The Church is the people of God. The Latin word
for "church," ecclesia comes from the Greek ek, which means "out," and kaleo, which means "to call."
The Church is the people of God called out of slavery to freedom, sin to salvation, despair to hope, darkness to light, an
existence centered on death to an existence focused on life.
When we think of Church we have to think of
a body of people, traveling together. We have to envision women, men, and children of all ages, races, and societies supporting
one another on their long and often tiresome journeys to their final home.
-- Henri J. M. Nouwen
A Diocese Called Rumney Marsh
Saint Ignatius of Antioch
(1st c. A.D) is quoted as saying: "Where the Bishop is, there let the multitude of believers be; even as where Jesus is, there
is the Catholic Church." Some, through the history of the Christian Church, have taken
this to mean that each validly consecrated bishop gathers around him or herself a valid expression of the Body of Christ—namely,
a "local Church."
As this term implies, this was originally viewed as a "group" of parishes, missions, or ministries
that were geographically "local" or nearby. According to this
understanding of Church polity (governance), many, many local churches exist throughout the Catholic (Universal) Church. Each
local church is united under a local bishop as the Universal Church is united under the headship of Jesus Christ.
The Independent Catholic Diocese
of Rumney Marsh—i.e., the "local church" under the jurisdiction of The Bishop of Rumney Marsh—is headquartered
in Chelsea, Massachusetts with the bulk of our ministry being conducted
in the Greater Boston area of Massachusetts. But, we live in a modern age and current modes of communication and travel no longer limit a local bishop's influence
to his/her immediate geographic area. At this time, the Diocese and Bishop of Rumney
Marsh have ministerial influence in Massachusetts and New Mexico.
Our current membership is theologically "Catholic" yet liturgically
eclectic. Elements of our worship will be familiar to users of the Roman Catholic Sacramentary, the Episcopal Book
of Common Prayer, the Lutheran Book of Worship, the United Methodist Book of Worship, the Presbyterian Book
of Common Worship, and other texts resulting from the liturgical consensus of the 1960s and beyond.
The polity [governance] of our parishes, missions and ministries
is both congregational and episcopal as influenced by the Protestant "House Church" movement, the [Roman] Catholic
"Intentional Eucharistic Communities" movement and the so-called "Independent Sacramental Movement."
We hold firm to belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist
and we cherish the values congregational self-determination, freedom of conscience and the conciliar ideal. We strive for "consensus building" in our common life while being faithful to
the Apostolic Tradition of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church as taught in the Sacred Scriptures and the Seven Ecumenical
Councils of the undivided Church.
The Independent Catholic Diocese of Rumney Marsh is "open and affirming,"
inviting all to full participation according to their call as God's children.
Our History in a Nutshell
The Titular See of Rumney Marsh was erected 24 June 2000 upon the consecration of our first bishop as
Auxiliary to the Archbishop of Fairhaven within L'Eglise Catholique Charismatique du
Canada—The Catholic Charismatic Church of Canada (CCCC). The autocephalous
(independent) Diocese of Rumney Marsh was born when, after much prayer and discernment, its founding bishop sadly acknowledged
that further affiliation with the CCCC would not meet the spiritual needs of those under his apostolic care.
While
the process began two months earlier, the date of formal separation from the CCCC was 15 September 2001, one day after the
scheduled retirement of the last Archbishop of Fairhaven and, unfortunately, just four days after the horror of the terrorist
attacks of 9/11. As recovery efforts were just getting underway at "ground zero," it
was deemed inappropriate to mark the birth of the new jurisdiction with anything more than a simple Mass in the bishop's private
chapel.
Our Common Life and Mission
In
the Diocese of Rumney Marsh, we tend to gather in fairly small communities—often in private homes or "house chapels"—to
practice The Ancient Faith in an "environment of sharing." Members and guests are encouraged to participate as little or
as much as they wish. We seek to worship the Lord our God through the power of the Holy Spirit without condemnation, fear,
or other human censure. Our "Communion Table" is open to all baptized believers regardless of the tradition from which
they come.
Our primary ministry is to the needs of those who no longer feel comfortable in their church of origin regardless
of the reason. We feel a special compassion for those who have been "dissed" by their home church—i.e., those who have
come to feel disrespected, discouraged, disillusioned, disenfranchised, displaced, disheartened, etc. by their own particular
branch of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
