Sacramental Whine: Recent Episodes
David Oliver Kling
Sacramental Whine an Independent Sacramental Movement Podcast is about the "Independent Sacramental Movement," which is a branch within Christianity rooted in the Catholic and Eastern/Oriental Orthodox branches of the Mystical Body of Christ.
The host of the show is David Oliver Kling, a bishop within the Community of Saint George, a jurisdiction within the Young Rite (Youngriteusa.org). +Oliver is a graduate of Wright State University with a BA in Philosophy and a BA in Religious Studies, a Master of Divinity with a specialization in Black Church and African Diaspora Studies, and 4 units of clinical pastoral education from St. Mary's Medical Center in Huntington, WV. +Oliver works as a hospice chaplain in Northeast Ohio.
Welcome to Episode 115! In this episode I interviewed Robert Ponsford.
Robert Ponsford is an Independent Episcopal Bishop with the Anglican Protestant Church which is the Anglican Ordinance of the United Episcopal Catholic Communion and a part of the Episcopal Free Communion.
Links:
Sacramental Whine: Chronicling the Independent Sacramental Movement, Vol. 1.
Sacramental Whine: Chronicling the Independent Sacramental Movement, Vol. 2.
Sacramental Whine: Chronicling the Independent Sacramental Movement, Vol. 3.
This podcast is hosted by Bishop David Oliver Kling, and produced, in part, by the Ancient Apostolic Church of Alexandria.
Welcome to episode 114, in this episode I have the honor of speaking with Bishop Joel Dooley.
Bishop Joel is the Primate of the Old Catholic Spirit Filled Church World Wide. His passion for the Gospel and the Sacramental understanding is evident, as he talks with people of different faiths and backgrounds about the love of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. His ministry has encouraged many to continue their calling/and or a greater understanding of the independent Catholic movement. While heading up a staff of churches and ministries. He celebrates Mass twice a week at St. Zachariah's Chapel with the congregation, connects with people on the streets, and dialogues amongst the Islamic community. With his background of Palliative Care, Travel in missions, Bible teaching, worship, and ministry for twenty years. Bishop Joel opens up about the exciting ways and openings of the Liberal Catholic Movement where he lives in Vancouver, Canada, and in our world today.
Links:
Sacramental Whine: Chronicling the Independent Sacramental Movement: Volume One, Volume Two, & Volume Three!
This podcast is hosted by Bishop David Oliver Kling, and is sponsored, in part, by the Ancient Apostolic Church of Alexandria.
Welcome to episode 113, in this episode I have the honor of interviewing Brother Merrick Moses.
Brother Merrick Moses is an ordained Old Catholic Benedictine priest and monk, writer, community activist, and preacher living in Baltimore, MD. This native New Yorker is a graduate of Morgan State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and a minor in Spanish language. He has completed the Education for Ministry program from the University of the South at Sewanee in Tennessee. Ordained to the order of deacons in 2004, priesthood in 2008, and professed life vows in 2021, Brother Merrick was one of the first Black Transmen ordained within the Old Catholic Movement in Baltimore, MD. He is currently serving as the board president of the Pride Center of Maryland, the third oldest Pride Center in the nation. He is the first transsexual man to serve as board president in the 45-year history of the Center.
Links:
Sacramental Whine: Chronicling the Independent Sacramental Movement Vol. One.
Sacramental Whine: Chronicling the Independent Sacramental Movement Vol. Two.
Sacramental Whine: Chronicling the Independent Sacramental Movement Vol. Three.
The Church Cracked Open: Disruption, Decline, and New Hope for Beloved Community by Stephanie Spellers.
The Dream of God: A Call to Return by Verna Dozier.
This podcast is hosted by Bishop David Oliver Kling and produced, in part, by the Ancient Apostolic Church of Alexandria.
Welcome to episode 112! In this episode I explore the mysticism of Howard Thurman and the pragmatism of Martin Luther King, Jr. In seminary I (David Oliver Kling) specialized in Black Church and African Diaspora Studies and the theology of Thurman and King were the focus of my research. I believe the Independent Sacramental Movement can learn a lot from Thurman and King.
Links:
Sacramental Whine: Chronicling the Independent Sacramental Movement Volume One.
Sacramental Whine: Chronicling the Independent Sacramental Movement Volume Two.
Sacramental Whine: Chronicling the Independent Sacramental Movement Volume Three.
This podcast is hosted by Bishop David Oliver Kling and is produced, in part, by the Ancient Apostolic Church of Alexandria.
Welcome to episode 111, in this episode I have the honor of interviewing Bishop Shaun McCann, also known as Patriarch Iohannes IV of the Apostolic Johannite Church.
Originally consecrated on December 22nd, 2002 as Bishop of Alberta, Iohannes IV was shortly thereafter elevated to Patriarch and Primate of the Apostolic Johannite Church and has served faithfully in that role since July 23rd, 2003.
Since that time, Iohannes IV has led the Church through almost two decades of growth and development including expanding the Johannite Church to numerous centres across several countries, writing the All Saints Accord, establishing St. Raphael the Archangel Theological Seminary, redesigning the Priesthood Formation Program, producing a new edition of the Sacramentary, overseeing the translation and publication of the Levitikon: The Gospels according to the Primitive Church, as well as initiating and establishing the Church’s online educational media. He has also directed the formation of numerous clerics and lay leaders, and presided over almost two decades of Conclaves, the annual gathering of Johannites from around the world.
He is a dedicated student of the Western Mystery Tradition, having been recognized as a Master of the Temple in the Ordo Sacrae Flammae and served previously as Grand Master of the Friary. He is also an Initiate and Chevalier in several Knights Templar and Chivalric lineages, as well as a Martinist Free Initiator, Chevalier Bienfaisant de la Cité Sainte, Elus Coen, Master Mason, and a member of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids in the Druid Grade.
