The Nicholson Orders

On By johnkerseyIn Apostolic Episcopal Church, Catholicate of the West

THE NICHOLSON ORDERS

FOUNDED BY ARCHBISHOP HAROLD PERCIVAL NICHOLSON (MAR JOANNES I) OF THE ANCIENT CATHOLIC CHURCH

RE-FOUNDED AND IN THE CARE OF THE CATHOLICATE OF THE WEST

In our earlier work “Archbishop Harold Percival Nicholson: a celebration” (E.A.D.M. no. 50 of 2010) We described the foundation by Mar Joannes I of three Religious Orders in 1951 and 1952, further including photographs of the original Charters of those Orders which were formerly displayed at the Cathedral Church of the Good Shepherd, Clapton, London N16.

The Orders in question are The Valiant Order of St John the Baptist, The Order of Ave Maria and The Order of S. Teresa – The Little Flower.

In 2008, by which time all three Orders had long fallen into desuetude, and all known members of them had departed this life, it was the decision of those persons representing the spiritual legacy of Mar Joannes I that they should be revived. Accordingly, We granted them a Renewal Charter effectively re-founding them with the aim of perpetuating their original objectives. As of September 2010, We again became responsible for their oversight and care as a result of their transfer to Ecclesia Apostolica Divinorum Mysteriorum by the Liberal Catholic Apostolic Church, and consequently have undertaken a thorough revision of their Statutes, membership and operation. In 2015, at which point the administration of the Ecclesia Apostolica Divinorum Mysteriorum became united with that of the Catholicate of the West, the Orders were transferred to the Catholicate as their original ultimate parent body.

This work contains transcriptions of the original Charters with notes, and then copies of their contemporary Statutes as those operate today.

++Joannes Edmundus
Primate of the Ancient Catholic Church and Prince-Catholicos of the Catholicate of the West

TRANSCRIPTIONS OF THE ORIGINAL CHARTERS

  1. THE VALIANT ORDER OF ST JOHN THE BAPTIST

THE VALIANT ORDER OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST

FOUNDATION CHARTER

In the Sacred Name of the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, Amen!

Joannes, by the Grace of God Titular Archbishop of Karim and Primate of the Ancient Catholic Church Unto All and Singular to Whom These Presents Shall Come:

Be it Known by the Tenor of These Presents that WE by virtue of the powers inherent in Our Office, having aforetime Founded THE VALIANT ORDER OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST for the work of Preaching the Gospel, Healing the Sick and Comforting the Mourner, DO HEREBY DECLARE the said Order to be duly Erected and Constituted for those objects: to consist of such Fraters as We shall over time prescribe and to wear such Insignia as We shall hereafter desire, and to be governed by a General Chapter presided over by Ourself and Our Successors, who shall have power to approval and honour all Members thereof, the first Members of such General Chapter to be: The Rt. Rev. Peter, Titular Bishop of Naim, The Titular Abbesses of Magdala and Nazareth, The Rev. Canon Roy Mowbray Douglas (Registrar).

IN FAITH AND TESTIMONY whereof We have hereunto set Our SIGN MANUAL and PRIMATIAL SEAL, and have caused the Seal of the pre-named Order to be hereunto affixed this twenty-first day of June in the Year of Our Lord One thousand nine hundred and fifty-two in the third year of Our Consecration.

+Joannes
Titular Archbishop of Karim
Primate
Archbishop-Abbot of the said Order

Signed, Sealed and Delivered by His Grace Mar Joannes, Titular Archbishop of Karim in the presence of me,

John Newton
Notary Public, London
[Red Seal of John Newton affixed]

The Seal of the pre-named Order was hereunto affixed in the presence of us:

+Peter
Titular Bishop of Naim

+Mary
Titular Abbess of Magdala

+Truda
Titular Abbess of Nazareth

Roy Mowbray Douglas
Registrar

{Seals}

Ad Perpetuam Rei Memoriam

It is Hereby Certified under the Corporate Seal of The Catholicate of the West that the pre-named Order was and is duly Chartered under the powers vested in Us by Rule XIV(3) of the pre-named Catholicate as incorporated in India under Act XXI of 1860.

