The Holy Catholic Church Anglican Rite (HCCAR), also known as the Anglican Rite Catholic Church (ARCC), is a Western Rite, Anglican jurisdiction within the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. We are thoroughly Catholic in doctrine and Anglican in heritage, standing as a via media (middle way) that is neither Roman Catholic nor Protestant.
Our mission is to hold fast to the saving Truth of Jesus Christ and to preserve, protect, and pass down the faith once delivered to the saints.
1. What Anglicanism Is (and Is Not)
The Meaning of Anglican
"Anglican" means English. Members of the HCCAR possess an English liturgical and theological heritage, linking our ancestral and spiritual roots directly to the ancient Church in England. Anglicanism represents a unique, divinely inspired balance between the Evangelical and the Catholic, blending a devotion to the preaching of the Word with the celebration of the Sacraments.
The Myth of Henry VIII
A serious, widespread misconception is that the Anglican Church was invented by King Henry VIII in the sixteenth century solely because he desired a divorce. While Henry VIII did manipulate the Church of England as a state institution to seize its wealth and sever ties with the Pope, the Catholic faith inside England existed since the first century. It developed simultaneously with the ancient Catholic churches in Rome and Constantinople long before the Tudor monarchy.
The Primitive Church vs. The Continental Reformation
The 16th-century English Reformation differed fundamentally from the Continental Reformation. Continental reformers adopted Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone apart from tradition). The English Reformers appealed to the Holy Scriptures as interpreted by the ancient Church and Early Fathers. The Continental movements rejected the historic Episcopacy. The Church of England deliberately retained Apostolic Succession, keeping its Catholic order, parish life, and historic diocesan boundaries intact while purging outworn medieval superstitions.
2. Catholic But Not Roman Catholic
We are Catholic Christians, but we are not Roman Catholics. In the same way that Eastern and Western Orthodox Christians claim the title "Catholic" without submitting to the Papacy, the HCCAR holds a valid claim to historic Catholicity.
The HCCAR accepts the theological consensus of the Undivided Church—the first millennium of Christian history. From the Day of Pentecost to the Great Schism of 1054 A.D., the Church was truly Catholic: unified in faith, doctrine, and creed, even while enjoying diverse regional liturgies between East and West.
3. Historic Catalysts of the Faith: The Oxford Movement & C.S. Lewis
Our identity is profoundly shaped by two massive historical and literary movements within Anglicanism that defended the historic Lex Credendi (Law of Belief) against the secularizing forces of modernity.
The 19th-Century Oxford Movement
In the 1830s, a dynamic theological renewal swept through Oxford University, led by scholars such as John Henry Newman, John Keble, and E.B. Pusey. Known as the Oxford Movement (or Tractarianism), it fought back against state interference and the theological watering-down of the Church. The movement called Anglicans to remember their true identity: that the Church of England was not a political creation of the Reformation, but a valid branch of the historic, ancient Catholic Church. The Oxford Movement directly restored the beauty, reverence, and awe of ancient Catholic worship. It brought back the central focus of the Holy Eucharist, the use of vestments, the burning of incense, the sign of the cross, and the beauty of liturgical ritual, aligning modern parish life back with the practice of the Early Church Fathers.
The Influence of C.S. Lewis and 'Mere Christianity'
In the mid-20th century, Oxford don and devout Anglican layman C.S. Lewis became the global voice for the defense of the historic faith. His landmark work, Mere Christianity, beautifully articulated the exact principles of the via media that the HCCAR champions today. Lewis cut through modern skepticism, defending the absolute authority of Scripture, the reality of sin, the objective nature of moral law, and the physical Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Lewis's approach to "Mere Christianity" was essentially a modern application of the Rule of St. Vincent of Lérins—stripping away modern innovations to defend the core, consensus doctrines held by the Undivided Church across time.
4. The Continuing Church & The Chambers Line
Most modern traditional Anglican jurisdictions, including the HCCAR, are collectively known as the Continuing Church. The Continuing Church came into being as a direct, necessary response to the radical changes in doctrine, worship, and practice adopted by the Episcopal Church (ECUSA) and the See of Canterbury since the 1950s. Because Canterbury and mainstream bodies have abandoned historic faith, liturgy, and orders, the HCCAR maintains no association with the See of Canterbury.
The structural roots of the HCCAR are anchored in the Chambers Succession, tracing back to the historic Denver Consecration of January 28, 1978. This line began under the apostolic action of Archbishop Albert Chambers to guarantee the continuation of orthodox Anglicanism.
The Holy Catholic Church Anglican Rite (HCCAR) emerged into its current form when five bishops of the Anglican Catholic Church questioned provincial elections and canonical theology. To ensure total fidelity to traditional theology, sacramental orthodoxy, and apostolic validity, they formed this jurisdiction to continue the spiritual battle to preserve the historic faith.
5. The HCCAR Core Statement of Belief
"Let us hold that which has been believed everywhere, always, and by all, for that is truly and properly Catholic." — St. Vincent of Lérins
Salvation in Christ: We believe the Holy Scriptures to be the revealed Word of God, containing all things necessary to salvation, and that eternal life is found exclusively through the Person of Jesus Christ.
The Ancient Councils: We hold firmly to the doctrines, creeds, and definitions established by the Seven Ecumenical Councils of the Undivided Church prior to the Great Schism of 1054 A.D.
The Historic Creeds: We accept the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds as entirely sufficient statements of personal and corporate faith.
The Seven Sacraments: We believe in the seven historic sacraments—outward and visible signs of an inward and spiritual grace.
The Real Presence: We affirm the objective Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist, revering it as a holy, divine mystery.
The Altar as Center: The literal and spiritual center of our worship is the Altar, not the pulpit. Our focus is the re-presentation of the sacrifice of Christ made by the priest.
Apostolic Succession: We maintain the ordained ministry of male Bishops, Priests, and Deacons in unbroken Apostolic Succession. In accordance with ancient Western and Eastern patristic traditions, married men may be ordained to the clergy.
Sanctity of Life and Marriage: We recognize and protect the absolute sanctity of human life beginning at the moment of conception. We affirm that marriage is a lifelong, sacramental union between one man and one woman.
Liturgical Standards: We offer our sacrifices of prayer and praise using the traditional 1928 Book of Common Prayer, the Anglican Missal, the American Missal, and the 1940 Hymnal. We approve and authorize the use of the King James (Authorized) Version of the Bible, the Revised Standard Version (RSV), and the Jerusalem Bible.