In addition to these undertakings, Iohannes IV is also an avid reader of history, and enjoys writing and playing music on several instruments when time allows.
Links:
Sacramental Whine: Chronicling the Independent Sacramental Movement, Volume One.
Sacramental Whine: Chronicling the Independent Sacramental Movement, Volume Two.
Sacramental Whine: Chronicling the Independent Sacramental Movement, Volume Three.
This podcast is hosted by Bishop David Oliver Kling, a presiding bishop of the Ancient Apostolic Church of Alexandria.
Welcome to episode 110, in this episode I welcome back Bishop Gregory Godsey. He is the presiding bishop of the Old Catholic Churches International and a friend. In this episode we talk about the Synod on Synodality and a recent post on social media of interest to those within the Independent Sacramental Movement.
Links:
Sacramental Whine: Chronicling the Independent Sacramental Movement Volume One.
Sacramental Whine: Chronicling the Independent Sacramental Movement Volume Two.
Sacramental Whine: Chronicling the Independent Sacramental Movement Volume Three.
What is the Synod on Synodality?
Issue with the Open Letter, National Catholic Reporter.
New Catholic Community.
This podcast is hosted by Bishop David Oliver Kling, one of three presiding bishops within the Ancient Apostolic Church of Alexandria.
Welcome to episode 109. In this episode I present a sermon I preached titled, "An Introduction to the 4th Way." Before the sermon I talk about ordination and consecration from an essay I had written back in 2004 and after the sermon I have some final thoughts.
Links:
Sacramental Whine: Chronicling the Independent Sacramental Movement Vol. 1!
Sacramental Whine: Chronicling the Independent Sacramental Movement Vol. 2!
This podcast is hosted by Bishop David Oliver Kling under the auspicies of the Ancient Apostolic Church of Alexandria.
Welcome to episode 108, in this episode I have the honor of interviewing the Reverend Shawn Sanford Beck.
The Rev. Shawn Sanford Beck is an ecumenical Christian priest in the Anglican tradition, and a member of the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids. He is the author of Christian Animism, and the founder of the Ecumenical Companions of Sophia, an informal online community fostering Christian-Pagan dialogue and spiritual practice. He lives with his family on an off-the-grid farm community in north-western Saskatchewan, where he is chaplain to the human and more-than-human wights of the community. When not writing sermons, chopping wood, or practicing magic, Shawn can be counted on to have his nose buried in a book.
Links:
Sacramental Whine: Chronicling the Independent Sacramental Movement, Vol. 1.
Sacramental Whine: Chronicling the Independent Sacramental Movement, Vol. 2.
This podcast is hosted by Bishop David Oliver Kling, and produced by the Ancient Apostolic Church of Alexandria.
Welcome to episode 107, in this episode I welcome back Bishop Tom Bryant. He was first on the podcast back in episode 97. Bishop Tom is a bishop within the Independent Old Catholic Church, a parish pastor, and an educator. It is great to have him back.
Links:
Sacramental Whine: Chronicling the Independent Sacramental Movement Vol. One.
Sacramental Whine: Chronicling the Independent Sacramental Movement Vol. Two.
This podcast is hosted by Bishop David Oliver Kling.
Welcome to episode 106! In this episode, I welcome back Father Timothy Olivieri. I first had Father Tim on the podcast back in episode 47 when he was a postulant with the Community of Saint George. Then he was on episode 58 when he was a subdeacon, and again in episode 84. Father Tim was ordained to the priesthood in October 2021 and it is an honor to have him back.
Links:
Sacramental Whine: Chronicling the Independent Sacramental Movement Vol. 1.
Sacramental Whine: Chronicling the Independent Sacramental Movement Vol. 2.
This podcast is hosted by Bishop David Oliver Kling and produced by the Community of Saint George(Young Rite).
Welcome to Episode 105, in this episode I have the honor of welcoming back the Very Reverend Doctor Peter-Michael Preble, a priest with the Independent Old Catholic Church and a true renaissance man.
Monsignor Preble was initially interviewed in episode 96 and it is an honor to have him back.
Links:
Sacramental Whine: Chronicling the Independent Sacramental Movement Vol. 1.
Sacramental Whine: Chronicling the Independent Sacramental Movement Vol. 2.
Extraordinary Catholics Podcast.
This podcast is hosted by Bishop David Oliver Kling and produced by the Community of Saint George.
Welcome to episode 104, in this episode I have the honor of interviewing Bishop Linda Rounds-Nichols.
Although not recognized as such at the time, Linda’s first call to the ministry may have been when she wasn’t yet a teenager. Since no one saw that situation as a call, she followed another dream and became an educator: first a teacher, then a counselor, then a central office administrator, and finally a principal. She also served as an adjunct instructor in higher education, so throughout her career, her students ranged from pre-school to post-grads.
As her tenure in education was ending, that call to the ministry returned, in invitations to study programs, questions from church people, and finally during one of the times she held the chalice while assisting with communion. She noticed, fought the call, then followed.
Bishop Linda is now the director of Public Relations and Communications with the Catholic Apostolic Church of Antioch, dean emerita of Sophia Divinity School and church historian.
Links:
Sacramental Whine: Chronicling the Independent Sacramental Movement Vol. 1.
Sacramental Whine: Chronicling the Independent Sacramental Movement Vol. 2.
This podcast is hosted by Bishop David Oliver Kling, and produced by the Community of Saint George.
Welcome to episode 103, in this episode I have the honor of interviewing Bishop Rick Saint.
