The Catholic Society of Pope Leo XIII (USA)​​

The Catholic Faith is not limited to individual, private belief. It should form strong, public bonds between the members of society, providing a common source of joy, hope, and beauty within a community.

Saint Luke writes that the earliest Christians “devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers”

( Acts 2:42 )

The worship of God in the Catholic Church is designed to perpetuate the practice of the Christian community from the time of the Apostles.

That worship is based on the Western Liturgical Tradition that traces its genealogy as far back as the foundation of the Church in Rome and is common to the Roman Catholic, Old Catholic, and Anglican Catholic inspiring the liturgical practice of many Protestant traditions as well.

The word “Liturgy” is derived from a Greek word that means “ the work of the people.” The liturgy of the Catholic Church strives to embrace two interpretations of that word: as the work performed by the people in their act of worshiping God, and as the work of redemption and sanctification performed for the people by God in their midst.

• The apostles’ teaching: worship is grounded in the apostles’ faith as witnessed in the Scriptures and the tradition of the early church.
• Fellowship: all people as members of Christ’s risen body are encouraged to participate actively in worship through a variety of liturgical ministries.
• The breaking of bread: worship is centered on celebrating the life, death, and resurrection of Christ in the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.
• The prayers: the offering of common prayers unites all people in the spirit of Christ as instruments of God’s work in the world.

The Sacramentary of the Catholic Church:

The Mass is the central expression of the Catholic Anglican faith. Each particular celebration of the Mass represents or re-presents in the assembly's midst the one sacrifice which Christ himself made of his own life on Calvary.

Through the prayers and ceremonies of the Mass, the Holy Spirit gathers God's people at the foot of the Cross to take part in that one sacrifice, and to witness first-hand the mysteries of Christ's death and resurrection, through which are revealed “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

(Hebrews 11:1)

We offer a prayer service at the foot of the Cross, keeping watch before the crucified Lord, and in the Sacrament we approach the Cross itself and take Christ's body into our own.

By hearing God's word we share our faith, by offering prayers for the Church and the world we share our hope, and by receiving the Holy Communion we share our love in Christ our Lord.

The Sacramentary of the Catholic Church contains all the prayers and ceremonies needed to celebrate the Mass throughout the Church year. The Ordinary of the Mass, and the proper prayers for each particular celebration, are firmly grounded in the western liturgical tradition, drawing at once on the rich history of the liturgy and on the modern spirit of liturgical renewal. The basic structure of the liturgy is that of the modern Roman Rite, with minor variations.

Some of the prayers are original compositions, written according to western liturgical convention; other texts have been borrowed from a variety of existing sources; including the ancient and modern Roman Rites, various editions of the Book of Devine Worship, and the liturgical heritage of the Catholic Churches.

The goal of this Sacramentary is to provide a liturgy that embraces a diversity of traditions, while expressing a unity of faith. The combination of Roman, Anglican, and other elements into one rite ensures that the liturgy of the Catholic Church is not exclusively Roman, Anglican, or Protestant.

At the same time, the prayers and ceremonies have been adapted so that all Christians who embrace the Catholic faith in the Trinity and the Incarnation of Christ can participate fully and unreservedly in the celebration of the Divine Mysteries.

What the liturgy borrows from individual traditions is incorporated to express and celebrate the faith that is common to each of these traditions. The result is that the liturgy of the Anglican Catholics is not a mere collage pasted together from existing rites, but is truly a composite rite that unifies the various threads that come together in our remarkable community.

Mission;

The main goal of the Society of Pope Leo XIII is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls.

Vision;

The spirit of the Society is missionary; it reaches out across the world—through its priests, religious, and a growing number of families, young people, and all its faithful—to establish and maintain true and lasting devotion to the Catholic Faith.

The Society thus desires, prays, and works for the salvation of all, trusting that this is possible with God’s help.

Values;

The Society firmly believes that the Catholic Faith changes individual lives as well as society; that the Faith promotes order, justice, culture, and peace; that it offers real and lasting happiness. Despite the widespread unbelief rampant throughout the world today, the WCCAC, through the priesthood, continues to unfold and distribute the treasures of Catholic Tradition.

This courageous and unrestrained gift of self for the glory of God and the good of souls constitutes the core value and motivation of the Society and Order. 

The Vatican II Called Catholics to Active Role in Ecumenism ,

Pope John Paul II ,

Sunday Angelus, January 21, 1996.

Dominus Iesus issued by the Roman Catholic Magisterium in the year 2000, signed by John Paul II on June 16, and Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger on August 6, states:

" The churches which, while not existing in perfect communion with the (Roman) Catholic Church, remain united to her by means of the closest bonds, that is, by Apostolic Succession and a valid Eucharist, are true particular churches."

Canon Law, both Western andEastern, also makes it an obligation for Christians to help further this unity.

The Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches states:

"The Eastern Catholic Churches are specially responsible forencouraging unity among all the Eastern Churches, first of all by prayer, bythe example of life, by religious fidelity with regard to the ancienttraditions of the Oriental Churches, by collaboration and fraternal esteem forthings and spirits"

(Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, c. 903).

We Welcome to our Parishes:

We Are Progressive:

• Recognizing that Laity and Clergy both have a voice in Church governance;
• Using inclusive language in our liturgies where possible;
• Ministering out among the people as well as within a parish or congregation;
• Striving to live our Catholicism and Anglicanism every day,
• not just on Sundays.

" We are not Cafeteria Catholics.

We do not pick and choose which

Rules or Doctrine to follow.

We follow Doctrine Rigorously "

• Complete a needs assessment survey of the Society of Pope Leo XIII churches and develop resources based on the identified needs.
• Establish our “Sure Foundation” congregational development group, a program for congregational growth that includes teaching, discussion and coaching on leadership, vision, evangelism, discipleship, every member ministry, healing, and gifts and ministry of the Holy Spirit. The goal is to help churches establish a missional DNA that is every-member based, Spirit-filled, biblically driven and outwardly focused.
• Provide our Clergy and Leadership Training's from within the Education of The Holy Cross Theological College and Seminary.
• Ongoing formation will include pastoral care, peer coaching and continuing education through small groups and individual coaching.
• All Chaplains undergoing formation within our Diocese will additionally undergo professional training in the Emergency Care Training Academy (ECTA).
• All clergy undergoing formation within our Dominican Friars of Saint Martin de Porres will additionally undergo professional training and seminary .
• This Church and its members will continue to honor the traditional Catholic Tradition and Biblical definition of marriage as between a Man and Woman.
  The clergy of this Province are not allowed by our Constitution and Canons to perform same-sex unions nor bless same-sex marriages ... Individuals with same-sex attraction are still more then welcome in all our churches and missions for mass services ... 

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U. S. STATE SUPREME COURT

( Diocese of South Carolina v. TEC )

Parishes and a land trust that left there national church can hold on to their properties and identities because " they never agreed in writing " to let the national church hold them in trust.

A majority of Justices ruled.

( How we became independent from ICAB  )