18, 2021 in Toronto. A past board member of Queen City Pride, he currently works as a community key support worker, writes a personal blog about his experiences as member of a Franciscan Order, is a regular contributor to Convergent Streams, and is working to establish connections with other religious denominations. He acts as a spiritual director and has lead retreats focusing on key points of Franciscan Spirituality. His focus remains on what we as clergy in autocephalous denominations can do within the communities we live and work. His approach is to act behind the scenes. “They should know us by our works, not by our words. The spirit of Christ should be in how gentle we are.”
Our vision is to be a progressive, inclusive, affirming Catholic Church rooted in Tratdition.
Our mission is to be a prophetic witness to the Love of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus. We do so through a faithful adherence to Catholic Tradition in Faith and Worship, assenting to the wisdom developed over the centuries. It is from within this faithfulness that we have developed what are often termed “progressive views” on certain issues. This is stated in our Profession of Faith.
It is faithful listening to, and discernment within, the Infinite Love of God – that is, being “rooted and grounded in love” (Eph. 3: 17) – which leads us to witness to these “progressive views”; which leads us to witness to a different Catholicism; a Catholicism faithfully “rooted and grounded” in the Tradition of Faith passed on to us; a Catholicism decidedly open to “the breath and length, and height and depth” (Eph. 3: 18) of the inclusive love of God.
It is a mistake often made to think that faithfulness to Tradition is exclusive of a progressive and inclusive orientation. God calls us to witness to a Tradition which is so “rooted and grounded in love” (Eph. 3: 17) that it is open “to know also the love of Christ which surpasses all knowledge” (Eph. 3: 19); and all human preconceptions. God calls us also to witness to love which is not faddish, but rather to love which is “the love of Christ which surpasses all knowledge” (Eph. 3: 19); and all human expectations.
Our witness, whether big or small, is both the individual example of our lives as members of this Church and the example of our Church’s continuing presence among the People of God. Our witness is rooted and grounded in the Eucharist, the ever-abiding presence of Christ. This is why we come to the Altar today, and every day, drawing close to the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus. We come seeking continued guidance and sustenance from God; desiring to be “rooted and grounded in love” (Eph. 3: 17) so that we may come to experience and understand “what is the breadth and length, and height and depth” (Eph. 3: 18) of the love of God for us; and, in this, to hear the call to share with others that “the love of Christ which surpasses all knowledge” (Eph. 3: 19) is meant for them as well.
{“version”:2,”isGlobalStylesUserThemeJSON”:true}
Thank you for visiting! I invite you to learn more about Église Catholique Eucharistique-The Eucharistic Catholic Church-Iglesia Católica Eucarística (ECE-ECC) through this website, and to write or call with your questions.
The inclusive life and focus of our Church is centred in the historical roots of Catholic Eucharistic theology and tradition. In the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, we find the intimate and loving union of the love of Christ Jesus in His Sacred Heart and the sacrifice of His Body and Blood made continually present to the world in the Eucharist at Mass and in the Blessed Sacrament.
Our experience of Jesus’ Sacred Eucharistic Heart transforms us so that we can embody love and mercy to those who live in need of God’s loving embrace. Our life in and devotion to the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus form us in compassionate love to proclaim the living Gospel.
We depend on the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus to guide and protect the Eucharistic Catholic Church so that we may live the divine life offered us in the Body and Blood of Jesus. Drawing on the activity of the Holy Spirit, we desire to proclaim to the world the wonder’s of Christ’s love.
Most Reverend J. Roger LaRade, OFA
Archbishop,
Église Catholique Eucharistique – The Eucharistic Catholic Church – Iglesia Católica Eucarística