Originally from the southern United States, Bishop Rick Saint is currently based in Thailand. The son of a protestant pastor, he grew up in church. Feeling a call to ministry as a teen, he attended Southeastern University for his undergraduate degree before pursuing a Master’s of Church Ministries from Assemblies of God Theological Seminary. While doing his studies, Bishop Rick served on the ministry team of Carpenter’s Home, a 10,000-seat church located in Lakeland, Florida. He hosted a 6-hour inspirational radio program, “The Rick Saint Show” each Sunday on church’s radio station, as well as 15-minute and 30-minute daily spots teaching on the Jewish roots of Christianity.
During this time, he felt God calling him into the historic churches and began to pursue holy orders with the Old Catholic Church of North America. While continuing at Carpenter’s Home, he also served as a deacon on the altar of the Pro-Cathedral of Jesus of Nazareth, part of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (Philippine Independent Church) in Tampa, Florida.
After completing a Master’s of Divinity from St. Michael’s College, Bishop Rick was ordained a priest in 2004. As a bi-vocational priest, he pioneered St. Thomas More Old Catholic Mission which quickly grew from 3 to 25 adult members plus children while he also taught public school. Unable to find Old Catholic catechism materials for his parish, he published A Short Catechism of the Old Catholic Church. During this time, Bishop Rick was the featured speaker at conferences in various churches teaching on the Jewish roots of Christianity and the arts in worship, as well as training clergy and lay leaders in the areas of healing and deliverance.
In 2007, Bishop Rick took a position as the Director of Continuing Education at Walters State Community College in Tennessee and turned the pastorate of St. Thomas More over to one of the clergies he had trained. After 2 years at Walters State, he resigned and relocated to Asia, where he has worked in international education as a teacher, head of school, and academic officer in Korea, Thailand, Cambodia, and Myanmar. While he was in Asia, the Old Catholic Church of North America reorganized as the Old Catholic Communion of North America, leaving him without a spiritual “home.”
Although he worked with different churches over the years, as these countries are primarily Buddhist, Bishop Rick found there were very few open and affirming churches in Asia and only one church that was part of the Independent Sacramental Movement in any of the countries in which he lived. Bishop Rick began Resurrection Fellowship in Thailand, which he currently pastors. As people were coming to (then Father) Rick to be confirmed, there was a demand for episcopal oversight. In searching for such, Bishop Rick developed a fraternal relationship with Bishop Regen Luna of the Philippines, who was seeking to develop an independent sacramental jurisdiction in Asia. Out of their friendship/cooperation, Christ Communion was born, and they elevated Bishop Rick to the episcopacy to do the work of a missionary bishop in Thailand. Only a year old, Christ Communion already has parishes and ministries growing in the Philippines, Thailand, Korea, and the United States.
Focusing on the overwhelming grace of God, Bishop Rick continues to preach and teach “how Jesus of Nazareth, anointed by the Holy Spirit, went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil.”
Links:
Sacramental Whine: Chronicling the Independent Sacramental Movement, Vol. 1
Sacramental Whine: Chronicling the Independent Sacramental Movement, Vol. 2
This podcast is hosted by Bishop David Oliver Kling, and produced by the Community of Saint George (the Young Rite).
Welcome to episode 102, in this episode I have the honor of interviewing Bishop Pamela Joy Giese.
Please consider supporting this podcast by purchasing the books based upon it. The books are titled “Sacramental Whine: Chronicling the Independent Sacramental Movement Volume 1 and Volume 2.” You can find them on Amazon and the easiest way to location them is to search my name, David Oliver Kling and they should show up. Please consider purchasing these books and help support this podcast.
Bishop Pamela Joy Giese has a lifelong interest in the esoteric, having had her first mystical experience at age 5.
She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and a Master of Sacred Science from the International College of Esoteric Studies in Barbados.
She was ordained a priest in the Eglise Gnostique Catholique Apostolique in 2001 and later consecrated a bishop in 2010.
She is an active member of the Theosophical Society and a founding member of the Arnica Collective and the Treasury of Light, a Gnostic Church in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, in England.
For the past 40+ years, she continues to be employed as a scientific computer programmer to fund her book habit.
This podcast is hosted by Bishop David Oliver Kling, and produced by The Community of Saint George, a Young Rite Jurisdiction.
In this episode, I have the honor of interviewing the Reverend Mark Townsend. He is the author of several books including “Jesus through Pagan Eyes,” and “Diary of a Heretic.”
Mark was ordained in The Church of England in 1996. However, in July 2010 he decided to resign his Anglican orders and move over to an Independent Sacramental Church. It was a huge decision for Mark, but he feels more able to be a good friend of the Church of England on the outside than an unhappy Cleric within.
Mark has been an Independent Priest since June 2011. His ‘Parish’ has no geographical boundaries, leaving him free to offer his services and ceremonies to all.
As an Independent Priest and member of the Progressive Christian Alliance (PCA), Mark is able to express his open vision of Christian Priesthood in a fully sacramental way.
Mark is also a professional Celebrant and a member of the Association of Independent Celebrants.
One of the greatest blessings of the last few years is Mark’s discovery of the earth-based path of Druidry, which he sees as totally compatible with Christianity. Most modern Druids see their path not so much as a religion but more as a philosophy, which means that there are many who follow the Druid ways and yet remain Christian, Jewish, Buddhist or even Atheist.
As a Christian member of The Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids (OBOD) he weaves many of the beautiful customs and rituals of this essentially British nature tradition into his ceremonies and services. In doing so he walks in the footsteps of saints like Francis of Assisi who was a deeply earth based pilgrim and who sang canticles to brother sun, sister moon and mother earth.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
Sacramental Whine: Chronicling the Independent Sacramental Movement Vol. 1.
