The Liberal Catholic Church. of Saint Albert. Welcome to. The Liberal Catholic Church. of St. Albertus Magnus H O M E

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1 H O M E Welcome to The Liberal Catholic Church of St. Albertus Magnus Valid Sacraments Apostolic Succession Authentic Mystical Practice Freedom of Conscience Beautiful, Ancient Liturgy in English A World-Wide Church The Church of St. Albert The Liberal Catholic Church Province of the U.S.A th Street Greeley, Colorado (970) NOTE: The web has many sites with clergy and groups claiming to be "Liberal Catholic." The Presiding Bishop of the authentic and original Liberal Catholic Church is the Rt. Rev. Graham Wale. In the United States, the Regionary Bishop of the authentic and original Liberal Catholic Church is the Rt. Rev. William Downey. In the United States, only the following Churches and their associated Clergy are part of the authentic and original Liberal Catholic Church: Church of Our Lady and All Angels Ojai, California Church of St. Alban North Hollywood, California Church of St. Francis Chicago, Illinois Church of St. Albert Greeley, Colorado Mission of St. Bonaventure Colorado Spring, Colorado Church of Our Lady Queen of Angels Rio Rancho, New Mexico Nuestra Senora de Los Angeles Hialeah, Florida Church of St. Gabriel and All Angels Fairfield, Iowa Church of St. John of the Cross New Orleans, Louisiana Church of St. Michael the Protector Mountainair, New Mexico Bishop Lloyd Worley

2 S E R V I C E S every Sunday and Thursday Sundays at 10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist (the Mass ) Ray Rosary (First Sunday of the Month) Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. Solemn Benediction 1st Thursday of the month. Healing 2nd Thursday of each month Study Lecture, communion with reserved sacraments all other Thursdays All Are Welcome!

3 W H E R E W E A R E The Church of St. Albert The Liberal Catholic Church Province of the U.S.A th Street Greeley, Colorado 80631

4 O U R H I S T O R Y Beginnings of The Liberal Catholic Church In the mid- to late-nineteenth century, the Dutch Roman Catholic Church, disagreeing with the doctrine of Papal infallibility and viewing the Vatican as having broken with ancient tradition, severed all relations with Rome and established itself as The Old Catholic Church of Holland. The See of the Dutch Old Catholics was, and still is, at Utrecht. Having success in growth, the Old Catholics consecrated as Bishop an Englishman, Arnold Harris Matthews, for the purpose of going to London to establish the Old Catholic Church in Britain. Arriving in England in 1900, Bishop Matthews set to work, and, with the substantial aid of Fr. James Ingall Wedgwood, the Old Catholics were established. In 1915, Bishop Matthews retired, and Fr. Wedgwood was consecrated as Bishop to head the Old Catholic Church of Britain. Soon, the British Old Catholics, under the leadership of Bishop Wedgwood, had restored many of the original teachings of the ancient Christian Church as found in the writings of the Alexandrian Fathers such as Origen and St. Augustine, including the concept of freedom of thought and belief. However, while recognizing the validity of its Orders and Sacraments, the Utrecht Old Catholics did not hold to these original, ancient teachings and requested that the British Old Catholic Church change its name. This request was honored and, in 1916, by vote of its Episcopal Synod, the Old Catholic Church of Britain officially became The Liberal Catholic Church, which name the Church holds to this day. The Liberal Catholic Church in America In the early 1920s, Irving S. Cooper was consecrated as Regionary Bishop for the United States, and Parishes of the Church were established by Bishop Cooper throughout the nation. Today, The Liberal Catholic Church is represented by Parishes from coast to coast. The current Regionary Bishop is the Rt. Rev. William Downey. Headquarters of the American Church is in Ojai, California where the Provincial Cathedral and several buildings are located. The official name of the American branch of the authentic and original Church is The Liberal Catholic Church, Province of the U.S.A. The Liberal Catholic Church in Greeley, Colorado Like St. Paul of the New Testament, Priests of The Liberal Catholic Church are worker Priests, meaning that each has a secular job while also serving, without pay, as a clergyman. The Bishops are also worker Bishops although many are retired. St. Paul earned his living as a tent maker, and Priests of The LCC (as the Church is often called) earn their livings in various occupations, both blue collar and white collar. (St. Paul would today be considered a blue collar worker.) Fr. Lloyd Worley is a university professor in his secular occupation. In 1987, when he accepted a position in the Department of English at the University of Northern Colorado, one of his priorities was to establish a Parish of The LCC in Greeley, just as he had established Parishes in Illinois and Pennsylvania. Thus, the first Service (Prime) of The LCC was held in Greeley in September, 1987, and the first member of the Greeley Church was baptized in May of were originally held in a small chapel attached to Fr. Worley s home, but the growth of the Church required a move in August of 1989 to a location on 7th Avenue. In November of 2005 the Church purchased a church building at th Street and remodeled to suit the needs of the Catholic ritual. It was Consecrated in the fall of The Name of the Greeley Church Albertus Magnus (Latin for Albert the Great) was a medieval scholar and Saint whose interests were in alchemy and other aspects of esoteric knowledge. He was chosen as the Patron Saint of the Greeley Church because of his erudition in and promotion of mystical and esoteric subjects. St. Albert is also the Patron Saint of education.

