Look around at any Christian church, organization, or group and if you pay very close attention you will find mutliple variations of tradition based firmly in what we term "Dualistic Dogmatism." Lost is the spirit of Apostolic Fellowship so prevalent in the New Testament. Gone is the mystical search for understanding the depth of God's love and mystery. Absent is the spiritual freedom to experience God directly through the lens of the ancient Christian tradition.
In its place, we often find a superficial love of God substantiated through an intense fear of Satan, as if the Holy Spirit's ability to protect us, unify us, and empower us is no longer available to us; as if Satan has somehow become as powerful as God. A careful and honest examination in truth reveals a Christianity no longer founded upon love and fellowship, but on bias and judgement. We see churches turning the Bible into a living idol. We see Christians using the Word of God as a weapon against everything they do not personally agree with. We see endless cycles of strife, persecution, and politicalization, all reduced down to a theological awareness that is about as deep as a few drops of stale water. Protestant or Catholic. Orthodox or Episcopalian. Fundamentalist/Evangelical or Canonical/Liturgical; Christianity has largely become a system that has fallen so far away from its original apostolic mystical purpose, that most of its current forms are little more than pretenders, with rare exception. In fact, one would be hard-pressed to find a mystical apostolic Christianity anywhere outside of perhaps the most remote monasteries of Mount Athos or the Carthusian hermitages of rural Europe.
Fortunately, the Holy Nicholean Catholic Church was established to restore the Christian faith, which we feel has been damaged by all of this through the preceding centuries of bigotry and ignorance.
In 2011, several Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and Christian Esotericists came together to form the Holy Nicholean Catholic Church. It would stand as an autocephalous patriarchate of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church and be unified to the Vatican only in as much as it is a "particular church," holding firmly to its own independent Catholic tradition. Its mission would be to stand as an example to all Christian denominations that Christianity can not only be unified as one whole system under the Holy Spirit, but it could also extend this fellowship out to other religions, to other faiths, and to other practices without betraying its own ideologies.
The Holy Nicholean Catholic Church accomplishes this through its restoration efforts by bringing Holy Wisdom back into the heart of its ministry. While we teach the Faith that is common to all Christians who value the theology of the Nicene Creed and we hold accountable the action of this Faith through the application of good works for the mutual benefit of all humankind, we also expound upon Christian soteriology through the regular emphasis of experiencing God directly. Liturgically, the Holy Nicholean Catholic Church is nearly indistinguishable from the services of Roman Catholicism, but internally, we have access to a deeper realization, that brings the mystical life into the minds and hearts of all who participate in our tradition.
Who is the Holy Nicholean Catholic Church for?
- The Holy Nicholean Catholic Church is ultimately for anyone who is ready to experience God directly through the ancient liturgical traditions of early Christianity.
- It is for people who would like to return to a Christian fellowship that operates in the spirit of the Apostles.
- It is for people whose spirituality requires a safe place to explore and cultivate a deep mystical relationship with Jesus Christ.
- It is for people who are ready to leave their religious arrogance and biases behind so as to embrace all people regardless of what religion they follow or practice.
- Ultimately, the Holy Nicholean Catholic Church is a church for people who are ready to enter into a state of spiritual maturity, so that they can serve God as an active participant in his Grace.
How do I begin this journey?
Originally, the Holy Nicholean Catholic Church was designed to be an international ministry, going out into the world to make available the Grace of God Sacramentally contained within his Church. This proved to be a bit too ambitious, however, as we found that financial support was always in short supply and could not sustain the ministers in a way that would assure their continued success. As such, we have now consolidated our efforts to establish a physical location within the Greater Atlanta, Georgia area, with the intention to grow from there. At the present time, the Church is temporarily without a public place of worship, but our Presiding Bishop and Patriarch, +Bryan D. Ouellette, Ph.D., SOSM, offers the Sacraments to those who need them out of the chapel in his home. In order to move forward and bring this ministry to as many people as is possible, we are currently in the process of:
- Finding land and/or a building to serve as our public place of worship.
- Becoming a 501(c)(3).
- Establishing a home for our seminarians.
- Encouraging local vocations to both clerical and lay ministry.
What we need are people who are looking for something deeper in their lives and are willing to serve the people of Atlanta, Georgia by helping us to build a church that is firmly rooted in the principles outlined in this article. Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to be an Apostle? Have you ever wondered what Pentecost really meant to those who directly experienced it? Now is your chance to engage a Christianity that is new and alive as it once was nearly 2,000 years ago. This is the ultimate revival. This is an ancient Christianity where nothing is lost and everything is gained. Welcome to Christianity 2.0.
For more more information about the Holy Nicholean Catholic Church, please visit our
FAQ page by clicking here.
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