+Georgius
PRINCE-CATHOLICOS

I. de Mardin[1], Secretarius Ad Hoc

Date: XXI Juni MCMLII

[Stamp of the Chancellery of the Catholicate of the West]

[Gold Seal]

[Stamp:] Enrolled in the Archives of the Ancient Catholic Church No. — of 1952

[Signature of] E.M. Stubbington[2] for Keeper of Archives

[Stamp:] Enrolled in the Archives of the Catholicate of the West No. 25 of 1952.

[Signature of] I. de Mardin for Keeper of Archives

  1. THE ORDER OF AVE MARIA

THE ORDER OF AVE MARIA

FOUNDATION CHARTER

In the Sacred Name of the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity. Amen.

Joannes, by the Grace of God Titular Archbishop of Karim and Primate of the Ancient Catholic Church Unto All and Singular to Whom These Presents Shall Come:

Greeting!

Be it Known by the Tenor of These Presents that WE in the due exercise of Our Office and pursuant to the powers vested in Me by the Constitutions and Canons of The Ancient Catholic Church, do hereby Found, Erect and Establish a Religious Order to be known and called THE ORDER OF AVE MARIA, the Constitution whereof is and shall be as follows:

  1. The object of the Order is to promote love and devotion towards the Blessed Virgin Mary.
  2. Membership of the Order shall be in two classes: (a) Senior Members, being persons over the age of 16 years, and (b) Junior Members, being children under that age.
  3. The Badge of the Order shall be a shield containing the letters ‘A.M.’ as depicted upon the Seal of the Order hereunto affixed, and the Motto “Ave Maria”, and shall be worn with Such Robes and Insignia as may be hereafter prescribed by the General Chapter of the Order.
  4. The Order shall be governed by a General Chapter, appointed and removable by Ourself, the first members thereof being: Ourself (Grand President), The Titular Abbess of Magdala (Mother-Custodian), The Reverend Olive Patricia Knill-Samuel, and The Reverend Ernest Leslie Balfour (Registrar).
  5. Local chapters of the Order may be erected by Sub-Charter under the Seal of the Order.
  6. The work of the Order shall be carried out by means of special services, meetings and social activities, and such other means as shall be appointed by the General Chapter.

In Witness whereof We have hereunto affixed Our Sign Manual and Archiepiscopal Seal, this thirtieth day of August in the Year of Our Lord One thousand nine hundred and fifty-one, and in the Second year of Our Consecration, and have caused these presents to be sealed with the Seal of the pre-named Order.

+Joannes
Titular Archbishop of Karim
Primate

Signed, Sealed and Delivered by the pre-named Titular Archbishop of Karim in the presence of me

John Newton
Notary Public, London
[Red Seal of John Newton affixed]

The Seal of The Order of Ave Maria was hereunto affixed in the presence of us:

+Mary
Titular Abbess of Magdala

O.P. Knill-Samuel

{Seals}

Ad Perpetuam Rei Memoriam

It is Hereby Certified under the Corporate Seal of The Catholicate of the West that the pre-named Order of Ave Maria is duly chartered by Us pursuant to the powers vested in Us by the Rules of the said Catholicate as incorporated in India under Act XXI of 1860.

+Georgius
Prince-Catholicos

Date: 4th Sept MCMLI

F.G. Sturt[3], Secretarius Ad Hoc

[Stamp of the Chancellery of the Catholicate of the West]

[Gold Seal]

[Stamp:] Enrolled in the Archives of the Ancient Catholic Church No. ? of 1951[4]

[Signature of] E.H. Jackson[5] for Keeper of Archives

[Stamp:] Enrolled in the Archives of the Catholicate of the West No. 42? of 1951.