5 L I B E R A L V S R O M A N Introduction When first hearing about The Liberal Catholic Church, a person s immediate reaction often is What s the difference between The Liberal Catholic Church and the Roman Catholic Church? To provide information about the major differences between these two Catholic bodies, this list is provided. Information about The Liberal Catholic Church is taken from The Statement of Principles and Summary of Doctrine of The Liberal Catholic Church (St. Alban Press, 1980). Information about the Roman Catholic Church is taken from The New Catholic Encyclopedia. Liberal Catholic Roman Catholic 1. Complete freedom of belief 1.Belief controlled by the Magisterium 2. Teaches universalism as established by Origen and other ancient Church theologians 2. Teaches one life, followed by either eternal bliss for the saved and eternal damnation for others 3. Encourages mystical experience 3. Discourages mystical experience 4. Ancient form of the sacraments, in the language of the people and with traditional vestments 5. Open Communion all those who desire to receive the Body and Blood of the Lord are welcome 6. Reproductive rights controlled by individuals involved 7. Divorced members welcome to Sacraments 4. Sacraments and vestments modernized in Closed Communion only Roman Catholics are welcome 6. Reproductive rights controlled by the Magisterium 7. Divorced members forbidden to receive Sacraments 8. Ritual actions seen as Yoga of the West, bringing participants to divine consciousness 9. Liturgy sounds note of joy at majesty of God; terms of self-abegnation and denigration removed 10. Teaches that, as a spark of God, man s essential nature is divine 8. Ritual actions seen as historical and changable according to modern trends 9. Liturgy emphasizes majesty of God, but equally emphasizes man s unworthiness 10. Rejects the concept of man s inner divinity 11. General Confession and Absolution, given during Liturgy, deemed proper and sufficient; private Confession and Absolution optional 12. Investigation into man s latent inner powers welcome 13. Clergy, including Deacons, Priests, and Bishops are worker clergy holding secular jobs; they receive no remuneration of any kind from the Church 14. Holds vast store of esoteric knowledge which is freely given to those who have ears to hear 11. Regular private Confession and Absolution required 12. Investigation into man s latent inner powers not permitted 13. All Clergy, including Deacons, Priests, and Bishops, are supported by the Church and its congregations 14. Esoteric knowledge rejected 15. Clergy may marry 15. Clergy can not marry 16. Parish property controlled by elected Vestry of Church Parishioners 17. Governing body of Church is Episcopal Synod which elects it own Presiding Bishop 16. Parish property controlled by Clergy 17. Governance by Pope and delegate bodies The above are not the only differences, of course, but limited space prevents listing them all. Some Similarities Despite differences, there are some similarities between The Liberal Catholic Church and the Roman Catholic Church. Liberal Catholic Roman Catholic 1. Holds Apostolic Succession 1. Holds Apostolic Succession 2. Has valid Sacraments 2. Has valid Sacraments 3. Has maintained ancient Holy Orders of Bishop, Priest, and Deacon, including all Minor Orders 4. Believes in the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist 5. Shows great reverence toward the Blessed Sacrament 6. Has special devotion to Mary, including special Yoga form of Rosary 3. Has maintained ancient Holy Orders of Bishop, Priest, and Deacon (but in 1962 rejected the Minor Orders) 4. Believes in the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist 5. Shows great reverence toward the Blessed Sacrament 6. Has special devotion to Mary, including various monastic forms of Rosary 7. Since 1916, has promoted ecumenism 7. Since 1962, has promoted ecumenism