Sacramental Whine: Chronicling the Independent Sacramental Movement Vol. 2.
This podcast is hosted by Bishop David Oliver Kling and produced by the Community of Saint George (a Young Rite jurisdiction).
Welcome to episode 100, the countdown to 100 is complete! I am delighted to have as my guest Edward Jarvis.
Edward Jarvis (born in Yorkshire, England, 1975) is the author of several books including Carlos Duarte Costa: Testament of a Socialist Bishop and Sede Vacante: The Life and Legacy of Archbishop Thuc. Edward has a mixed ancestry which includes Slovenian, Irish, and French (Huguenot). Not initially academically-minded, he did a wide variety of jobs before leaning towards education and social work.
Volunteering at a church-run rehab center in Italy led to a casual suggestion of enrolling on a theology course. Edward attributes now his particular interests within theology and religious studies to three factors: a non-religious upbringing, empathy for all things marginal and misunderstood, and the inspiring individuals and unusual experiences his life has been blessed with.
Edward’s studies (first in Italy, then in England and Brazil) coincided with his growing interest (and just a little involvement) in the ISM and the Independent Catholic world. Noticing significant gaps in the literature on these topics and the unreliability of many online sources, Edward began to nourish the idea of contributing to the published scholarship. His fourth book, The Anglican Church in Burma, is about to be published by Penn State University Press, though this one will be his first book on a non-ISM topic.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
Sacramental Whine: Chronicling the ISM, Vol. 1.
Sacramental Whine: Chronicling the ISM, Vol. 2.
This podcast is hosted by Bishop David Oliver Kling and produced by the Community of Saint George (a Young Rite jurisdiction).
Welcome to episode 99, the countdown to episode 100 continues! In this episode I have the honor of interviewing Bishop Theodore Feldmann!
Bishop Theodore Feldmann is a retired professional pastoral musician and serves the Ordinariate of Divine Providence in the Ascension Alliance. He teaches courses in the Ascension Theological College: New Cosmology; Introduction to Liturgy; Sacraments of the Church and Liturgy Practice in which students are assigned the task of writing and presiding at their own liturgy.
Theodore's life-long call to ordination convinced him that he needed to seek a different approach to ordination than that offered by the mainline denominations. After several frustrating attempts to be ordained in various jurisdictions, one of those students recommended the Catholic Apostolic Church of Antioch. Archbishop Richard Gundrey of the Church of Antioch, responded enthusiastically and was organized and supportive.
After earning an M. Div. from Sophia Divinity School, he was incardinated as a deacon in 2005, and ordained to the priesthood in Baltimore, MD, in 2007. Concurrently with his work in the Roman Catholic Church he founded of the Beloved Disciple Church of Antioch in Baltimore, an urban contemplative community and was pastor until his retirement when he and his spouse moved to New Orleans. He was consecrated a bishop in the Independent Sacramental Movement in 2017.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
Sacramental Whine: Chronicling the ISM, Vol 1.
Sacramental Whine: Chronicling the ISM, Vol 2.
This podcast is hosted by Bishop David Oliver Kling and produced by The Community of Saint George (a Young Rite jurisdiction).
Welcome to episode 98, the count-down to episode 100 continues! In this episode, I have the honor of interviewing Father Andrew Miller.
Andrew Miller is an ordained priest in the Celtic-Rite Old Catholic Church
He came to organized religion as a teenager when he converted to Mormonism at age 16 where he discovered a love for Theology. While Studying Theology and philosophy in college, he felt himself called to a more orthodox expression of Christianity. For a time, he became an Evangelical Protestant and began seminary in 2009, attending Lexington Theological Seminary in Kentucky with the goal of becoming a Minister in the Christian Church - Disciples of Christ. It was at this time that he felt himself called to a more sacramental and traditional expression of the Christian faith and so became a Greek Orthodox Catechumen.
He eventually decided not to be baptized in the Greek Orthodox Church as he was told that he could not receive Holy Communion unless his wife consented to allow his marriage to be blessed in the Orthodox Church, which she was not willing to do. It was at this point that he became Old Catholic, receiving Baptism and Confirmation in the Ecumenical Catholic Church - USA. He received a call to ordained priesthood because of a mystical experience at a time of deep depression and returned to Seminary, first at St. Paul School of Theology in Kansas City, and finally at Graceland University’s Community of Christ Seminary from which I finally graduated with a Master of Arts in 2017. He joined the Celtic-Rite Old Catholic Church because of a long-time personal relationship with then Presiding Bishop Thomas McKenna but has also served in the United States Old Catholic Church and is in formation with the interjurisdictional Society of Christ the King. He is an Associate of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, and a practitioner of Vincentian Spirituality.
He was ordained to the Priesthood of the Celtic-Rite Old Catholic Church in 2014 while serving as a Chaplain Resident at KU Hospital. He spent two years in Clinical Pastoral Education at KU Hospital, both in Residency and in Fellowship.
Andrew enjoys stories, particularly movies and television and much of his writing has been about the theological implications of fictional stories, particularly movies and television. Through his love of the cinema, he came to know Rev. Michelle Byerly of the United Methodist Church with whom he went to seminary at St. Paul’s in Kansas City Missouri. The two remained close friends and together started and co-host the Podcast “A Pastor and a Priest Walk into a Movie Theater.”
Together with Rev. Byerly, he is one of the four founders of “New Faith New Media” which is a Progressive inter-religious Podcast Platform, currently hosting two Podcasts: “A Pastor and a Priest Walk into a Movie Theater” and “Faith and What Resonates,” with a third in development.