[Signature of] E.M. Stubbington for Keeper of Archives

RULE (As revised in 2012)

“Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee:  Blessed art thou among women.” St. Luke 1:28

Introduction

  1. The name “Ave Maria” is Latin and comes from the Angelic greeting to Mary, the Mother of God, and it means, “Hail Mary.” As the charter of our order establishes the object of the order to be the promotion of “love and devotion towards the Blessed Virgin Mary,” it is important that we develop an understanding of Our Lady’s importance and a proper devotion to her amongst ourselves.
  2. The Council of Ephesus, in 431 A.D., formally established devotion to our Blessed Mother, as the Mother of God (Gk. Theotokos, meaning God bearer). However, prior to the council’s ruling, devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary was already widespread throughout Christianity. The Church Fathers described her as the “new eve” who said yes to God as Eve had said no. As early as 150 A.D., many already advocated her perpetual virginity and she was deemed to be a compassionate mediator between suffering mankind and her son, Jesus. St. Bernard of Clairvaux identified her with the Bride in the Song of Solomon. Cathedrals, especially in France, were named after her as she was seen as the prototype for the Church itself. Ancient Christians often gave her the title of “Mother of All Christians”.
  3. In the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we encounter an archetype of the Christian life. As Mary said yes to God, so too Christians say yes to God. As Mary allowed herself to be a vessel for God’s use in bringing peace and light to the entire world, so Christians allow themselves to be vessels for God’s use to accomplish the same. As Christ grew in Mary, so Christ grows in every Christian; in every child of God. As Mary remained faithful to God’s plan for her life in the midst of the suffering of her Son, so too all of God’s children must struggle to remain faithful to God’s vision in the midst of suffering. And, finally, as Mary continues to intercede on behalf of the children of God before the throne of God, so all Christ followers are to intercede on behalf of the children of God, that all our brothers and sisters might find peace and love. In contemplating the mystery of the Most Holy Mother of God (Hyperagia Theotokos), we contemplate the mystery of our own redemption and of our own union with God.
  4. Therefore, in order that love and devotion for the Mother of God may flourish all the more in our own lives and in the lives of all God’s children, we do hereby establish this rule of life.

Mariology

5. While all of God’s children are free, both in conscience and in action, to pursue God and to come to a knowledge of their union with God, there are certain teachings about our Blessed Mother that members of the Order should give careful thought to in their contemplation of the mystery of The Virgin. This being so, the following doctrines are recommended to the order’s members as gates to greater devotion and love of the Blessed Virgin.

The Mother of God

  1. Being the oldest doctrine concerning the Blessed Virgin Mary and being a doctrine upheld by the ecumenical Council of Ephesus, this is the cornerstone upon which all honor and affection is due our Blessed Mother. The Council confessed “the holy virgin to be the mother of God because God the Word took flesh and became man and from his very conception united to himself the temple he took from her.” This doctrine is therefore commended to the consciences of the children of God as the true and proper center of all Marian devotion. Members, who ascribe to this rule, do hereby acknowledge this divine mystery as the chief mystery of all mysteries concerning The Theotokos.

The Perpetual Virginity

  1. Though this doctrine was taught by St. Ambrose of Milan, St. Augustine and the Lateran Synod of 649, members are not bound to give assent to it in conscience. While members are encouraged to contemplate the mysteries of virginitas mentis (mental virginity), virginitas sensus (sensual virginity), and virginitas corporis (corporal virginity) in their life as children of God and as devotees to our Blessed Mother, for such contemplation shall surely lead to a more chaste and holy life, there is no requirement here placed upon them to ascribe to this dogma in any literal or figurative sense. However, all members are encouraged to consider the nature of our Blessed Mother’s virginity as a model of spiritual and moral purity.

The Immaculate Virgin

  1. Promulgated by the Roman Pope Pius IX, in the Papal Bull Ineffabilis Deus (1854), the Immaculate Conception has served as the center of some controversy in the Church Catholic. According to the doctrine, Mary was born without sin, was free from Original Sin, and never sinned throughout her life. Assent to this teaching of the Roman church is optional, and it is specifically rejected as dogma by the 1889 Declaration of Utrecht. In the Eastern traditions, Mary is described as being “all-holy” from birth and overshadowed by the Holy Spirit throughout her life in such a manner as she was assisted in avoiding sin. In either case, when contemplating this mystery members are exhorted to give consideration to the role of lawlessness and imperfection in their own lives, meditating upon the virtues of a life filled with all the love of God towards all of God’s children. Members lives should be so marked by brotherly love and the love of mankind that they may be models of Christ law of love to all people.

