The Anglocatholic Church

CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED! CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED! CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED!

Your Eminences and Your Excellencies! Archbishops, Bishops, Priests, Deacons and Laity of The Anglocatholic Church in the world in 31 countries ministered by 30 Bishops, 194 Priests, and 84 Deacons in all continents.

One of the two major theologians of the 20th Century – Paul Tillich, has used several times a phrase  God is the other. By this he meant that God is very different from our Aristotellian thinking, our common thinking, the way we think. We cannot approach Him with our own ideas.

After crucifixion, and burial and resurrection from the dead, the first people who met Him were women. In the Gospel according to Saint John it is said that Mary the Magdalene was the first to meet Him after resurrection. But in Israeli courts of first century women’s testimony did not count.

After being born into this world as a baby, the first who came to meet Jesus, were the shepherds. But in Israeli court of the first century the witness of the shepherds did not count.

How Jesus was conceived nobody saw it, how Jesus rose from the dead, nobody saw it. After resurrection the burial cloth remained in the grave as Jesus had simply diasappeared from it. And today seeing the Holy Shroud of Turin, which is probably the burial cloth of Jesus, his figure on the cloth is in negative! What does this mean? In 1839, Sir John Herschel came up with a way of making the first glass negative. The same year he coined the term photography, deriving from the Greek “fos” meaning light and “grafo“—to write. Even though the process became easier and the result was better, it was still a long time until photography was publicly recognized. But here – over 1,800 years before, we have negative of dead Jesus! What?

Remember Paul Tillich and God is the other. This is exactly the reason many people have great difficulties with the Biblical stories and with Jesus Christ. With our best human understanding Jesus was 1) a lunatic, 2) a liar; or 3) he who claimed himself to be. And if do put aside Him as lunatic and liar, then there is no other way to say, that Jesus was, is and will be Whom he claimed, claims and will claim to be! No other way!

For many people today Jesus was a philosophical leader. Or miracle maker. But why the first miracle was making 700 litres of wine? Is this the style of a great thinker? Remember – God is the other!

Or some Christians cannot understand that when Jesus appointed the Apostles, the basic framework of the Church was there already. Before Jesus went to Heaven, the structure was there. But before the Pentecost could happen, selecting an apostle had to be done before, structure had to be in place. Acts begins with chapter One, not with Chapter two.

Yes, women were the first witnesses of the resurrection of Christ, but this did not make them the first bishops and priests, as the shepherds visiting baby Jesus did not become the first bishops and priests. Actually the first bishops were selected by Jesus Himself before His sufferings, death and resurrection. One day at Caesarea Philippi He said: „You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church“ (Matthew 16:18).

Virgin Mary became the Mother of God, theotokos, but not the first Archbishop of the Christian Church. Remember again – God is the other, said by Paul Tillich.

In Exodus 3:13 Moses asks from God His name, and God answers – „I AM WHO I AM“. Or I AM WHAT I AM or I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE. Even tertagram YHWH does not fully solve this issue. How it was said? Maybe God protects us not to use His name in vain? Because every time the readers saw tetragram, they read THE LORD. Maybe it is good that we fully even do not know the name of our God. God is the other!

Great evangelist E. Stanley Jones had said: „It is unnatural for the Christian not to believe in the impossible.“

At this Easter time we read again the Creeds of the Church, and this is enough for us to get saved and to know about God who saved us.

Sometimes it is difficult for Christians in this world. But remember – we are Easter people in this Good Friday world. And we are not from this world! We are from the world of Easter!

CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED! CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED! CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED!

In His Mercy,

Ego Patriarcha H.

CELEBRANT HIS EXCELLENCY BISHOP DR. RAIVO KODANIK, ACOLYTE MR. PRIIT KÕRGE

By the decree of His Beatitude, The Most Reverend Lord Dr. Heigo Ritsbek, MA, MDiv, DMin, LittD, DD, Patriarch of the Anglocatholic Church, on Monday, March 18, 2024, four Prelates of The Anglocatholic Church were nominated as the Recipients of the highest honour of The Anglocatholic Church – The Order of Honour of The Patriarchate of Tallinn. Their names will be announced after the time of receiving the Medal will be decided with each one of them, God willing.

