Welcome to The Society of Traditional Old Catholics
Discover a faith rooted in ancient tradition and unwavering devotion. We invite you to explore our history, beliefs, and the vibrant community that upholds the sacred teachings of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Faith.
Our roots in sacred tradition
The Society of Traditional Old Catholics has its roots in the Church of Utrecht, which was granted autonomy from Rome to elect bishops and control its own internal affairs. In 1910, our founder Archbishop Arnold Harris Mathew established The Old Catholic Church in Great Britain. We are a fraternal membership of Old Catholic Bishops and Priests, and other Clergy, dedicated to remaining faithful to the Sacred Tradition of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Faith of the first millennium.
Our enduring faith
Those who hold the faith of the Catholic Church before the Great Schism of 1054, that is, with nothing added to, and nothing taken away from, are by definition, Old Catholic. We believe in the foundational principles defined by the early Church Fathers: ‘Moreover, in the Catholic Church itself, all possible care must be taken, that we hold that faith which has been believed everywhere, always and by everyone’ (St. Vincent of Lerin circa 434).
Living the old catholic way
The fidelity to Sacred Tradition, which Archbishop Mathew espoused when he established the Old Catholic Church in Britain in 1908, and more essentially in his Declaration of Autonomy and Independence of 1910, for 'the antiquity and universality of the Catholic Faith against all profane novelties and heresies' since the Schism of 1054, is the beating heart of the Society of Traditional Old Catholics. We invite you to learn more about our practices and community.