The Assumption (Dormition) of Mary

  1. Given its historic place within Eastern Orthodoxy, members are exhorted to give careful attention to this teaching. According to tradition, Mary, after her death, was taken directly into Heaven. Being found without sin, like Jesus, Benjamin, Amram, Jesse, and Kieab, her body and soul were assumed into Heaven. In the Byzantine Liturgy, on the Feast of the Dormition, we read: “In giving birth you kept your virginity; in your Dormition you did not leave the world, O Mother of God, but were joined to the source of Life. You conceived the living God and, by your prayers, will deliver our souls from death.” Within this dogma the great mystery of our own accent into full union of God is revealed in part. While members are not required to ascribe to this teaching, they are encouraged to contemplate the nature of this mystery as a source of hope in their own spiritual journeys up the mountain of God and into union with the Divine. Held before us in this mystery is the hope of all God’s children; the goal and end of our journey through this valley of tears.

Marian Apparitions

  1. The supernatural appearances of Mary, in which our Blessed Mother gives some private revelation that may emphasize some facet of divine truth, is considered congruent with the work of the order. However, given that it is possible for such appearances to be hallucinations or pareidolia, rather than a kind of theophany, members are not required to accept these apparitions as factual. Members are left free to determine for themselves the importance of these apparitions to their spiritual journey. If members deem an apparition worthy of belief, they are encouraged in their devotion and should contemplate with all seriousness the specific purpose of the revelation and how that purpose may be manifested in their life.
  2. Members are only expected to allow the mysteries associated with the Blessed Virgin to be sources of contemplation. Members are encouraged to explore the various traditions and understandings surrounding our Blessed Mother and to utilize them as means to greater devotion.

Devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary

12. As our charism is centered in the personal devotion and the corporate promotion of said devotion to our Blessed Mother, members are thereby expected to be faithful in the performance of Marian devotions. This being so, the following devotions are hereby recommended or prescribed.

The Holy Rosary

  1. A form of prayer with roots in the medieval Liturgy of Hours, all members are expected to recite the fifteen traditional mysteries of the Rosary once a week. Members are free to pray all of the traditional additions to the Rosary (e.g. the Fatima Prayer) or to pray a derived form of the Rosary based on Eastern Orthodox traditions. For more information on the importance of the Rosary to the spiritual life of God’s children, members are directed toward the writings of St. Louis de Montfort.

Sub tuum praesidium (Beneath Thy Protection)

  1. As the earliest known Marian prayer (dating to the late 2nd century A.D.), members are free but not required to include this prayer in their private devotions and spiritual practice. Translated from Greek, the prayer reads: “Beneath your compassion, We take refuge, O Mother of God: do not despise our petitions in time of trouble: but rescue us from dangers, only pure, only blessed one.”

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary

  1. Based on the Liturgy of Hours, this weekly cycle of prayers said throughout the day is recommended, though not required, to all members who do not already practice the Opus Dei. This office consists of hymns, psalms, scripture and patristic readings that further enable a deeper reflection upon the life and mysteries of The Virgin.

Additional Prayers and Hymns

  1. All members are expected to include in their private prayers, the recitation of the Rosary, and their prayers at Mass, a prayer for the spreading of devotion to our Blessed Mother and for the well-being in body, mind, and soul of all order members.
  2. As is traditional, members who keep the Liturgy of Hours are expected to pray the Magnificat as part of the Ordinary of Vespers. Additionally, said members are encouraged, though not required, to end the Ordinary of Matins, the Ordinary of Diurnum, and the Ordinary of Vespers with the Angelus.
  3. Given that the Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary are in keeping with the order’s charism, members are encouraged, though not required, to include such devotions within their private practice.
  4. Furthermore, members are encouraged but not required to include Marian hymns, such as “O Mary, we Crown Thee with Blossoms Today,” “O Purest of Creatures,” the Regina Coeli and the Ave Maria, in said practice.
  5. All members are expected to pray the Litany of the Blessed Virgin on Marian feasts according to the calendar included below.