6 Q U E S T I O N S The Liberal Catholic Church? I ve never heard of it. That s because no one has told you about it or because you haven t read about it somewhere. No one can learn without being taught. In fact, tens of thousands of persons have heard about The Liberal Catholic Church because they are members, and thousands more know about us because they have read about us somewhere. Our St. Alban s Press publishes many books, and we are listed in The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Christian Church, The New Catholic Encyclopedia, The Encyclopedia Britannica and many other reference works. Our Church is active in thirty countries throughout the world. In America, our Parishes are located from coast to coast. Our membership is smaller than other Christian Churches, and we Liberal Catholics tend to remain quiet. Traditionally, we do not proselytize. Aren t liberal and catholic a contradiction of terms? No, of course not. We use the term liberal in the same sense that the word is used in the phrase liberal arts, meaning that which makes you free. The term catholic means universal. We use the term catholic (a) to mean the all-inclusive Church of Christ, and (b) to indicate that we maintain the original, ancient form of the Christian Church. What s the difference between you and the regular Catholic Church? Well, we are the regular Catholic Church, or, rather, a branch of it. Probably you have the idea that the Roman Catholic Church is the regular Catholic Church, but there are some thirty branches of the Catholic Church, of which the Roman branch is the largest and best-known. But there are major differences between the Liberal and Roman Catholic Churches: first, we teach and practice complete freedom of conscience; second, we emphasize the mystical life. Of course, there are many other differences, but these are the main ones. Does that mean that you can believe anything you want and that your church doesn t have any teachings? It s not that people believe anything they want, but that people are trying to understand spiritual matters. Our Church does not wish to put people in the hypocritical situation of pretending to believe the official dogma of their churches while privately believing differently. Instead, we wish to provide a spiritual foundation for those who are seeking answers. Furthermore, The Liberal Catholic Church has a full complement of teachings which it has inherited from the ancient Christian mystics and gnostics. However, we are not dogmatic: we do not insist that our Members must believe these teachings. We have a saying: A truth is not a truth for a person, until that person sees it to be true for him/herself. Do you take orders from the Pope? No. The Liberal Catholic Church is not connected with or affiliated in any way with the Roman Catholic Church or the Vatican. The Liberal Catholic Church has its own Synod of Bishops which elects one of its members as Presiding Bishop for a certain time period, after which a new Presiding Bishop is elected. Each country (Province) also has a Provincial Bishop. Are divorced persons excommunicated? No. The Liberal Catholic Church has no excommunication procedure, nor does it believe that divorced persons should be excommunicated. Do you allow birth control? The Liberal Catholic Church believes and practices complete freedom of conscience. The LCC has taken no official position on birth control. What about hell? This Church does not believe in hell or eternal damnation, nor did the original, mystical Christians who believed in life as a theatre of development, a process sometimes known as reincarnation. Isn t reincarnation some kind of weird Hindu idea? Hardly. The concept of reincarnation is the world s most widely-held religious belief. Indeed, a Gallup Poll taken in 1985 showed that a majority of Americans either believe in reincarnation or believe in its possibility! Further, reincarnation was taught by early Christian theologians such as Origen, St. Clement, and even St. Augustine. There are even reincarnationist references in the Old and New Testaments (see Reincarnation: Fact or Fallacy? by Fr. Geoffrey Hodson). What are your church services like? The Rites of the Church are in the language of the people. Our, which are very traditional in form, language, and music and resemble pre-vatican II Roman Catholic, sound the note of joy at God s Holy Presence. Dreary cries of mercy and self-abegnation are never heard in The LCC. Are your teachings Biblical? Definitely. All of our teachings are to be found in the Old and New Testaments, as well as in the so-called Apocrypha. By the way, the Apocrypha was accepted and used by Jesus Christ Himself, as well as the Apostles and the early Christians. If your Bible doesn t have the Apocrypha, you have an incomplete Bible. Additionally, we also have kept as a sacred treasure the oral tradition passed on by Christ to his Apostles for forty days after the Resurrection. Following ancient practice, these teachings are given orally ( mouth to ear ) in our study groups. Why are your Priests married? Not all of our Priests are married, the matter of clerical celibacy being optional in our Church. But the fact is that the Apostles were married, so the Sacrament of Marriage is left to the discretion of the individual. How does the Church support itself? Like other Churches, The Liberal Catholic Church is supported by its Parishioners through donations and fund-raising events. The Clergy of The LCC, like St. Paul, are worker-priests. This means that our Clergy receive no salary or other remuneration for their service; rather, each man, whether he be Deacon, Priest, or Bishop, holds a secular job in addition to his clerical duties. Do you have women priests? No. Following the example set by Jesus Himself, and having an understanding of the esoteric and mystical principles involved in Ordination, we have no women in Orders. We do have the ancient Office of Deaconess, and there are many women of The LCC who are Deaconesses and who are actively involved in the sacred Work of the Deaconess. Additionally, other women of the Church find many Paths of Service within The LCC, including serving on Vestry Boards and our corporation boards. In our experience, those who complain most about our not having women in Holy Orders are those who are not members of The LCC and who have no intention of ever being members. I m interested in your Church, but I had a bad experience with religion once... You probably had a bad meal once, too, but you didn t stop eating. You probably had a bad night s sleep once, but you didn t stop sleeping. And perhaps you once owned a car that was a lemon, but you didn t stop buying cars except for that brand. Perhaps now is the time to try a different brand of religion, an authentic, ancient, esoteric and initiatic religion The Liberal Catholic Church.

