About

Pursuant to a charter of authority issued by the Apostolic Episcopal Church in Great Britain, with the support of the AEC worldwide and the Order of Corporate Reunion, the formal inauguration of the Ecclesia Apostolica Divinorum Mysteriorum (E.A.D.M.) took place during a celebration of the Eucharist at the dawn of Easter Day, 2010, by the Most Revd. John Kersey, O.C.R., who became the the first Metropolitan Primate and Presiding Bishop of the new church. The new body drew upon the experiences of previous ministry in a Liberal Catholic context, and was the result of a lengthy period of consideration and revision of the Liberal Catholic tradition with the aim of bringing about spiritual renewal and a reformed structure. Tracing its heritage to the foundation of the Apostolic Episcopal Church as an Eastern Catholic mission by the Exarch and Commissary of the Chaldean Catholic Church in 1925, E.A.D.M. is thus one of the few smaller churches that does not owe its origins to a split or schism from another body. It also shares a more recent connexion to the Roman Catholic Church through the Catholic Apostolic Church of Brazil, which became autocephalous of Rome in 1945 and has been in communion with the Apostolic Episcopal Church since 1987.

E.A.D.M. is a denomination of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church devoted specifically to the inner Johannine tradition. It pursues that tradition in harmony with the Catholic and Orthodox expressions of the outer church, and teaches that the inner and outer traditions are not merely linked but co-dependent, with the nurturing and development of the inner tradition vital for the future development of the church. Its aim is gnosis; that is to say, a personal and profound experiential relationship to the Divine Essence. Gnosis is the subject of many significant writings of Clement of Alexandria; it is communicated through the transmission of Holy Orders as gateways to Light and Life, with the seeker following a threefold path of Purification, Illumination and Union.

E.A.D.M. draws upon the teachings of the Wisdom Traditions including those of Theosophy, Rosicrucianism, Martinism, the Arcane Schools and the modern Sophian Gnostic tradition, and also to some extent Jungian psychology. E.A.D.M. is not exclusive in its adherence to these, or any other, teachings, and promotes a critical and questioning approach, with members following their own paths of spiritual progress within the overall context of the faith. The truths of that faith are ultimately not to be found within a narrowly historical interpretation, but in an enduring spirituality.

In his work “Gnosticism: new light on the ancient tradition of inner knowing” (2002), Tau Stephanus Hoeller refers to Aldous Huxley’s promulgation in “The Perennial Philosophy” (1947) of “a kind of gnosis that was, in effect, a mystery reserved for the elite, revealed at the dawn of history and handed down through various religious traditions, where it remains in spite of its ostensible incompatibility with the official dogmas of those traditions.” This description effectively summarizes the witness of E.A.D.M. Hoeller goes on to connect Huxley’s approach to the Radical Traditionalism of René Guénon (who, as Tau Palingenius, was himself a bishop of the Eglise Gnostique for a time) and Frithjof Schuon.

While E.A.D.M. members may if they choose adhere to any group that teaches a particular aspect or aspects of the Wisdom Traditions, such adherence is entirely separate from the work of E.A.D.M., which asserts that the passage of the hitherto secret teachings of the Wisdom Traditions into the public domain necessitates a new approach which is pursued separately from that of the initiatic societies. Likewise, although E.A.D.M. seeks to work in amity with all churches, it is important that it is understood that it is itself autocephalous in governance and organisationally autonomous of any other entity.

The Christian tradition

E.A.D.M. preserves the seven historic Christian sacraments, and affirms its identity as both Orthodox and Traditional Catholic in that it holds to the historic depositum fidei according to the Vincentian canon. As an essentially ante-Nicene body, it is heir to the oldest tradition of Christianity and to the united church as it was constituted before it became a dogmatic instrument of worldly power; the relationship of E.A.D.M. to the outer church of our time mirrors that of the first Christians to their outer church of Judaism.

The disciplina arcani of Christianity was the secret oral tradition maintained by the earliest Christians at the heart of their beliefs and practices. St Basil in “De Spiritu Sanctu” tells us “Of the dogmata and kerygmata, which are kept in the Church, we have some from the written teaching (εκ της εγγραφου διδασκαλιας), and some we derive from the Apostolic tradition, which had been handed down en mistirio (εν μυστηριω). And both have the same strength (την αυτην ισχυν) in the matters of piety. [...] They come from the silent and mystical tradition, from the unpublic and ineffable teaching.” The disciplina arcani emphasises that the nature of the Christian faith is expressed in the progress of the soul towards the inner Divine Mysteries, rather than in purely external or exoteric terms.