The Calendar of Feasts

  1. Each week, on Saturday, all members are expected to set aside time to the contemplation of, devotion to and to the meditation upon the Blessed Virgin Mary. Additionally, members are expected to give special attention to their devotion to our Blessed Mother during the months of May and October
  2. Members of the order are expected with all due diligence, in addition to the inclusion of the Litany of the Blessed Virgin, to be in attendance at or, for priests, to celebrate the Mass on the following Marian feast days:
  • Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (1 January)
  • Our Lady of Prompt Succor (8 January)
  • Purification of the Virgin (2 February)
  • Our Lady of Lourdes (11 February)
  • Annunciation of the Theotokos (25 March)*
  • Our Lady of Good Counsel (26 April)
  • Queen of Heaven (1 May)
  • Our Lady of Fatima (13 May)
  • Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary (31 May)
  • Our Lady of Perpetual Help (27 June)
  • Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (2 July)
  • Dormition or Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (15 August)
  • The Immaculate Heart of Mary (22 August)
  • Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (8 September)
  • Our Lady of Sorrows (15 September)
  • Our Lady of Walsingham (24 September)
  • Feast of the Most Holy Rosary (7 October)
  • Presentation of Mary or Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple (21 November)
  • Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal (27 November)
  • Feast of the Immaculate Conception (8 December)
  • Our Lady of Guadalupe (12 December)

*Should this date be on Holy Week, it may be either moved to the day before Palm Sunday; or, if the date falls on either Friday or Saturday of Holy Week, it may be moved to the Monday after the Second Sunday of Easter.

  1. Members of the order who express a particular devotion to the Marian traditions of the Orthodox Churches are welcomed and encouraged to include in the calendar given above any additional days of special devotion in accordance with those traditions.
  2. Members who are celebrating the Mass upon these feast days, should with all care and attention, be careful to ensure that the proper Collects, readings, and prayers are included within the liturgy.

Marian Shrines

  1. Given that shrines to Aeiparthenos Maria mark a place associated with a miracle or apparition of our Blessed Mother, the visiting of a shrine can be a source of great affirmation in members devotion to Our Lady. Members are therefore encouraged to make pilgrimages or to visit local shrines to The Virgin. As the support of Marian shrines supports our charism, members are encouraged but not required to volunteer or assist at local shrines or cathedrals dedicated to the Blessed Virgin.

Vestments

26. Junior members, unless they choose to wear the blue scapular, are only required to wear a Marian medal that reflects their devotion and loyalty to our Blessed Mother.
27. Senior members, unless they choose to wear the blue scapular, are also required to wear a Marian medal that reflects their devotion and loyalty to our Blessed Mother. Those Senior Members who have been ordained to the sacred order of Deacons and Priests may wear the Marian medal as a pectoral medal with their cassock or clericals.
28. Members of the Order may wear the badge of the order sewn on to a cassock or blue scapular. The scapular may be full, that is from neck to knee, front and back (and must be worn with a white alb with white cincture), or it may be two pieces of blue cloth 6 inches square connected by blue ribbons and worn over the shoulders, front and back. This miniature scapular may be worn under lay clothes or over lay clothes at meetings of the order. The wearing of the order’s badge either on a cassock or scapular is a sign of the member’s particular consecration to Our Lady and is also entirely optional.

Ecumenical Relations

  1. As the order is centered in the devotion to our Blessed Mother, and as Our Lady is the Mother of all of God’s children, members of the order welcome the opportunity for a diverse ministry. Members are encouraged to involve themselves with other people and groups that share in the order’s devotion to The Virgin.
  2. Members will be drawn principally from the Catholicate of the West and those bodies in communion with it, with others invited on a special basis. They are free to practice and believe in accordance with their particular traditions of Marian devotion. The order and its members are free to work for the continued advancement of God’s children toward union with God, through a growing love of Our Lady, across religious and spiritual bounds.

Morality

  1. As all of humanity is inseparably linked in brotherhood and all are children of God, so all have the same Mother. Our Lady serves as the premier example of a life lived in purity and love. Therefore, as an extension of our devotion to our Blessed Mother, all members are expected to take to heart the truths from the Commandments of Jesus, that their lives may reflect the divine light of love that shines forth from the Blessed Virgin and her Son.
  2. As a means of better assisting in the development of devotion to Our Mother and in a morality informed by a regular spiritual practice, it is highly recommended that members attend Mass on Sundays (or on whatever day it is regularly offered in the parish) and holy days of obligation; that they seek out a person who can serve as a spiritual director or Father Confessor; that they ensure to receive Holy Communion at least during the Easter season; and that they participate in those liturgical feasts that honor our Lord and the saints.

