Apostolic Succession
The Old Catholic Church believes Apostolic Succession which is the unbroken line of succession beginning with the apostles and perpetuated through bishops by laying on of hands with proper ritual and intent is essential for Holy Orders and Sacraments to be valid. With this stated we stand firm in our belief that only the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Church of the East, and Old Catholic Churches which do not ordain females to the priesthood or episcopacy as having valid Apostolic Succession and even then, unless hindered by age or infirmity, the succession must be tested by the bishop having a church in which the fruits of his labor of ministry to the laity is present for just as there can be no church without the bishop there can be no bishop without the church.
We have on file detailed lines of Apostolic Succession through the following churches. Our principal lines trace back the apostles Peter and Thomas.
· Old Roman Catholic See of Utrecht
· Church of the East
· Chaldean Uniate (Roman Catholic)
· Greek Melkite (Roman Catholic Uniate)
· Roman Catholic Church (Mexico)
· Order of Corporate Reunion:
· Armenian Orthodox Church
· Ukrainian Orthodox Church (USA)
· Greek Orthodox Church
· Russian Synodal Church
· Saint Thomas Christians of India (Syro-Chaldean)
· Russian Orthodox
· Malabar & Syrian Orthodox
· Antiochian Lines
· African Orthodox Lines
· Anglo-American Lines
· American Catholic
· Italo-Galician