E.A.D.M. maintains that the official displeasure of the Roman Catholic Church, and the dominance of authoritarian conservatism within that body in the place of  a genuine adherence to the traditions of the Christian church, caused many of the inner teachings and philosophies to be driven underground, where they became the foundations of Freemasonry, Martinism and similar initiatic bodies. In this way, the concept of individual spiritual progress through personal initiation and directed study of the arcane mysteries was lost to the Church, and developments in recent decades have served to emphasise further the rejection by the contemporary Roman Catholic Church of this aspect of its heritage. Such a rejection provides an obvious reason for E.A.D.M.’s jurisdictional autonomy, at least for the foreseeable future; as the outcome of necessity, such autonomy does not derive from any desire for separation per se. It goes without saying that members of E.A.D.M. continue to regard themselves as faithful Catholics, rather than members of any kind of independent body, and assert their right to witness without compromise to the esoteric Catholic tradition as integral to the united Church and to God’s ongoing dialogue with mankind throughout the ages.

Our approach manifests itself less in terms of beliefs themselves than in terms of attitudes to those beliefs and to the experience of faith. We hold that all teachings are to be tested in the light of experience, with the full use of our spiritual and intellectual faculties, and without accusations of heterodoxy or heresy, holding such labels to be the preserve of the spiritually immature. There is no centrally-imposed distinction in E.A.D.M. between homologoumena, antilegomena and notha; only those distinctions which are part of the personal theology that all members are expected to evolve for themselves. We predicate this approach upon the fact that all are seekers, and while Christ is the Path, He speaks to each of us in a different and personal way. As might be expected, no pretence is made that all are capable or suited to following that Path: “Many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matt.22:14)

Ministry in the inner church

As an inner church, E.A.D.M. considers its work to be essentially private, mystic and contemplative. The overt aspects of its work are discussed in general terms on the mission page. The provision of public worship is thus an ancillary rather than a main aspect of E.A.D.M.’s activities. Where such public worship is offered, it is undertaken through a parish or mission of E.A.D.M., and a number of oratories and chapels are either associated with E.A.D.M. or kindly shared with us by the denominations and organizations that own them.

The principal relationship between E.A.D.M. and the outer church, which provides the context for public worship, has already been discussed. E.A.D.M. holds the historic Apostolic Succession from the Roman Catholic Church via the Catholic Apostolic Church of Brazil and its founder Archbishop Carlos Duarte Costa (1888-1961), who held episcopal office in the Roman Catholic Church until 1945, as well as through the Chaldean Catholic Church (Eastern Catholic) (which incidentally is the lineage from which the late Archbishop Thuc descended).

E.A.D.M.’s own internal work is inspired by the traditions of Esoteric Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism, Martinism, the Illuminati and other Arcane Schools, including the mystic work of Rudolf Steiner and to some extent the teachings of Richard, Duc de Palatine. This work, which is independent from all external bodies claiming these traditions, functions as an inner college of E.A.D.M., to which particular members may be admitted after being found suitable to pursue the paths concerned and after the completion of appropriate training and initiation.

“Secret churches, churches of the End of Time, placed in readiness for the days of the Last Judgement, the Gnostic Churches likely exemplify the words of the Apostle: “Those who are not my people I will call my people. Those who are not loved I will call my loved ones” [Romans 9:25] [Ecclesia Gnostica Apostolica]

E.A.D.M. is deliberately very small in numbers. Our work is demanding and relatively few people are called to express their vocations through the channels E.A.D.M. offers. In turn, we are very selective about who we accept. Our concern is that those who are accepted should be fully prepared and capable to discharge their spiritual responsibilities (including having completed an appropriately demanding level of education and training), and should have reached a high level of spiritual maturity. They must also be willing to live harmoniously within a church that, like others in the Liberal Catholic charism, is governed by the formal discipline of a system of Canon Law to which all clergy are subject.

Although a group such as E.A.D.M. can prompt the novice to proper exploration of the various paths and provide support, the essential work required to progress beyond a basic level of mastery of the inner traditions is personal to the individual, and must therefore be undertaken with the necessary self-discipline and clarity of vision to protect the soul from the negative consequences of encountering powerful spiritual forces for which they are unprepared.

It is open to clergy of E.A.D.M., should they wish and should they be approved to do so by the Council of Three, to conduct an outer church ministry to the public through the context of a properly-constituted autonomous mission under their own direction, and indeed E.A.D.M. can formally charter such missions once it is clear that they will command the necessary support. However, an outer church ministry is not required of clergy whose vocation is expressed in exclusively mystic or contemplative terms. It follows from this policy that affiliates of E.A.D.M. are also welcome to participate in the public worship of other Christian denominations, and to work pastorally in an interfaith context. Again this is entirely at their own discretion and subject to the canons of any other communion to which they are affiliated, as well as to E.A.D.M. approval in respect of any formal bivocational appointment.

The normative liturgy of E.A.D.M. is the Tridentine Rite,  which is most frequently celebrated in the vernacular version promulgated by the Liberal Catholic Church. Other liturgies in keeping with the Tridentine Rite are also authorised for use, including the +Nicholson Rite (Services of Love and Blessing), the Rite of the Pre-Nicene Catholic Church and the Sarum Rite.

