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{{Short description|Autocephalous Christian church}}
{{Multiple issues|
The '''Celtic Orthodox Church''' ('''COC'''; {{Langx|fr|Église orthodoxe celtique}}), also called the '''Holy Celtic Church''',<ref name="Pearson20074" /> is an ] ] church founded in the 20th century in ].
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{{COI|date=June 2018}}
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The '''Celtic Orthodox Church'''  is a small ] church, formerly known as the Catholic Apostolic Church (Catholicate of the West) and, before that, as the ] which was constituted by the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch. Since 25 December 2007, the Celtic Orthodox Church has been in ] with the French Orthodox Church and the ], forming the Communion of Western Orthodox Churches (CWOC).


The Celtic Orthodox Church claims to be part of the ].<ref>{{cite web|date=|title=Succession apostolique dans l'Église Orthodoxe Celtique|url=http://www.orthodox.ch/lignee2.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081030005907/http://www.orthodox.ch/lignee2.htm|archive-date=2008-10-30|access-date=2021-10-27|website=Eglise Orthodoxe Celtique, éparchie de Suisse}}</ref>
The Celtic Orthodox Church is represented in France, Switzerland, USA, Australia and the UK.

However, as an autocephalous church, the Celtic Orthodox Church is not, and never has been, subject to the Syriac Orthodox Church nor is it in any way part of the Oriental Orthodox Church. It is Western Orthodox.

The Celtic Orthodox Church is neither ] nor ] in theology. Its position with regard to the Ecumenical Councils might best be described as Pro-Chalcedonian, that is to say it accepts the teaching of all seven councils, but acknowledges that only the first three were truly ecumenical. The Celtic Orthodox Church, therefore, shares the Eastern Orthodox doctrine that Christ, the second Person of the Holy Trinity, is one Person with two Natures as defined at the ].


== History == == History ==
===Origins===
In 1866, with the sanction of Patriarch Ignatius Ya'qub (Jacob) II of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch, Mar Julius (Jules Ferrette) was consecrated by Mar Boutros (Boutros ibn Salmo Mesko) who later became Patriarch Mor ] of Antioch, with the remit to form an indigenous Orthodox church in Western Europe, which was not in any way subject to the Syriac Orthodox Church or the Patriarch of Antioch. The consecration was witnessed by the British Consul at Damascus. Mar Julius was given the title of Bishop of Iona and its Dependencies.

===Ancient British Church===
From 1866 to 1944 the church was known as the Ancient British Church, although in November 1897 a merger with the Free Protestant Church and the Nazarene Episcopal Church formed the ‘Free Protestant Episcopal Church.’

=== Catholic Apostolic Church (Catholicate of the West) ===
In 1944 the Ancient British Church was united with the Old Catholic Church, the British Orthodox Catholic Church and the Independent Catholic Church.  The church then became known as the Catholic Apostolic Church (Catholicate of the West).  Catholicate was dropped in 1953.

'''Celtic Orthodox Church'''


=== Foundation ===
When in 1994, Abba (Mar) Seraphim, following negotiations with Pope Shenouda III, took the UK branch of the Catholic Apostolic Church into union with the Coptic (Oriental) Orthodox Church, taking the name British Orthodox Church, the Holy Synod of the Breton branch of the Catholic Apostolic Church, who had decided against joining the Coptic Church, elected Mgr Mael (Paul-Eduard de Fournier de Brescia), to be primate of the continuing Catholic Apostolic Church.  The church assumed the name L'Église Orthodoxe Celtique (the Celtic Orthodox Church) to indicate that its jurisdiction covered the areas of the original Celtic missions.
The Celtic Orthodox Church was founded in the 20th century by {{Interlanguage link|Tugdual de Saint-Dolay|lt=Jean-Pierre Danyel|fr|Tugdual de Saint-Dolay}}. He was ordained priest by the ] ] of France in 1951, after failing to obtain an ordination from any Russian, Romanian or Greek ] bishop. However, he doubted the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic churches would recognize the validity of his ordination. Thus, he "received all the ] again on 1 March 1953" from ] Lutgen of ] of the ''Église catholique du rite dominicain''. Lutgen had received his ] from ]. After this, Danyel decided to work to restore the ] of ] and ] of one of the Christian founding saints of Brittany, ].<ref name="Pearson20074">{{cite book|last=Pearson|first=Joanne|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Au_paUclEZkC&pg=PA166|title=Wicca and the Christian Heritage: ritual, sex and magic|date=27 June 2007|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-0-415-25413-7|pages=51–2|accessdate=9 November 2012}}</ref>