Conclusion

32. May our lives, through the keeping of this rule, grow ever more in love and devotion to The Blessed Virgin Mary, that through her intercession and the love of God shinning abroad in our hearts all of God’s children may join hands together in brotherly love, further transforming all of creation into the Kingdom of God, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Approved this tenth day of September in the year of Our Lord two thousand and twelve.

++JOANNES EDMUNDUS
Primate and Grand President of the Order

  1. THE ORDER OF S. TERESA – THE LITTLE FLOWER

THE ORDER OF S. TERESA – THE LITTLE FLOWER

FOUNDATION CHARTER

In the Sacred Name of the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity. Amen.

Joannes, by the Grace of God Titular Archbishop of Karim and Primate of the Ancient Catholic Church Unto All and Singular to Whom These Presents Shall Come:

Greeting!

Be it Known by the Tenor of These Presents that WE in the due exercise of Our Office and of the powers thereunto appertaining, do Hereby Found, Erect and Establish a Religious Order of the Name, Title and Style of The Order of S. Teresa – The Little Flower – the Rule of Which shall be as follows:

RULE

  1. The Object of the Order is to promote the Devotional Life according to the example of S. Teresa of Lisieux, and sustain the Priests of the Church by means of love and prayer.
  2. There shall be these grades or status of Members: Postulants, Novices and Professed, and the qualifications and admittance thereto shall be determined from time to time by The General Chapter.
  3. Professed Members shall upon profession take the three Final Vows of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience, which shall be interpreted freely and not be deemed to be literal: Poverty; the joyful free will surrender of earthly things, when necessary for spiritual progress, Chastity; purity of body, soul and spirit, Obedience; conformity to the precepts of the Order, and canonical obedience to the Superior of the Order and those placed in authority under him.
  4. The Governing Body of the Order shall be called the General Chapter, and shall be affiliated and removable by Us at Our pleasure. The first Members of the General Chapter shall be: Ourself (Prelate-Superior), The Titular Abbess of Magdala, The Reverend Mary-Louise Watts (Mother-Superior), The Reverend Ethel Marion Dyson (Registrar) and Deaconesses Gertrude Edith Enticknap, Olive Patricia Knill-Samuel, Maureen Pearse, The Reverend Vera Acton Burwell, Miss Margaret Stubbington and Mrs Florence Grace Sturt.
  5. The Motto of the Order shall be “The Fragrance of Love”.
  6. The robes and insignia of the Order shall be: Postulants; a medallion of S. Teresa worn suspended around the neck by a Violet cord, Novices, White Cloak with Violet Hood; Professed, White Habit Violet Cord Scapular, White Cloak with Violet Hood, with White Wimple and Black or Violet Veil in the case of women. Provided Always that Dispensation may be granted in the case of Clergy and others to wear part only of the dress of the Order.
  7. The Objects of the Order may be carried on by means of Religious Services, Address, Retreats, Study Circles, Meetings and Social functions.
  8. The ceremonies of admission of Postulants and Novices and profession of Professed Brethren shall be such as shall from time to time be prescribed by the Prelate-Superior.
  9. Sub-Charters may be granted for the establishment of Local Chapters of the Order under their own local Officers.

In Witness whereof We have hereunto affixed Our Sign Manual and Archiepiscopal Seal, and have caused these Presents to be sealed with the Seal of the pre-named Order, this thirtieth day of August in the Year of Our Lord One thousand nine hundred and fifty-one, and in the Second year of Our Consecration.

+Joannes
Titular Archbishop of Karim
Primate

Signed, Sealed and Delivered by the pre-named Titular Archbishop of Karim in the presence of me

John Newton
Notary Public, London
[Red Seal of John Newton affixed]

The Seal of The Order of S. Teresa – The Little Flower was hereunto affixed in the presence of

+Mary
Titular Abbess of Magdala

Mary Louise Teresa Watts
Mother-Superior

*O.P. Knill-Samuel

*E.M. Stubbington

*G.E. Enticknap

*Mrs Pearse[6]

*Florence G. Sturt

*Vera Acton Burwell

I. M. Dyson

*All bracketed “Members of the General Chapter”

{Seals}

Ad Perpetuam Rei Memoriam

It is Hereby Certified under the Corporate Seal of The Catholicate of the West that the pre-named Order of S. Teresa – The Little Flower is hereby Chartered under the powers vested in Us by Rule XIV(3) of the pre-named Catholicate as incorporated in India under Act XXI of 1860.

