(3) active participation in the sacramental life of the Church, that is: the worthy hearing of the Word of God, receiving Baptism and Confirmation, the sacraments of Penance and Holy Communion as often as possible, but at least once a year, and the other Sacraments which Christ our Lord instituted for the sanctification and
perfection of man;

How is the phrase “, the sacraments of Penance and Holy Communion as often as possible” meant to be interpreted? The Catechism for use in preparation for Confirmation says one is only obliged to attend mass on “Sundays and Holydays[sic] of obligation” (Q373), but is this meant to be more expansive than that?

Hope that helps.

I am not aware of the full text of The Journey Continues on the internet.

It is not an expensive book, but as you say, the shipping probably is the reason you don’t want to purchase it from the US.

hope you are able to locate a copy!

You say that this question is relevant to you, which IMO means you might be discerning a call to the sacred priesthood in the PNCC. If that is the case please feel free to contact me for further information.

In Christ,

Fr. Adam

Do you know if the following report:

Journeying Together in Christ: The Journey Continues; The Report of the Polish National Catholic Roman Catholic

is anywhere as full text online?

It is not easy to buy the book here in Europe.

Best regards and God bless you

Thank you for your questions. Please feel free to quote my answers, but please do understand that I am answering not on behalf of the entire Polish National Catholic Church.

Currently, the PNCC in the United States and Canada has around 8,000 – 10,000 members or parishioners.

The PNCC does still uphold the Word of God as a Sacrament, in the hearing of the Word and the preaching of the Sermon.

There was some historical confusion about the teaching of eternal hell or damnation in the PNCC due to an article written by Bishop Hodur. Some accused him of being a ‘universalist’ concerning salvation and damnation. However, this is not accurate as Bp. Hodur also wrote on several occasions about God’s judgment upon each person. To be honest, at one time the theology on eternal hell could have been different, however, it is my opinion that due to the large number of Roman Catholic clergy and laity that have embraced the faith of the PNCC that the current teachings are in line with the Roman Catholic Church. We still confess our sins at every mass and in private, and we still pray for the souls of the departed.

We are not in communion with the Czech Church.

Last year, the Bishops of the PNCC issued the ‘Declaration of Scranton’ which is mostly based on the ‘Declaration of Utrecht’ but does include the PNCC’s position on womens ordination and gay marriage as being ‘inventions’ of the UU and Anglican Communion which the PNCC does not uphold as part of the Catholic faith. So the PNCC does not recognize the churches of the UU as being validly Catholic anymore.

We consider the Polish Catholic Church (PNKK) to be a sister church and only time will tell what will happen with their relationship to the rest of the UU and the PNCC. But for now, we are sister churches.

I do believe the the clergy and laity of the PNCC are not hopeful that the UU churches will recant of their liberal inventions and thus the PNCC will not return to full communion with the UU.

Recently, some Lutherans in Norway and an Episcopal Church in Italy have come under the wing of the PNCC due to our Bishop of the Buffalo-Pittsburgh Diocese, Bp. Peplowski’s willingness to work with them at a distance.

I think it would be wonderful if those Old Catholic Churches in Europe who have maintained an orthodox Catholic faith would seek refuge under the guidance of a PNCC bishop!

I currently do not know of any PNCC priests who speak German. But I will pass the message along that you are seeking someone to join your discussion.

You will remain in my prayers,

Fr. Adam Egan

How many members does the PNCC actually have?
Does the PNCC still teach that the proclamation of the Word of God is a sacrament?
Is hell a temporally state and is the teaching of eternal condemnation in opposition to your doctrine?
Is the PNCC in communion with the Oldcatholic Church of the Czech Republic?
Do you recognize churches as catholic, who are admitting women to the sacramental order of the diaconate?
Will the PNCC break communion with the Polish-Catholic Church in Poland, when they maintain their communion with the churches of the Utrecht Union in the case of the consecration of a woman-bishop?
How does the PNCC describe the current situation to be in communion with the Polish-Catholic Church, who itself is standing in continuous communion with UU-churches even after the introduction of women-ordination? Is it an ecclesiological problem for the PNCC or in some regards a matter of debate? Can this specific situation be described as “triangular”?

Is among the faithful or the clergy of the PNCC the hope still alive, that our churches will repeal the false doctrines introduced during the last decades (some of us regard at least the introduction of this and other innovations as irregular)?
Is there a consciousness that we – upon the common faith as declared in the declaration of Utrecht and in respect to the enjoyed communion of over 90 years – are belonging to the same church-family? Is the schisme felt as a deplorable state, that according the Lord’s will should be healed?
Or would you describe it as a permanent separation, that due to the circumstances inevitably occurred and will last for a indefinite term, so that we, the tiny group of guideless Oldcatholics in Western Europe should seek protection by an orthodox (PNCC-)bishop?
And at last: Do you know a German-speaking priest or theologically educated layman, who would like to join our online-discussion?

In the hope to be endorsed in your prayers!

AF

P.S. If you permitt, I would eventually quote some of your answers in the forum. We gather there as disillusioned old-catholics being concerned about the state of faith in our motherchurches after having realized that we are governed by ideologically fixed liberal ex-roman-catholic convertits.

Is there any attempt to do some kind of national advertising campaign?

It is a shame that no one really knows about this Church.

Nice blog!

During the 1931 General Synod, a depressed Bp. Hodur offered to resign from his primacy and go into the field as an itinerant preacher.. He mentioned that it would be good to have an order of Preachers of the Word of God to uplift the church