Currently, besides co-hosting his and Rev. Michelle’s podcast, he serves on the Core Team of Christ the King Independent Catholic Church in Kansas City, Missouri, is a Volunteer Prison Minister with the Bethany Catholic Callout Group at Lansing Correctional Facility in Lansing, KS. He is also actively involved in Politics according to his understanding of Social Justice, having served as a Precinct Committee Chair for the Leavenworth County Democratic Party and as a Volunteer Election Researcher with the Democratic Socialists of America.
He has been married for 13 years and has a seven-year-old daughter named Scarlett.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
The ISM Database.
Book: Sacramental Whine: Chronicling the Independent Sacramental Movement Vol. 1.
Book: Sacramental Whine: Chronicling the Independent Sacramental Movement Vol. 2.
This podcast is hosted by Bishop David Oliver Kling and produced by The Community of Saint George (a Young Rite jurisdiction).
Welcome to episode 97, the countdown to episode 100 continues, and in this episode, I have the honor of interviewing Bishop Tom Bryant.
Of all the titles that clergy can use, Tom Bryant loves “Pastor” the most. It combines the role of shepherding and loving a particular people with the function of leading through Word and Sacrament. Bishop Bryant was Ordained in 1986. He has served as a church planter, a senior pastor, a professor, and a vice-president of a multi-million dollar mission’s agency. He was Consecrated a Bishop in 2019 and sees his role as serving the Church through caring for those called to Holy Orders.
Bishop Bryant loves the Independent Old Catholic Church and is ruthlessly committed to teaching, promoting, and celebrating the “old paths” that Jeremiah described (Jer.6.16) as the best means for 'Holding to the Faith once delivered.” (Jude 3).
Tom attended Liberty University, Concordia Theological Seminary, the University of Virginia, Bethany Theological Seminary, and Agape Seminary, terminating with two earned Doctorates in historical theology and Sacred Dogmatic studies. Postdoctoral studies include a Diploma in Forestry from the North American School of Conservation and a Diploma from Radford University in Non-Profit Leadership.
Tom is married to his partner in life, Sherry, and have five wonderful children and seven grandchildren between them.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
Independent Sacramental Movement Database.
Sacramental Whine: Chronicling the Independent Sacramental Movement Vol. 1
This podcast is hosted by Bishop David Oliver Kling and produced by the Community of Saint George (a Young Rite jurisdiction).
Welcome to episode 96, the countdown to episode 100 continues! In this episode, I have the honor of interviewing the Very Reverend Doctor Peter-Michael Preble.
Monsignor Preble received an Associates's and bachelor’s degree from Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, Massachusetts. He received his seminary training at the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree, with a concentration in Pastoral Psychology from the American International University in Indiana. Monsignor Preble holds several certifications in trauma and stress including being a Diplomat with the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress.
Monsignor Preble was ordained Deacon and Priest in 2004 in the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese in the Americas and for 12 years served a Romanian Orthodox Parish in Southbridge, Massachusetts. In 2016 he was granted Ordained Ministerial Standing by the Pilgrim Association of the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ. In 2019 he was incardinated priest into the Independent Old Catholic Church by Bishop Thomas Bryant and in 2020 was elevated to Monsignor with the rank of Protonotary Apostolic and created Vicar Forane of New England in the Diocese of the Eastern United States of the Independent Old Catholic Church.
Monsignor Preble is a Hospice Chaplain with the Brockton Visiting Nurses Association. He is a Military Chaplain with the Massachusetts Organized Militia, Fire Department Chaplain with the Quincy Massachusetts Fire Department, the Deputy Chief Chaplain with the Massachusetts Corps of Fire Chaplains, and National Chaplain for the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. Monsignor Preble has served parishes in the Romanian Orthodox Church as well as 3 parishes as interim minister in the United Church of Christ.
Monsignor Preble is Married to Nicolette and has a daughter Oonagh. Monsignor Preble and his wife Nicky are living historians reenacting life in 18th and 19th century New England.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
Would you like to support this podcast? Please consider purchasing a copy of the book, Sacramental Whine: Chronicling the Independent Sacramental Movement Volume One. A book showcasing some of the many interviews from this podcast. It is available on Amazon for $14.99.
This podcast is hosted by Bishop David Oliver Kling and produced by the Community of Saint George (a Young Rite jurisdiction).
Welcome to episode 95, the countdown to episode 100 is on! Can you believe we are only 5 episodes away from 100!
In this episode, I will be talking about the Convergence Movement and have as my guests Father Kevin Daugherty and Father Michaelangelo D’Arrigo.
The Reverend Father Kevin Daugherty is a priest and an Elder and Secretary-Treasurer within the Convergent Christian Communion.
The Reverend Canon Michaelangelo D'Arrigo is a Priest and an Elder in the Convergent Christian Communion, and Canon to their Presiding Bishop.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
Resources on the Convergent Movement.
Recommended Books on the Convergent Movement:
"Great Emergence: How Christianity is Changing and Why," by Phyllis Tickle.
"Becoming Orthodox: A Journey to the Ancient Christian Faith," by Peter Gillquist.
"Evangelical, Sacramental, and Pentecostal: Why the Church should be all three," by Gordon T. Smith.
"Evangelicals on the Canterbury Trail: Why Evangelicals are Attracted to the Liturgical Church," by Robert Webber.
This podcast is hosted by Bishop David Oliver Kling and produced by the Community of Saint George (a Young Rite jurisdiction).
Welcome to Episode 94, in this episode I have the honor of interviewing Deacon Christopher Maximus.
Deacon Christopher Maximus – essential grocery worker by day, former Boy Scout, semi-retired Drag Queen, grateful alcoholic, human rights activist, seminarian, and Deacon.