+Georgius
Prince-Catholicos

Date: 4th Sept MCMLI

I. de Mardin, Secretarius Ad Hoc

[Stamp of the Chancellery of the Catholicate of the West]

[Gold Seal]

[Stamp:] Enrolled in the Archives of the Ancient Catholic Church No. 49 of 1951

[Signature of] E.H. Jackson for Keeper of Archives

[Stamp:] Enrolled in the Archives of the Catholicate of the West No. 41 of 1951.

[Signature of] E.M. Stubbington for Keeper of Archives

[1] Otherwise Ina de Willmott Newman (née del Carpio Barnardo), wife of Mar Georgius. Mar Georgius held the title of Prince de Mardin.

[2] Margaret Stubbington, for many years Secretary of the Ancient Catholic Church.

[3] Mrs Florence Grace Sturt (see following Charter)

[4] These stamps are obscured by water damage, which has caused the ink to run.

[5] Emily H. Jackson, who was to marry Mar Joannes I in 1954.

[6] Maureen Pearse, Marquise de Saulney, later to be consecrated Titular Abbess of Bethany.

COPY OF THE RENEWAL CHARTER

This Renewal Charter was issued by the Most Revd. John Kersey in his former office as Metropolitan of the Liberal Catholic Apostolic Church

COPY OF RENEWAL CHARTER TO THE VALIANT ORDER OF ST JOHN THE BAPTIST AND THE ORDERS OF AVE MARIA AND S. THERESE – THE LITTLE FLOWER

Original Charter dated 26 March 2008

Revision of 18 December 2008

Dearly beloved in the Lord, We, the Most Reverend Mar Joannes III, O.C.R., D.D., by the grace of God Metropolitan Primate of the Liberal Catholic Apostolic Church, having regard to the fact that Our worthy and well-beloved Predecessor Mar Joannes I founded and chartered the Valiant Order of St John the Baptist and the Orders of Ave Maria and S. Therese – The Little Flower;

And that the said Orders were enrolled in the archives of the Ancient Catholic Church and the Catholicate of the West as then constituted, and were thus under the protection of, but independent from, the said Churches;

And that as of the commencement of the year 2008 anno domini there was no person known to be living who was a member of any of the said Orders, and that it was therefore concluded that they had been abandoned and were dormant until such time as the Episcopal successor to their Founder could be established;

And that by special commission of Mr Richard Hadingham, who is the senior lay member of the Ancient Catholic Church, the Liberal Catholic Apostolic Church, being a church holding the direct Apostolic Succession from Mar Joannes I and in keeping with his beliefs and aims. was charged with the continuation and revival of the mission of Mar Joannes I and with the perpetuation of the spiritual legacy of the Ancient Catholic Church as that body was constituted under his guidance;

And that the said Orders are an important contribution towards the furtherance of brotherly and sisterly love within the Church, and that their principles and practices may be of assistance to its members as an outward sign of spiritual grace, and that their aims are worthy of perpetuation;

Now therefore do We grant a new CHARTER to the said Orders within the Liberal Catholic Apostolic Church, and thus providing that these Orders will be under Our protection and that of Our Church and Our successors as Metropolitan Primate in perpetuity;

And such that the principles and practices of the said Orders as established in their existing Charters shall be maintained, excepting that such changes as shall from time to time be deemed necessary may be made by permission of Us or Our Successors in the office of Metropolitan Primate; And therefore we decree that the said Orders shall from henceforth lawfully fulfil the obligations of embodying the high ideals of morality, uprightness, liberty and such other qualities as are required of their members.

IMPRIMATUR:

[L+S]

++Dr. John Kersey, O.C.R., D.D.

JK/08/LCAC/Orders revised charter 18-12