THE STATURE OF THE ORDER OF HONOUR OF THE PATRIARCHATE OF TALLINN

1. The Order of Honour of the Patriarchate of Tallinn (OHPT) is the highest Medal and the highest honour of the Anglocatholic Church.
   
2. OHPT is to be given to a person only one time in the life-time of the recipient. It is
   never to be given posthumously.
   
3. OHPT will be given to the persons who have shown the greatest integrity, honesty and
   loyalty to the Church of Christ.
   
4. OHPT is mostly given to the Bishops and clergy, but may also be given to lay people.
   
5. OHPT is only to be given by the decree of the Patriarch of the Anglocatholic Church.
   Individuals may nominate candidates for consideration by the Patriarch. However,
   they may not request this honour for themselves.
   
6. If the OHPT is awarded to non members of the Anglocatholic Church, the
   Patriarch may ask for a donation to the Patriarch Fund.
   
7. It is desirable that the OHPT be given personally by the Patriarch to members of
   the Anglocatholic Church, especially to the Bishops. In this case, the recipient is
   expected to pay all expenses of the Patriarch – travel, hotel, meals etc.
   
8. The Patriarch may delegate the giving of OHPT to some other dignitaries in the
   leadership of the Anglocatholic Church. In these cases the expenses of giving the
   OHPT are agreed between the delegated giver and the receiver.
   
9. The OHPT is to be worn over a cassock or with secular clothing, a suit or formal
   wear (Black or White tie). The OHPT is never to be worn with liturgical vestments.
   
10. Iis desirable the OHPT be awarded in an official ceremony by the Patriarch of the
    Anglocatholic Church (at an official banquet etc). It is to be understood that the Patriarch’s expenses are to be covered by the recipient.
    
11. The OHPT is to be given only to the Bishops of the Anglocatholic Church who are
    Members of the College of Bishops of the Anglocatholic Church.
    
12. All individual recipients of this award who are members of the Anglocatholic
    Church and leave the fellowship of the Church or are later deposed or
    excommunicated from the Anglocatholic Church have the obligation to return their
    OHPT to the Anglocatholic Church.
    
13. Any complaints concerning OHPT are to be resolved by the Holy Synod and the
    Patriarch of the Anglocatholic Church

God willing, we will establish the highest honor medal in the Anglocatholic Church.

Heigo Ritsbek (born on April 12, 1951, in Pärnu) is an Estonian church figure. His life journey has been marked by various roles and accomplishments:

• Methodist Church: Heigo Ritsbek served as a pastor in the Estonian Methodist Church. He held positions such as the secretary of the Estonian Methodist Church’s government and pastor of the Tallinn Methodist congregation.
• Emigration and Theological Studies: In February 1989, he emigrated to the United States with his family. There, he continued his theological studies and obtained a Master of Divinity (MDiv) degree from the Methodist Asbury Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry in Theological Studies (DMin) degree from Boston University. His doctoral dissertation focused on the mission of Methodism in Estonia.
• Karismaatilise Episkopaalkirik (Charismatic Episcopal Church): Heigo Ritsbek joined the Charismatic Episcopal Church, where he served as a priest from 1996 to 2012. During this time, he was the head vicar of the Estonian Charismatic Episcopal Church and rector of the Harkujärve St. Stephen’s congregation.
• Becoming a Bishop: On August 25, 2012, he was consecrated as a bishop by Archbishop Dr. Kiiza S. Thomas in Kasese, Uganda, Africa.
• Founding the Anglo-Catholic Church: In 2016, Heigo Ritsbek co-founded the Anglo-Catholic Church with like-minded individuals. He currently serves as the worldwide patriarch and president of the Church’s Holy Trinity Anglo-Catholic School of Ministry.
• Teaching and Writing: Heigo Ritsbek has been an educator, teaching history, religious studies, social studies, and philosophy in various schools. He has also authored several works, including books on baptism, the Eucharist, and church history.
• Recognition and Outreach: He has preached and ministered to approximately 385,000 people across 27 countries through personal visits, radio, and TV broadcasts. His Christian message has reached a total of 1.7 million people. Additionally, he has visited 41 different countries in connection with his church work.

Heigo Ritsbek’s journey reflects a rich tapestry of faith, education, and service to others. 

Patriarch is second row first left, Bishop Raivo Kodanik second row right, Patriarch’s wife first row second from left, Patriarch’s sister first row first from left.