Evangelical Catholic Church | |
---|---|
Type | Catholic |
Classification | Independent Catholic |
Orientation | Evangelical Catholic |
Bishop | James Alan Wilkowski |
Origin | July 7, 1997 Chicago, Illinois |
Separated from | Roman Catholic Church |
Separations | North American Catholic Ecumenical Church |
Congregations | 4 |
Members | 1,500 |
Other name(s) | Independent Evangelical Catholic Church in America |
Official website | evangelicalcatholicchurch |
The Evangelical Catholic Church (ECC), formerly known as the Independent Evangelical Catholic Church in America (IECCA), is an Independent Catholic church headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1997,[1][2] it claimed about 1,500 members in three parishes in 2014.[2][3] In 2017, the ECC claimed four parishes in Chicago, Illinois; Bend, Oregon; Providence, Rhode Island; and Watertown, Wisconsin.[4]
The Evangelical Catholic Church professes two creeds: the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed.[5] Its theology differs from that of the Roman Catholic Church in that it permits both men and women, married as well as unmarried, to become deacons, priests and bishops; accepts gay marriage; encourages divorced and remarried worshipers to receive Communion; and allows birth control.[2]