The Old Catholic Order of Holy Wisdom

Order of Holy Wisdom is an egalitarian Catholic order devoted to theological education and spiritual guidance. We are committed to building a community which is both authentically Catholic (in the succession of the historic See of Utrecht) and liberal in our response to the culture in which we live and minister.

As Old Catholics, we honor the unbroken apostolic succession, the threefold ordained ministry of deacons, priests, and bishops, worship centered around the real presence of the divine in the Eucharist, and the committed life of religious orders. We seek to live into the promise of the true meaning of being "catholic," a word which means "inclusive" and "universal." We honor the dignity and equality of all peoples, regardless of race, belief, gender, and sexual orientation. We also honor the goodness of all creation and the dignity and rights of all creatures. We welcome all creatures to Wisdom's Feast, giving her bread to the wise and the foolish alike.

As part of our call to equality, all members--whether lay, deacons, priests, or bishops--have equal power, and none may impose their will upon the community. Everyone has the right to be heard, and all decisions are made by consensus when we succeed in truly hearing one another, and by democratic majority when true hearing proves difficult or impossible. Neither gender nor sexual orientation is a bar to membership, ordination, or leadership at any level.

Our devotional life is centered on St. Sophia, the Lady Wisdom through whose agency the world was made. In the tradition of the early church, she is the pre-incarnate Christ. It was Holy Wisdom who was made flesh and born as Jesus of Nazareth, and in our prayer she is the face of God for us.

 * for the Rule of the order, and Wisdom texts from holy sources, see links under  the Order of Holy Wisdom button to the right.

We meet once a month on the 3rd Wednesday of the month at 7 pm.  Every once in a while the meeting includes a service that includes the Eucharist and is based on the principles contained in the Rule of our Order. Meetings in our Sophia in Practice office.  Call Diane for details.

***for related texts see drop out links to the left as you touch the Order button

the Brazen Cross, symbol of the

Order of Holy Wisdom

some members below

for details about the Services or about the Order contact Diane

holysophia@yahoo.com