7 A R E Y O U A L I B E R A L Do you believe one or more of these statements? Are you a Lib God s love is what matters in life. There are secret teachings freely given to those who are ready to receive them. Mature people should be free from religious dogma and oppression. The sermon shouldn t always be about money. A loving God doesn t permit a hell. Divorced persons have suffered enough pain without being rejected by religion. No human being is infallible. Reproductive rights are the responsibility of the individuals involved. Reincarnation is the way things work in this universe. There is a spark of God in each living thing, including people. It isn t Christ s death only, but His whole Life and Living that shows the Way. The Bible contains secret teachings which can only be understood by the Initiated. Great Masters (Saints) exist to help all mankind develop a mystical realization of God. God is active in other religions. The Power and secret teachings of Christ have been handed down through the ages and exist today. The Bible is a handbook to higher consciousness. Authentic Christianity confers actual power on its adherents. The Sacraments of the Church embody and give mystical and spiritual power to those who participate. If you believe even a few of these statements, then your spiritual home is in The Liberal Catholic Church! The Natural Breath There s a saying, It s as natural as breathing. We all know how important breathing is, and we ve all experienced the abject misery of an illness which blocks our ability to take a deep, natural breath. When this happens, we eagerly look forward to the day when we are cured and can breathe easily again. Your Natural Right So, it is a human right to seek a natural life of freedom and growth, yet there are untold numbers of people who suffer from spiritual misery because they are in a spiritual system that blocks their ability to take a deep, spiritual breath. Perhaps their religion controls them by preaching about hell, or perhaps their religion pretends to be the one true religion. It may be that their religion rejects and denies to their members the right to investigate various pathways to the spiritual life. A Terrible Loss Most religions in the United States have no knowledge or understanding about the mystical life, don t foster or encourage spiritual experience (promoting, instead, emotional outbursts, and claiming these to be spiritual ), and utterly reject Christ s spiritual power arrangement called the Sacraments. A Church of Freedom and Spiritual Growth But The Liberal Catholic Church has, from its beginning in 1916, held to the truth of complete freedom of belief and the truth that the Divine Power of the Sacraments was given by Christ. The LCC (as it is often called), through its publications, has once again restored and revealed authentic Christian teachings which promote the mystical experience. Further, The LCC has a valid Apostolic Succession which it carefully guards and preserves so that its Sacraments are maintained in their plenitude. Indeed, Dr. Iain Ramsey, the Anglican Bishop of Durham, during the World Eucharistic Congress in 1976, reported that The LCC has the most beautiful Liturgy in the English language. Escaping to Freedom So, why not be free? Why be of two minds, as St. Paul writes, believing in the mystical life, yet staying outside a Church that encourages and supports the mystical life? Or, if you currently belong to no church, yet still believe in the mystical side of living, why not come to the very Source of that mystical life? You are invited to escape untruth, ignorance, and oppression, and to come into the real world of wisdom, spiritual freedom, and Divine Love as found in The Liberal Catholic Church. Your Invitation Don t wait! You can enter into a full spiritual life and experience. You can have spiritual freedom and truth, and you can breathe easily again. You can publicly practice what you privately believe. You can become a Liberal Catholic. How to Be a Liberal Catholic If you believe in freedom of conscience and belief and in in the spiritual life that leads (quoting St. Paul) to the fulness of the stature of Christ, you are already a Liberal Catholic in your heart! To become a Liberal Catholic in your life, you should ask any Liberal Catholic for a membership application. Fill out the application, then give it to the Parish Priest. He will explain to you how you will first be a Catechumen, then how you will be Initiated into the ancient Christian Mysteries, and he will explain the spiritual effects those ancient Rites will have in your life.

