- When did your spiritual journey began?
My spiritual journey began when I was a young boy of about 5 years of age. I went to Sunday School in the Yolo Methodist Church in Yolo, California, USA. I was baptized at Easter when I was 7 years old and received First Communion. As I grew older, I watched Archbishop Fulton Sheen and his TV ministry and was fascinated by his talks and his answers to Christian beliefs of the 1950’s. I became fascinated by the Blessed Virgin, Mary, Fatima, and the Traditional Latin Mass. I wanted to attend the beautiful Mass but as a Protestant, I was prevented from doing so. I had learned much in Sunday School about Jesus and all that He did while on Earth and I wanted to emulate Him. After graduating from high school I attended university and earned an accounting degree. However, I could not get a job without experience, but you needed a job to get experience. So I went to the U.S. Air Force Recruitment Office and enlisted, going active duty 01 February, 1973. During my career I contemplated becoming Roman Catholic, but my wife was Buddhist. To my surprise and delight she had had a dream where Jesus came to her and said “Come, follow me” as He walked through a doorway. She could not follow Him and did not know who this Man was at the time. She told a Catholic friend of hers, and her friend said after hearing my wife’s description of Him, that she had been visited by Jesus Christ. She started Catechism classes in 1986 and was baptized, confirmed, and received First Communion on Easter Sunday 1987. I found out in late 1987 that my wife was studying to become Roman Catholic so I started Catechism classes in 1987 and was confirmed and received First Communion on Easter Sunday in 1988. After I was medically retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1989, I joined several veterans service organizations. In the American Legion Post I was in 1998, I was asked to be the post chaplain. I wanted to get some type of training so that I could be a more qualified lay chaplain when I found and Old Catholic Seminary that had chaplain courses as well as a seminary program for those interested in becoming priests. I had wondered how to become ordained for several years, but I didn’t want to become a Protestant minister and I didn’t want to pay lots of money attending night classes for several years. The St. Thomas College of Seminarians was a perfect fit for me. Tuition was low and classes were at night. I started my studies in August 1998, became a Subdeacon in 2000, a Deacon in 2002, and a Priest in 2003. I continued my studies after graduation getting my Master of Divinity in 2006, and my Doctor of Divinity in 2009.
2. How did you happen to hear about The Anglocatholic Church?
I was contacted by His Beatitude, the Most Reverend Dr. Heigo Ritsbek, Patriarch of The Anglocatholic Church, first on Facebook and then by email, asking if I would be interested in joining The Anglocatholic Church. Until His Beatitude contacted me, I was unaware of the existence of the Church. When I looked it up on Facebook I was attracted by what I saw. There was nothing like that in my old Church.
3. Why did you join The Anglocatholic Church?
I was attracted by how well the Church was organized and laid out. The Code of Canon Law is superior to that of any other Code that I have seen. Everything you need in order to be a good member of the Church and the hierarchy is there. There is a short biography on each bishop in the Church. There are pictures from diocese around the world showing Church Activities. The Holy Eucharist is defined and attached on the website and Facebook.
4. How do you feel ministering in The Anglocatholic Church?
I am more active now than I have been for several years. In my previous Church I was an auxiliary Bishop but had no duties to perform, no brief biography, no idea how many dioceses we had, how many clergy we had, no Code of Canon Law, no hierarchy, and no direction. We had a website but that disappeared after a few years, and communications via email were few and many times not returned for weeks or months. In The Anglocatholic Church communications are great, questions are answered promptly, and I feel part of the Church family. I have an assignment, I know where I fit in, and am looking forward to my first Conclave of Bishops in 2021.
5. What is bringing to you most joy in The Anglocatholic Church?
The fact that I can minister to both Anglicans and Catholics who are like-minded as defined by our Code of Canon Law. We are conservative, structured, disciplined, organized, and have the Holy Eucharist that is familiar to both Anglicans and Catholics. Confession can be said one-on-one with a priest or said as part of the Holy Eucharist.
6. How do you see the future of The Anglocatholic Church?
We are free to seek out new members and new clergy so long as we follow the guidelines as set in the Code of Canon Law. When in doubt you can contact the Patriarch or Patriarch Coadjutor for advice and guidance. Hopefully we will be able to gain more faithful in existing dioceses, archdioceses, and parishes in the years ahead. We are young as a worldwide Church (4 years), yet we have spread to most continents and countries around the world in that time. I believe we will be able to reach out to other like-minded Churches eventually, and gain shared communion in accordance with Canon 22.2. It would be great if we could become one body as Jesus wanted us to since the beginning of Christianity.