As a teenager, Christopher found God’s grace and love in his local Eastern Orthodox Church after an invitation to attend from his high school best friend. Eventually, he was baptized and chrismated in the Antiochian Orthodox Church. This is the time when he first felt a monastic and clerical calling.
After being shunned by the local Orthodox parish for his sexuality he took a 10-year break from organized religion. After seeking substance abuse treatment, Christopher became involved with a local Episcopal parish because of their inclusiveness. He was received into the Anglican Communion at Saint Mark's Cathedral in Seattle, WA. During a moment of private prayer at his then parish, he vowed to God that if the compulsion to drink was eliminated, he would dedicate his life to the service of the Church. He became very involved in his parish. Christopher and his husband, both became habited Religious Brothers with a dispersed Franciscan Order inside of the Anglican Communion.
In his discernment for theological education, Christopher discovered the rich history of the Old Catholic and Independent Sacramental Movements and was directed toward an autonomous Eastern Orthodox jurisdiction by a friend. In the fall of 2018, he and his husband were received into the autonomous Eastern Orthodox jurisdiction, and after some time of independent training with an Orthodox hierarch, he was ordained to the Holy Diaconate on the Feast of Saint Patrick, The Enlightener of Ireland, in Toledo, OH.
In the winter of 2020, Deacon Christopher, his husband, and their two fur-children packed up and moved across the country from their home in Seattle, Washington to Toledo, Ohio in pursuit of theological education. At the beginning of summer 2020, Deacon Christopher began his first year of theological seminary formation with Saint Symeon the New Theologian House of Studies through the Community of Saint George.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is hosted by Bishop David Oliver Kling and produced by the Community of Saint George (a Young Rite jurisdiction).
Welcome to Episode 93, in this episode I have the honor of welcoming back Acolyte Kathleen Ostlie. She was initially a guest on the podcast a little over a year ago and it is great to have her back.
Kathleen Ostlie, is in minor orders as an acolyte in the Apostolic Johannite Church; she has a love for writing, studying philosophy, and connecting with all sorts of people. She is passionate about bringing diverse groups of people together for respectful discourse and finding connections. She is a believer in truth in an increasingly relativist world, but a Christian mystic open to heart-centered ideas. While she has been published in compilation books and magazines, she is currently working on her first solo book to include wisdom sayings, poetry, and essays relevant to the journey of the seeker, and hopes to inspire others on their journey.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is hosted by Bishop David Oliver Kling and produced by The Community of Saint George (a Young Rite jurisdiction).
Welcome to Episode 92, in this episode I welcome back Father Kevin Daugherty. I’ve had Father Kevin on the podcast before, but since it has been a while let me introduce him again.
Fr. Kevin Daugherty is a priest and a New Monastic, from Lincoln, Pennsylvania. Fr. Kevin is an Elder and Secretary-Treasurer within the Convergent Christian Communion, co-founder, and Abbot of Kindling Fire: A New Monastic Order, and incoming Curate (Assistant Pastor) for Solomon's Porch in Phoenix, Arizona.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is hosted by Bishop David Oliver Kling and produced by the Community of Saint George (the Young Rite).
Welcome to Episode 91, in this episode I have the honor of interviewing Chaplain Robert Caruso.
Chaplain Robert W. Caruso is a native of Chicago, Illinois. Chaplain Caruso earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hamline University, St. Paul, Minnesota with a double major in Philosophy and Legal Studies. He went on and earned a Master of Divinity with an emphasis in clinical counseling degree as well as a Master of Arts in Theology and World Religions from United Theological Seminary in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Chaplain Caruso is an ordained priest (15 Years) and is ecclesiastically endorsed by the Old Catholic Church. He worked in many Old Catholic parish communities as a pastor/priest and as a prison chaplain in the Michigan Department of Corrections before entering the Army. He is currently in his second year completing a Doctor of Ministry hybrid program in military chaplaincy from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C.
Chaplain Caruso entered the U.S. Army as a First Lieutenant in August 2012, at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. He was assigned to the 615th Aviation Support Battalion in Fort Hood, Texas. On May 1, 2013, he was moved to serve in Kuwait. Further, he has served as chaplain for the 509th Infantry Battalion (Airborne) in Alaska, from August 2016-2019. He is currently serving as the Deputy Brigade Chaplain for 5th Recruiting Brigade at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas (JBSA).
Chaplain Caruso is the author of the 2009 book, “The Old Catholic Church: Understanding the Origin, Essence, and Theology of a Church that is Unknown and Misunderstood by Many in North America.”
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is hosted by Bishop David Oliver Kling and produced by The Community of Saint George (a Young Rite jurisdiction).
Welcome to episode 89. In this episode, I have the honor of interviewing Father Shaun Ake-Little.
Father Shaun was recently ordained to the priesthood this past June within the Progressive Catholic Church by Bishop Joseph Ciccone. He was informally in formation with another jurisdiction for about 8 years before attending seminary at Ascension Theological College. While in formation, he served on his parish board of directors and served as president of the school board and as director of religious education. For his day job, he teaches 7th-grade geography and moderates the school's history club. In addition to being ordained in June, Father Shaun and his husband Ethan and moved into a new home right outside of Philadelphia where they reside with their new puppy Daisy and two cats Grayson and JoJo.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is hosted by Bishop David Oliver Kling and is produced by the Community of Saint George (a Young Rite jurisdiction).
Welcome to episode 89, in this episode I have the honor of interviewing Archbishop Jason Sanderson.
