Welcome.

Thank you for visiting our website! Please feel free to look around our site to learn more about the Old Roman Catholic Diocese of Chicago and the Midwest. The Old Roman Catholic tradition stems from the Church of Utrecht, which was granted semi-autonomy from Rome to elect bishops and control its own internal affairs. In 1910, Archbishop Arnold Harris Mathew established the Old Roman Catholic Church in Great Britain and we are a diocese of the only church in America that is part of this original church.

In 1914, Prince-Bishop Rudolph de Landes-Berghes brought the Church from the United Kingdom to America. The Old Roman Catholic Church in America is a continuation of this venerable tradition. While we are a missionary church and numerically small, we believe that our message is a timeless one.
 
We are a unique church that is distinctly traditional in our doctrine and liturgy, yet we express our faith in a compassionate manner. We are striving to be faithful to Our Lord's command in John 17:21 "that they may all be one" while following the axiom that "we take the greatest care to hold that which has been believed everywhere, always and by all." Ours is not a rigid faith, but is welcoming to all people while maintaining our heritage.

                       "Tradition with Compassion"                              A Diocese of the Old Roman Catholic Church of America