8 O U R C L E R G Y Fr. Brian Satterlee, ordained as Priest in 1990 by Regionary Bishop Lawrence Smith, served as Clergy-in-Charge to a Parish in Pennsylvania before coming to Colorado. Fr. Satterlee is now Rector of St. Albert s Parish. He is a Member of the Board of Trustees of the American Province, Member of the American Clerical Synod, and serves as President of the Rogers Coopers Foundation. In his secular occupation, Fr. Satterlee is formerly a professional photographer and photo lab manager and is now employed at the General Distribution Center of Wal-Mart. Fr. Satterlee is married to Erin Satterlee, a life-long member of The Liberal Catholic Church. They have a son Michael. Erin also has many years of service to The Church and is the Music Director for St. Albert s. She teaches at the University of Northern Colorado. BP. Lloyd Worley was ordained as Priest in 1977 in Illinois by Bishop Raja Watson. On May 15, 2005 he was Consecrated Auxillary Bishop for the Province of America by Rt. Rev. William S.H. Downey. In his secular occupation, Fr. Worley holds the PhD in English from Southern Illinois University and has been a professor at various universities. He is former Chair of the Department and Full Professor of English at the University of Northern Colorado from which he holds awards in teaching and scholarship. He is listed in Who s Who in American Education and in the standard reference works, Who s Who in America and Who s Who in the West. BP. Worley is Vicar General of the American Province. He is married to Maydean and has two children. Maydean holds her degree is psychology and is a retired Weld County Social Legal Technician.

9 W H A T R O M E T H I N K S A Statement from the Vatican About The Orders and Sacraments of the Liberal Catholic Church (Reprinted from Ubiqe: the Official Journal of The Liberal Catholic Church, Province of the U.S.A., Winter, 1976, p. 17. A Belgian member of The Liberal Catholic Church, having been jailed for a few months, the Roman Catholic prison chaplain was interested in that new Church he had never heard of, and he wrote asking for information to the Cardinal-Archbishop of Mechlin. The Cardinal then asked the Roman Congregation of Rites An Ecclesiae Libero-Catholcae validi sunt titus et ordines? [Whether the Sacraments and Orders of the Liberal Catholic church are valid?] On March 12, 1931, the answer came: Affirmative. [Yes.] The Holy Congregation further on recommended that members of the so-called Liberal Catholic body should be treated according to the special instructions of Pople Leo XIII to Cardinal Lavigerie, regarding the Eastern Schismatics. Now, these were the instructions sent in 1882 by the Pope s order, to Cardinal Lavigeri, Archbishop of Carthago, by the Special Congregation of the Propaganda for the Oriental Rites: With regard to the Eastern Schismatic Christians. Your Eminence should impress upon his Clergy the fact that their foremost two feelings must be: love for the individuals and respect for their rites. For the Schismatic Christians are our brethren, baptized with us in the blood of Jesus Christ. We, therefore, must ever have for the Bowels of compassion, as the Blessed Apostle Paul puts it, and always be ready to show them our loving-kindness...let your Clergy therefore never despise or slight their ways and uses, their language, or their Liturgy, which Holy Church approves of as being quite just and rightful. (Mgr. Baunard Le Cardinal Lavigerie, Paris, 1896, Vol. 1. p. 86; Vol. II, p. 98.)

