History of the Liberal Catholic Church

BEGINNINGS – IMPORTANT DATES

See also - A brief history of the Liberal Catholic Church in Brisbane

28 April 1908 

Dr Arnold Harris Mathew was consecrated Bishop of the Old Catholic Church in Holland by the Archbishop of Utrecht to lead a Mission to Great Britain.  This action was prompted by the belief that there would be a mass defection of clergy from the Roman Catholic Church.

December 1910

After two near-fruitless years, the expected defection not having occurred, Archbishop Mathew issued a Pastoral Letter declaring his independence from the Old Catholic Church in The Netherlands

July 22 1913 

James Ingall Wedgwood (an active member of the Theosophical Society, a fact well known to Mathew) was ordained priest by Mathew at Wedgwood’s private oratory at 1 Upper Woburn Place, London.  Wedgwood had been a prominent Anglican and sometime organist at York Minster.  He had studied organ at the Sorbonne in Paris.
Mathew subsequently ordained to the priesthood a number of others whom he knew to be members of the Theosophical Society including Rupert Gauntlet (1/7/1914), Reginald Farrar (1/8/1914) and Robert King (1/8/1914).
It is important to emphasise, however, that the LCC is not a “Theosophical church.”  It is a completely independent organisation.  It did – and does – meet the needs of TS members who, among many others, wish to worship in the catholic Christian tradition.

28 October 1914

An ex priest of the Anglican Church, Canon Frederick Samuel Willoughby, was consecrated to the Episcopate of the Old Catholic Church in Great Britain.

April 1915 

The ever-temperamental Mathew dismissed Willoughby for refusing to attend a meeting concerning Willoughby’s resignation from the Anglican Church.
Mathew also now required those clergy to whom it applied to renounce Theosophy.  They refused, supported by all non-TS clergy bar one arguing that this was “a wanton and calculated breach of contract” on Mathew’s part.
The clergy decided to dissociate themselves from a leadership they saw as “lacking in any sense of responsibility.”  Mathew then tendered his “unconditional submission” to the Roman Church (announced in The Times at the end of 1915).

26 September 1915

Since the new movement was now without a bishop and thus had lost the Apostolic Succession, Bishop Willoughby agreed  to consecrate Rupert Gauntlett and Robert King bishops “as a matter of honour” to give back the Episcopate to the movement that had bestowed it on himself.  Wedgwood was on his way back from Australia to England when he learned of these events.

13 February 1916

James Ingall Wedgwood was consecrated bishop by Willoughby, Gauntlett and King at the Co-Masonic Temple in London.  Wedgwood now became the leader of the new independent catholic movement, and this date is regarded as the “birthday” of the Liberal Catholic Church.
Leaving King in charge in London, Wedgwood then returned to Sydney, Australia, to consult with Charles Webster Leadbeater, another prominent Theosophist who had spent some years at the TS Headquarters at Adyar, India.

22 July 1916 

C W Leadbeater was consecrated Bishop in Sydney.  Work commenced on a new Liturgy.

1917

Wedgwood went to New Zealand, ordaining two priests in that country.

24 June 1917

Julian Adrian Mazel was consecrated to the Episcopate by Bishops Wedgwood and Leadbeater.  Bishop Mazel became Regionary Bishop for Indonesia (then the Netherlands Indies).  This was the last occasion on which the Old Catholic Missal and Ritual was used.

August 1917 

A number of priests in the US and Canada were ordained as Wedgwood was returning to England.

18 January 1918 

Frank Waters Pigott ordained priest in London, later to become the 3rd Presiding Bishop (1934 – 1956) after Bishops Wedgwood and Leadbeater.

6 September 1918

After Synod meetings in London and Sydney considered a number of options, a meeting in London decided to change the name of the new Church to the Liberal Catholic Church.  The name Old Catholic seemed no longer appropriate since relations with Utrecht had broken down.

June 1919

The first complete edition of the new Liturgy was published on the feast of St Alban.  This publication has been acclaimed and used by many other small groups around the world.

13 July 1919

Wedgwood consecrated Irving S Cooper to the Episcopate in Sydney assisted by Leadbeater and Mazel.  Cooper was the first Bishop to be consecrated according to the new Liturgy and became the first Regionary of the USA (1919 – 1935).  He was responsible for the clergy “bible” – the blue book – Ceremonies of the Liberal Catholic Rite published in 1934.

2 April 1923

Bishop Wedgwood resigned as Presiding Bishop and Bishop Leadbeater became the second to hold that post.

1 March 1934

Bishop Leadbeater died in Perth on his way back to Australia from India.  Bishop Pigott took over as Presiding Bishop from 26 July 1934 until his death on 26 January 1956.

12 March 1951

Bishop Wedgwood died at his home at Tekels Park, Camberley, Surrey, after a long period of ill health.