E.A.D.M. recognises the very considerable historic links between its mission and Freemasonry, and admits Freemasons of all jurisdictions so long as they are also confirmed or chrismated Catholic Christians. Equally, those who are not Freemasons are also welcome to apply for affiliation. An esoteric association, S∴M∴G∴W∴B∴L∴, is maintained within E.A.D.M. itself for the purposes of ritual work; this also serves those for whom the Catholic faith is not compatible with association with external Masonic groups. In addition to this there are several esoteric orders within E.A.D.M. that serve specific traditions and teachings.

Although the clergy of E.A.D.M. is currently composed solely of men, the ordained ministry of women is recognized as integral to the traditions of the Christian Church from its earliest times and it is recognized that there is no doctrinal barrier to their admission to Holy Orders. Our mother church, the A.E.C., has admitted women to the Order of Deaconesses in the past, and a woman deacon served in E.A.D.M. until June 2011. In addition, some bishops of E.A.D.M. have participated in the past in the ordination of women for other communions. The Order of Corporate Reunion, meanwhile, has no tradition of ordaining women.

All E.A.D.M. clergy serve under canonical obedience, which for those in the major orders includes a minimum period of affiliation to the denomination before any request for excardination can be entertained. The Canons of E.A.D.M. are available on this website, as is information for prospective clergy. E.A.D.M. does not impose celibacy, vegetarianism or abstention from alcohol or tobacco upon its clergy.

Laypeople with an interest in supporting the work of E.A.D.M. are also very welcome to make contact. However, they are not admitted to formal membership in E.A.D.M., which status is  reserved to those who have been ordained in the Apostolic Succession or who have been accepted as seminarians in good standing pending such ordination. The laity are instead considered members of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church as a whole, and as such may affiliate with any communion preserving the Catholic and Orthodox faith in addition to supporting E.A.D.M.

Association with other communions

In addition to an open relationship with validly Apostolic manifestations of the One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church as a whole, E.A.D.M. also invites particular communities which have significant synergy with E.A.D.M.’s aims and objectives to enter into particular relationships of co-operation. Since its outset, E.A.D.M. has been blessed with the friendship and support of fellow denominations in the mystic tradition. There are particular links with the Apostolic Episcopal Church and Order of Corporate Reunion in New York, USA, and Archbishop Kersey serves as the British representative for both of these bodies. E.A.D.M. also continues the work of the Society for Humanistic Potential, a ministerial organisation concerned with educational and interfaith outreach that was founded in London in 1999 and is now part of E.A.D.M.

The Nicholson heritage

E.A.D.M. has specific responsibility for the perpetuation of the spiritual legacy of the late Archbishop Harold P. Nicholson (Mar Joannes I) (1905-68), Primate of the Ancient Catholic Church, and the Mass is offered by E.A.D.M. each year to mark the anniversary of his passing to spirit. To learn more of Archbishop Nicholson’s life and work, please see the monograph below:

>>Archbishop Harold Percival Nicholson: A Celebration, with extracts from his writings, by the Most Revd. John Kersey: part one; part two; part three (These are large pdf files: we suggest you right-click and save them to your computer. Part 2 contains the text of “Services of Love and Blessing”).

The three Religious Orders founded by Archbishop Nicholson were revived and granted new charters in 2008 by Archbishop Kersey, and each is affiliated to E.A.D.M. They are The Valiant Order of St John the Baptist, The Order of Ave Maria (see next section) and The Order of S. Teresa – The Little Flower (currently dormant).

>>The Nicholson Orders
>>Statutes of the Valiant Order of St. John the Baptist

E.A.D.M.-associated Missions, Orders and Sodalities

  • The Marian Orders (The Order of Ave Maria, The Guild of Healers of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and The Societas Sacerdotalis Mariae Vitae) are discussed on their own page.
  • The Mission Parish of the Divine Light in Québec, Canada, is an esoteric parish working in an interfaith context and led by Fr. François Lepine, who is simultaneously a priest in the Catholic heritage and a Buddhist Acharya (the equivalent of bishop).

E.A.D.M. has clergy based in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States at the present time.

The obligation of service

All initiatic traditions are by their nature elitist and exclusivist, but if that is their sole character, they are empty vessels indeed. Enlightenment through the Wisdom Teachings has as its aim is not the glorification of the individual but their engagement in service to humanity at large, whether through organisations, voluntary work or the ascetic path. This service is not necessarily publically visible, and is certainly not undertaken in the expectation of public acknowledgement, but represents the duty of leadership owed by those who are recipients of the gifts of the Divine towards others. The Gospel of Philip tells us:

“Faith receives, love gives. No one will be able to receive without faith. No one will be able to give without love. Because of this, in order that we may indeed receive, we believe, and in order that we may love, we give, since if one gives without love, he has no profit from what he has given. Spiritual love is wine and fragrance. All those who anoint themselves with it take pleasure in it. While those who are anointed are present, those nearby also profit from the fragrance. If those anointed with ointment withdraw from them and leave, then those not anointed, who merely stand nearby, still remain in their bad odour.” [1 Philip 4:8]