Bishop Jason was born in Vermont, and from the age of 18 was involved with the Independent Catholic/Orthodox movement, first being part of an Old Calendar Greek Orthodox monastery, before being transferred to a bishop in the American Orthodox Church. He took a hiatus from active ministry in 1993 and returned to it by joining the Liberal Catholic Church International in 2000, being received as a deacon. He was ordained to the priesthood in 2002, consecrated bishop in 2006, and elected Presiding Archbishop in 2012, serving one term.
During his episcopacy, he oversaw the development of several missions and projects in Africa, and a review of the liturgy to be gender inclusive.
He is retired to northern New Hampshire, where he focuses his efforts on personal ministry and chaplaincy, and is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in psychology to help develop a program to minister to those suffering from PTSD.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is hosted by Bishop David Oliver Kling and is produced by The Community of Saint George (a Young Rite jurisdiction).
Welcome to Episode 88, in this episode I have the honor of interviewing Father William Eddy.
Father William was ordained a priest in October of 2018 within the Ascension Alliance, and he has lived an eclectic spiritual life. At eight he challenged his Sunday school teacher. He had intuitively known that what was being told to him was not the truth. In his early teens, he read J. Krishnamurti, “on Education and the Significance of Life.” This was his first intellectual exposure to the concepts of enlightenment and the limitations of individuality. This affected him.
He learned about Transcendental Meditation in 1972 and has greatly benefited from it. He learned the advanced program and moved to Fairfield, Iowa. The home of the Transcendental M movement. He started doing copious amounts of meditation in various modalities; however, his heart was getting restless. He had a lot of experience of spirit and consciousness, but his heart was not fulfilled. He started exploring other avenues of spiritual progress. He explored several things including the local Liberal Catholic Church parish.
In December of 2012, he became aware of a calling to become a priest after growing in the Liberal Catholic Church over the years. While he was supported there, he had an epiphany that lead him to Spiritus Christi a nearby parish within the Ascension Alliance.
Spiritus Christi is a very open and welcoming community. There are many similarities to the Liberal Catholic Church but more inclusive. There are women priests and gay clergy. It is theologically diverse and allows for individual growth.
Father William has done several things in his 71 years of life and I am happy to have him on the podcast.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is hosted by Bishop David Oliver Kling and produced by the Community of Saint George (a Young Rite jurisdiction).
Welcome to episode 87, in this episode I have the honor of interviewing seminarian Laura Hayes Marsh.
Laura Hayes Marsh is currently a Seminarian with Ascension Alliance at Ascension Theological College. She has worn many hats in life such as mother, divorcée, and widow. Her previous educational pursuits include an associate degree in Chemistry and a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with a minor in Psychology. She’s a Sagittarius who likes to sing and bake. She currently works as a paraprofessional in a self-contained elementary classroom for students with Autism (ABLE) and works on weekends and holidays as a Pharmacy Technician. In the past, her occupations have included classroom teacher, state environmental investigator, and owner of a home bakery called, “Going Bananas.”
Her spiritual formation began in the United Methodist Church; however, the Episcopal Church offered a part-time job in the late 1990s, after which the liturgy spoke to Laura’s soul, and she became a member of an Episcopal parish. After Confirmation, God nudged her to do more than just singing in the Chancel Choir, and in 2015, she served as a Lector, a Eucharistic Minister, and as a Lay Eucharistic Visitor in the Episcopal Church. Serving in various church ministries led her to community service as an on-call Justice Court Chaplain and participation in the Behavioral Health and Suicide Prevention Taskforce. In 2017, a pilgrimage to the Holy Land opened her heart and mind, and she acknowledged a call to the Priesthood. She began discerning a vocation in the Episcopal church and working with a Spiritual Director. During the process of discernment, an unfulfilled need was discovered. Finding a Spiritual Director who was a better fit led her to pursue a Master of Divinity with Ascension Alliance. Her ministry goal is in Healthcare Chaplaincy.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is hosted by Bishop David Oliver Kling and produced by The Community of Saint George (a Young Rite jurisdiction).
Welcome to episode 86! In this episode, I have the honor of interviewing the Most Reverend Cathy Chalmers.
Bishop Cathy is a bishop in the Ascension Alliance/Community of Ascensionists, and a Board Certified Chaplain (BCC) under the auspices of the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC/BCCI). She works full time as a professional healthcare chaplain (both hospice and hospital chaplaincy), currently with the inpatient Palliative Care consult service at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, Washington, and serves as Director of Chaplaincy for the Ascension Alliance. Bishop Cathy also serves as a member of the Interfaith clergy staff at Unity in Lynnwood, Washington, in liturgical and teaching roles. She holds Master of Divinity degrees from Vanderbilt Divinity School (with Honors) and the Ascension Alliance's seminary, Ascension Theological College, where she now serves as faculty. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from Florida State University and a Diploma in Professional Music from Berklee College of Music in Boston (summa cum laude). Prior to entering the ministry, Cathy had a lengthy career as a professional scientist and has also worked in the music industry professionally as a performing and recording musician. She has spent time over many years as a volunteer political activist for the LGBTQ community.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is hosted by Bishop David Oliver Kling and is produced by the Community of Saint George (a Young Rite jurisdiction).
Welcome to Episode 85, in this episode I have the honor of interviewing the Right Reverend Bishop, Friar James Michael St. George, also known as Father or Friar Jim.
Friar Jim, serves as a Bishop within the Old Catholic Churches International and is the Bishop of the Diocese of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (which includes Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and part of New York) and serves as Pastor of Saint Miriam Pro-Cathedral Parish, and is a professed Franciscan.