Danyel founded the Abbaye de la Saint Présence at Bois-Juhel, ], "where he lived as an hermit in emulation of the ancient ]". He "soon attracted disciples" and was elected as the first bishop of the restored Celtic Church. He was consecrated bishop in 1957 by ] Irenaeus of Arles (Comte Charles-Borromée d'Eschevannes), primate of the ''Sainte Église catholique Gallicane autocéphale''. Danyel received the title of "Bishop of ]". On 19 December 1959, Danyel proclaimed himself metropolitan under the title Tugdual I, Archbishop of ]. Danyel "revived Druidic rites" and added to his title "Sa Blancheur l'Humble" ("His Whiteness the Humble") which he claimed was of Druidic origin. His full title was therefore: "His Whiteness the Humble Tugdual I, Archbishop of Dôl, ] of Saint-Dolay, Kayermo and Keroussek, primate of the Holy Celtic Church, President of all the non-Roman Christian and Apostolic Churches".<ref name="Pearson20074" />
'''Communion of Western Orthodox Churches'''


In 1963 or 1964, the organisation consisted of 10 bishops and two to three ].<ref name="Pearson20074" /> The church was called at the time the Sainte Église celtique en ] (Holy Celtic Church in Brittany).<ref name=":05322">{{Cite book|last=Anson|first=Peter F.|title=Bishops at Large|publisher=Apocryphile press|year=2006|isbn=0-9771461-8-9|series=Independent Catholic Heritage|pages=315|chapter=Churches of the Vilatte succession|orig-year=1964}}</ref>
Since 25 December 2007, the Celtic Orthodox Church has been united with the ] and the ], forming the ] (CWOC). There are other groups who use the words 'Celtic' and 'Orthodox' in their titles. These are not the subject of this article.


=== '''Western Orthodoxy''' === === Death of the founder to today ===
On 11 August 1968, Danyel died. After his death, his hermitage was abandoned.<ref name="Pearson20074" />
Despite deriving from the Syriac Orthodox Church, the Celtic Orthodox Church is not an Oriental Orthodox Church.  Its theology and faith accord with the Eastern Orthodox Churches, enriched by the spirituality of the Celtic saints of the West.  Their Liturgy is not Byzantine but reconstructed from fragments of Celtic manuscripts, notably that of Bobbio. The Celtic Orthodox Church is not part of the Western Rite Orthodox movement.


In 1977, three monks who were from an abbaye in ] founded by a Celtic Orthodox priest, Paul-Edouard de Fournier de Brescia in 1973, came to the hermitage and built a church on the site.<ref name="Pearson20074" />
The Celtic Orthodox Church is neither Monophysite nor Miaphysite in theology.  Its position with regard to the Ecumenical Councils might best be described as Pro-Chalcedonian, that is to say, it accepts the teaching of all seven councils, but acknowledges that only the first three were truly ecumenical.  The Celtic Orthodox Church, therefore, shares the Eastern Orthodox doctrine that Christ, the second Person of the Holy Trinity, is one Person with two Natures as defined at the Council of Chalcedon.


