THE UNITED CATHOLIC CHURCH

    Ecumenical, Inclusive, Non-Judgmental, and Independent;       

Associate Church Announcement

August 10, 2006

The United Catholic Church has always spoken of itself as both a denomination and as a post-denominational fellowship that is composed of individual parishes and dioceses which evolved from different needs and even traditions to come together in a common bond of commitment to Catholic unity, wherein each contributes their unique, God-given, and yet complementary gifts of service to the whole, so we all can learn both from each other and from the Spirit, and together grow into the fullness of Christ.  It is, as we all know, both a wonderful vision and a difficult one to implement.  Starting this spring work was begun in earnest to explore new ways of covenanting using the Associate Church provision in our canons, to try and build a new answer for some of the difficult situations we, and other churches, have recently experienced.

 After both much discussion among the bishops, and theological investigations to apply tradition and precedent in new but acceptable ways within a Catholic-framed ecclesiology, we believe we have the beginnings of a tentative working two-tier church model to practically test.  The South West Diocese, which even from its coming to the UCC in 2004 has desired to be both autonomous and linked, will be our trusted partner in bringing the Associate Church covenant relationship work we have begun to frame, to the next level.  We are very excited about this development as it gives the South West Diocese, which henceforth will be known as the Independent Catholic Church of the West, the autonomy it long has been seeking to pursue goals that are unique to it.  At the same time it provides the UCC with the trusted relationship partner it needs to further develop the Associate Church covenant partner concept.  With this change, Bishop Bill Christen is now an Associate Church bishop sitting on the House of Bishops and not a Diocesan bishop, and the parishes and clergy of the former SWD are now associate church parishes and clergy.  All continue to be members of the UCC, and all will continue to be carried in our listings, but they will now be members with different rights and responsibilities.  The parishes and clergy of the former SWD are now also members of the Independent Catholic Church of the West. 

 It is our mutual hope that our work together to continue to develop the Associate Church concept, will not only continue to unify two partners who care about each other, in mutually beneficial and meaningful ways, but that it will also ultimately produce a model that can be put to use with other jurisdictions once the kinks get worked out and the fullness of the meaning of this new type of relationship becomes more clear.