10 T H E R A Y R O S A R Y An Esoteric Christian Yoga Enlightenment Method The Rosary is generally associated with the tradition of Roman Catholic Christianity, but because the rosary method is excellent for the development of the spiritual life, there are rosary practices in two other of the world s great religions, Hinduism and Buddhism. The Rosary is, in fact, valuable esoteric spiritual development method a method which places in the hand of the Rosarian (the Rosary user) a process of receiving angelic aid and a process for attunement to the Seven Rays. (Our Lady s Rosary Of The Seven Rays) is a prayer and meditation method which safely raises the human consciousness, which quickens the devotional powers of the heart chakra, and which can be used on behalf of those who need help. is the esoteric practice used with what is known as the Franciscan Crown Rosary, sometimes also called the Rosary of the Seven Joys of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Franciscan Rosary is NOT the same as the better-known Dominican Rosary which has five decades (set of ten beads). The Dominican Rosary has fifteen mysteries; to say them all, the Rosarian must go round the five decades three times. However, the Rosary of the Seven Rays or Ray Rosary has seven decades, each one corresponding to the Seven Joys of Mary; in turn, each Joy corresponds to one of the Seven Rays which flows through the ray crosses and ray candles in the Liturgy of The Liberal Catholic Church. These correspondences make the Ray Rosary perfect for use by esoteric Christians who have an occult understanding of the inner laws of the Cosmos. Where did the Rosary of the Seven Rays come from? According to the famous Roman Catholic Franciscan historian, Fr. Luke Wadding, our Heavenly Mother, the Holy Lady Mary, appeared to a young novice of the Franciscan Order in 1422 and gave this lad specific instructions on which of the Joyous Mysteries were most important to Her. After She instructed the novice in how to say this Rosary, Mary vanished, and the novice began immediately to say the new Rosary. (NOTE: The Ave Maria of the Ray Rosary is the original form given by Mary in her 1422 appearance Hail Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. Amen. ) As he did so, his superior in the monastery (who was a natural clairvoyant) was passing by and was astonished to observe an angel weaving a "wreath of roses." These the angel placed on the head of the novice when the Rosary was finished. (The angel was probably manipulating the energies of the novice s crown chakra, which the monastery superior interpreted to resemble a wreath of roses.) When the novice explained to his astonished superior what had happened, the superior made it known to the brothers of the monastery, and the Franciscan Crown became established. For esoteric use, remember that the Franciscan Crown Rosary is re-named as 0ur Lady s Rosary of the Seven Rays as being a more accurate description of what it does. This name has then been shortened to Ray Rosary. is a spiritual process which can be considered in three aspects: (1) as a mantra meditation practice; (2) as Bhakti Yoga; and (3) as a true Magical process. To order: Send a check for the appropriate amount to the address below. Within Continental United States Cost: U.S. $ Price includes shipping - THE FAMILY OF OUR LADY S ROSARY OF THE SEVEN RAYS The Church us Magnus th Street Greeley, Colorado U.S.A.

11 Media E V E N T S Published on You Tube on December 1, 2013 by Casey Mcconnell: In the fields of Greeley, Colorado a scarecrow, hanging limply upon a piece of wood is not an altogether uncommon sight. While it is an image generally associated with farming and the agricultural community, Father Brian Satterlee of the Liberal Catholic Church in Greely, sees it as a metaphor not only for himself, but for all those humbly following in the path of Christ, who, like the scarecrow hung humbly on a piece of wood himself, set out to be ridiculed, disregarded and overlooked and yet who revolutionized the world, changing forever the significance of sacrifice. Click the link below to see the video: Are you a Lib

12 R E S O U R C E S More information can be found on our international website at: Thelcc.org Are you a Lib