By 1979, the Celtic Orthodox Church was part of the ] of ].<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Mayer|first=Jean-François|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wevtvpdkul0C&dq=The+divine+liturgy+for+the+celebration+of+the+Holy+Eucharist+according+to+the+Glastonbury+rite%2C+commonly+called+the+liturgy+of+Saint+Joseph+of+Arimathea&pg=PA211|title=Regards sur l'orthodoxie : mélanges offerts à Jacques Goudet|date=1997|publisher=L'AGE D'HOMME|isbn=978-2-8251-1079-9|editor-last=Ivanoff-Trinadtzaty|editor-first=Germain|pages=211|language=fr|chapter=L'Orthodoxie doit-elle être byzantine ? Les tentatives de création d'une Orthodoxie de rite occidental}}</ref>
'''Influences'''


Paul-Edouard Fournier de Brescia was consecrated bishop under the name Mael in 1980 by the ] of the Celtic Orthodox Church, bishop ].<ref name=":0" />
The ethos of the Celtic Orthodox Church is in the first instance influenced by the teaching and examples of the Celtic heritage.  St Francis of Assisi with his closeness to Nature and his promulgation of poverty is also an influence, as is the hermit Clodoald, later Tugdual, (Jean-Pierre Danyel – 1917-1968).


The Orthodox Church of the British Isles and the Celtic Orthodox Church split in 1994, when under Mar Seraphim (William Henry Hugo Newman-Norton) the Orthodox Church of the British Isles joined the ] and changed its name to ].<ref name="Pearson200743">{{cite book|last=Pearson|first=Joanne|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Au_paUclEZkC&pg=PA166|title=Wicca and the Christian Heritage: ritual, sex and magic|date=27 June 2007|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-0-415-25413-7|pages=53|accessdate=9 November 2012}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> The Celtic Orthodox Church and some other groups previously under the Orthodox Church of the British Isles remained independent.<ref name=":1" />
Tugdual, after trying various denominations and receiving priestly orders twice, settled into an ascetic way of life in woodland near Saint Dolay in Brittany. Here, in 1957, he became the first bishop of the revived and short-lived Holy Celtic Church.  After his death, his hermitage was occupied by a small group of monks living in the South of France, their leader being Fr Paul-Eduard de Fournier de Brescia.  These monks, who had been received into the Catholic Apostolic Church, built the Monastery of the Holy Presence on the site of Tugdual’s hermitage.  Thus, Tugdual’s legacy was brought into the Catholic Apostolic Church.


With the departure of Mar Seraphim, the Celtic Orthodox Church had no primate. Mael was elected primate of the Celtic Orthodox Church by its ] in 1994 and remained as such until his death in 2014.<ref name="Pearson20074" /><ref>{{Cite web|last=johnkersey|date=2014-07-28|title=Death of Mgr. Mael|url=https://san-luigi.org/2014/07/28/death-of-mgr-mael/|access-date=2021-10-24|website=The Abbey-Principality of San Luigi|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Naissance au Ciel de notre père, Mgr Mael|url=http://www.eoc-coc.org/fileadmin/template/eoc/upload/documents/Vie_pere_Mael.pdf|url-status=live|website=eoc-coc.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422161301/http://www.eoc-coc.org/fileadmin/template/eoc/upload/documents/Vie_pere_Mael.pdf |archive-date=2021-04-22 }}</ref> The current primate is since 2014 Metropolitan Marc (Jean Claude Scheerens).<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Qui sommes-nous ?|url=http://www.eoc-coc.org/accueil/qui-sommes-nous/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422165954/http://www.eoc-coc.org/accueil/qui-sommes-nous/|archive-date=22 April 2021|access-date=2021-12-07|website=www.eoc-coc.org}}</ref>
Tugdual left many notebooks and letters setting out his unique spiritual insight. In 1996 the Celtic Orthodox Church canonised him and he became St Tugdual the New.


