St. Luke Anglican Catholic Church,   Augusta, Georgia

Growth and Apostasy

Following the discovery of the "New World," Anglicanism spread to the Americas, Asia, Africa and Oceania (the central and south Pacific). Some 37 national and regional Anglican Churches were established in various parts of the world, which together became known as the Anglican Communion.

The Anglican Communion has no constitution, governing body, central authority or common liturgy. It is merely a loose association of autonomous Churches with similar origins. Since 1970 it has been disintegrating, as some member churches have brazenly tampered with essential elements of the Faith and can no longer claim to have the same Scriptures, Creeds, Sacraments and Ministry as the rest of the CATHOLIC CHURCH. Since 1987 those Churches have included the CHURCH OF ENGLAND herself.

The Congress of St. Louis

In 1977 an international congress of nearly 2,000 Anglicans: bishops, clergy and lay people, met in St. Louis, Missouri, to take the actions necessary to establish an orthodox jurisdiction in which traditional Anglicanism would be maintained, by returning to the fullness of the Faith of the undivided CATHOLIC CHURCH. Acting according to the principles determined by the seven great Ecumenical Councils of the ancient Church and adopting initially the name "Anglican Church of North America," they placed themselves under the jurisdiction of the retired bishop of Springfield, Illinois, the Right Reverend Albert Chambers.

In January 1978 Bishop Chambers expanded that jurisdiction and devolved it upon others, by taking order for the consecration of four more bishops. In October of that year the Church met in Synod to adopt a formal constitution, which included the change of name to the ANGLICAN CATHOLIC CHURCH.