In 1996, the Celtic Orthodox Church ] Danyel, its founder.<ref name="Pearson20074" />
===List of Patriarchs/Primates===
The following are the patriarchs/primates in succession:


== Dioceses ==
*Mar Pelagius I (]), consecrated in 1874 by Julius Ferrete.
The Celtic Orthodox Church has two ], France and the United States.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" /> The group currently has two bishops and nine ]es and is present in France, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|title=France|url=http://www.eoc-coc.org/ou-nous-trouver/france/|access-date=2021-12-06|website=www.eoc-coc.org}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=Angleterre|url=http://www.eoc-coc.org/ou-nous-trouver/angleterre/|access-date=2021-12-06|website=www.eoc-coc.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Suisse|url=http://www.eoc-coc.org/ou-nous-trouver/suisse/|access-date=2021-12-06|website=www.eoc-coc.org}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web|title=U.S.A.|url=http://www.eoc-coc.org/ou-nous-trouver/usa/|access-date=2021-12-06|website=www.eoc-coc.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Australie|url=http://www.eoc-coc.org/ou-nous-trouver/australie/|access-date=2021-12-06|website=www.eoc-coc.org}}</ref>
*Mar Theophilus I (]), consecrated in 1879 by Mar Pelagius. (1889 to 1917)
*Mar Jacobus I Antipas (James Martin), consecrated in November 1890 by Leon Chechemian. <ref>Leon Chechemian may have been earlier (1879) consecrated by Leon Chorchorunian. According to Bain ("Bishops Irregular: an international directory of independent bishops", 1985), Brandreth ("Episcopi Vagantes and the Anglican Church", 1961) considers the claim that Chechemian was consecrated by Chorchorunian as doubtful.</ref> (1917 to 1919)
*Mar Andries I (Andrew Charles Albert McLaglan), consecrated in 1897 by Leon Chechemian and Mar Jacobus I Antipas. (1919 to 1928)
*Mar Jacobus II (Herbert James Monzani-Heard), consecrated in 1922 by Mar Andries I. (1928 to1945)
*Mar Georgius I (]), consecrated in 1944 by Mar Basilius (William Bernard Crow). (1945 to 1979)
*Mar Seraphim I (]), consecrated in 1977 by Mar Georgius, (1979)
*Mgr Mael I (Paul-Eduard de Fournier de Brescia), consecrated in 1980 by Mar Seraphim (1994 to 2014)
*Mgr Marc I (Jean-Claude Scheerens), consecrated in 1998 by Mgr Mael. (2014 to present)
NB The first eight are common with the British Orthodox Church


==See also== ==See also==
* ] *]
*]


==References== ==References==
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==External links== ==External links==
* *
*
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{{Authority control}} {{Authority control}}


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Latest revision as of 10:05, 2 January 2025

Autocephalous Christian church

The Celtic Orthodox Church (COC; French: Église orthodoxe celtique), also called the Holy Celtic Church, is an autocephalous Christian church founded in the 20th century in France.

Since 25 December 2007, the Celtic Orthodox Church has been in communion with the French Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Church of the Gauls, forming the Communion of Western Orthodox Churches (CWOC).

The Celtic Orthodox Church claims to be part of the Jules Ferrette episcopal succession line.

History

Foundation

The Celtic Orthodox Church was founded in the 20th century by Jean-Pierre Danyel [fr]. He was ordained priest by the Mariavite bishop of France in 1951, after failing to obtain an ordination from any Russian, Romanian or Greek Eastern Orthodox bishop. However, he doubted the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic churches would recognize the validity of his ordination. Thus, he "received all the orders again on 1 March 1953" from Metropolitan Lutgen of Antwerp of the Église catholique du rite dominicain. Lutgen had received his episcopal consecration from Hugh George de Willmott Newman. After this, Danyel decided to work to restore the ancient Celtic Church of Brittany and took the name of one of the Christian founding saints of Brittany, Tugdual.

Danyel founded the Abbaye de la Saint Présence at Bois-Juhel, Saint-Dolay, "where he lived as an hermit in emulation of the ancient Celtic monks". He "soon attracted disciples" and was elected as the first bishop of the restored Celtic Church. He was consecrated bishop in 1957 by Archbishop Irenaeus of Arles (Comte Charles-Borromée d'Eschevannes), primate of the Sainte Église catholique Gallicane autocéphale. Danyel received the title of "Bishop of Redon". On 19 December 1959, Danyel proclaimed himself metropolitan under the title Tugdual I, Archbishop of Dôl. Danyel "revived Druidic rites" and added to his title "Sa Blancheur l'Humble" ("His Whiteness the Humble") which he claimed was of Druidic origin. His full title was therefore: "His Whiteness the Humble Tugdual I, Archbishop of Dôl, Abbot of Saint-Dolay, Kayermo and Keroussek, primate of the Holy Celtic Church, President of all the non-Roman Christian and Apostolic Churches".

In 1963 or 1964, the organisation consisted of 10 bishops and two to three lay people. The church was called at the time the Sainte Église celtique en Bretagne (Holy Celtic Church in Brittany).

Death of the founder to today

On 11 August 1968, Danyel died. After his death, his hermitage was abandoned.

In 1977, three monks who were from an abbaye in Montpellier founded by a Celtic Orthodox priest, Paul-Edouard de Fournier de Brescia in 1973, came to the hermitage and built a church on the site.

By 1979, the Celtic Orthodox Church was part of the Orthodox Church of the British Isles of William Henry Hugo Newman-Norton.

Paul-Edouard Fournier de Brescia was consecrated bishop under the name Mael in 1980 by the primate of the Celtic Orthodox Church, bishop Seraphim (Norton-Newman).

The Orthodox Church of the British Isles and the Celtic Orthodox Church split in 1994, when under Mar Seraphim (William Henry Hugo Newman-Norton) the Orthodox Church of the British Isles joined the Coptic Orthodox Church and changed its name to British Orthodox Church. The Celtic Orthodox Church and some other groups previously under the Orthodox Church of the British Isles remained independent.

With the departure of Mar Seraphim, the Celtic Orthodox Church had no primate. Mael was elected primate of the Celtic Orthodox Church by its Holy Synod in 1994 and remained as such until his death in 2014. The current primate is since 2014 Metropolitan Marc (Jean Claude Scheerens).

In 1996, the Celtic Orthodox Church canonised Danyel, its founder.

Dioceses

The Celtic Orthodox Church has two eparchies, France and the United States. The group currently has two bishops and nine parishes and is present in France, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia.

See also

References

  1. ^ Pearson, Joanne (27 June 2007). Wicca and the Christian Heritage: ritual, sex and magic. Taylor & Francis. pp. 51–2. ISBN 978-0-415-25413-7. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
  2. "Succession apostolique dans l'Église Orthodoxe Celtique". Eglise Orthodoxe Celtique, éparchie de Suisse. Archived from the original on 2008-10-30. Retrieved 2021-10-27.
  3. Anson, Peter F. (2006) . "Churches of the Vilatte succession". Bishops at Large. Independent Catholic Heritage. Apocryphile press. p. 315. ISBN 0-9771461-8-9.
  4. ^ Mayer, Jean-François (1997). "L'Orthodoxie doit-elle être byzantine ? Les tentatives de création d'une Orthodoxie de rite occidental". In Ivanoff-Trinadtzaty, Germain (ed.). Regards sur l'orthodoxie : mélanges offerts à Jacques Goudet (in French). L'AGE D'HOMME. p. 211. ISBN 978-2-8251-1079-9.
  5. ^ "Naissance au Ciel de notre père, Mgr Mael" (PDF). eoc-coc.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-04-22.
  6. Pearson, Joanne (27 June 2007). Wicca and the Christian Heritage: ritual, sex and magic. Taylor & Francis. p. 53. ISBN 978-0-415-25413-7. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
  7. johnkersey (2014-07-28). "Death of Mgr. Mael". The Abbey-Principality of San Luigi. Retrieved 2021-10-24.
  8. ^ "France". www.eoc-coc.org. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
  9. "Qui sommes-nous ?". www.eoc-coc.org. Archived from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  10. ^ "U.S.A." www.eoc-coc.org. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
  11. "Angleterre". www.eoc-coc.org. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
  12. "Suisse". www.eoc-coc.org. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
  13. "Australie". www.eoc-coc.org. Retrieved 2021-12-06.

External links

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