He was born and raised in Erie, Pennsylvania and graduated from college and became a licensed Funeral Director and returned to help run the family funeral home before going back to college to attend formal seminary in Washington, DC. In addition to his prior funeral and business professional experience, his career has allowed him to serve as a youth pastor, nursing home and hospice chaplain, and as a Certified Trauma Chaplain focusing primarily on trauma and triage emergency services. Friar Jim served as a Trauma/Triage Chaplain at Lehigh Valley Hospital, a nationally recognized trauma and medical center in Allentown for over six years.
In addition to his serving as Pastor at Saint Miriam Parish, Friar Jim is an Adjunct Professor and Instructor at two Philadelphia area universities teaching in the areas of Ethics, World Religions, Philosophy, Introduction to the Bible, Religion, and Culture, Catholic Theology and Urban Studies and Justice. Friar Jim serves now, or has previously served, on the Adjunct Staff for Community College of Philadelphia, Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, University of Phoenix, and has lectured at The University of Pennsylvania and various churches and inter-faith groups in the Philadelphia region.
Friar Jim is an alum of Gannon University, Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science, Howard University, Howard University School of Divinity, and completed additional course study and received certifications at Virginia Theological Seminary, Catholic University, St. Louis University, Canterbury Cathedral International Studies Centre, the Benedictine Abbaye Notre-Dame du Bec in Normandy France, Sibley Hospital in Washington, DC, Lehigh Valley Hospital, Allentown, PA, and Albert Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, with a Residency in Clinical Pastoral Education.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is hosted by Bishop David Oliver Kling and is produced by the Community of Saint George (a Young Rite jurisdiction).
Welcome to Episode 84, in this episode I have the pleasure of welcoming back the Reverend Subdeacon Tim Olivieri. I initially interviewed Tim in episode 47 and had him back in episode 58.
We talk about Institution Building, nonprofit status, 501c3, and the offering of ecclesiastical degrees.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is hosted by Bishop David Oliver Kling and produced by the Community of Saint George (a Young Rite jurisdiction).
Welcome to episode 83, In this episode, I have the honor of interviewing Deacon Taylor Tracy.
He is a deacon within the Progressive Catholic Church and, after years of formation with many unexpected and exciting turns, he is slated to be ordained to the priesthood on Saturday, February 13, 2021.
Deacon Taylor’s love for ministry began at an early age when he began to sing in his church choir at the age of ten. By the time he was twelve, he was composing and conducting ensembles in his community, and by thirteen, he was hired as a church music director. Since that time fourteen years later, he has served as the director of music at churches ranging in size from 60 to 600. In addition to music ministry, he served as the director of divine worship and community at St. Paul University Parish, where weekly attendance grew from 600 to 2,000. His time at St. Paul's was a turning point; he got to see what "healthy" ministry really looks like; he led a staff of twelve and learned far more from them than they probably did from him. He continued his journey by serving as the executive director of a non-profit which served students in some of Wichita's most impoverished neighborhoods. He then moved to Kansas City with his fiancé, where he served in two United Methodist churches as director of music and youth and as the church administrator in another parish simultaneously.
He is currently on the Board of Directors for the North Kansas City Symphony Orchestra and has previously served with the National Association of Pastoral Musicians' local chapter. He is also the founding artistic conductor of the sixty-voice chorus, United in Voice, a group composed of nine denominations and counting with an emphasis on celebrating traditional sacred music.
In addition to countless hours of church leadership and formation seminars, Deacon Taylor has studied at Wichita State University in music education, at Newman University in theology and philosophy, The Liturgical Institute, and the Sancta Sophia Academy for Clergy Formation in the Progressive Catholic Church, under the direction and mentorship of Bishops Robert Chung and Dr. Marc Morales Del Castillo.
Deacon Taylor Tracy is the founding pastor and lead planter for Christ the King Church in Kansas City, Missouri, an independent and affirming Catholic community. He is currently completing an 11-month planting process and will launch on Sunday, February 14, 2021, the day after his planned ordination to the priesthood.
His primary vocational interests include; church planting, parish ministry, church health, and evangelism.
Links:
- Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
- Practical Church Planting Podcast.
- Canva.
- Book: "No Silver Bullets: Five Small Shifts that will Transform your Ministry," by Daniel Im.
This podcast is hosted by Bishop David Oliver Kling and produced by the Community of Saint George (a Young Rite jurisdiction).
Welcome to episode 82!
In this episode, I discuss the life and legacy of Archbishop Arnold Harris Mathew, a Grandfather of the Independent Sacramental Movement.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is hosted by David Oliver Kling and is produced by the Community of Saint George (a Young Rite jurisdiction).
Welcome to episode 81! In this episode, I have the honor of interviewing Deacon Mir Plemmons.
Chaplain Mir Plemmons is a brand-new Deacon in the Ecumenical Catholic Communion and a Novice of the Order of Ecumenical Franciscans. He has been a Franciscan for 28 years and has served as a chaplain for 34 years.
He and his wife live almost far enough from Seattle to enjoy the natural terrain Washington has to offer, and he teaches high school special education. He does disaster mental health as a Field Traumatologist. He has extensively taught socio-emotional skills. He is a writer and an editor and serves and advocates for Intersex, QUILTBAG+, and Science Fiction & Fantasy Fandom. He volunteers extensively in multiple organizations including, but not limited to, the Society for Creative Anachronism, Civil Air Patrol, and Okanogan Fire Protection District 12.
He tries hard to pay attention to his wife’s reminders to get enough self-care and rest to at least not be a bad example…
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
The Royal Manticoran Navy: The Official Honor Harrington Fan Association.
The Society for Creative Anachronism.
STARFLEET International.
Our Lady of Fatima Chapel (Richmond, VA).
This podcast is hosted by Bishop David Oliver Kling and produced by The Community of Saint George - a Young Rite jurisdiction.
Welcome to Episode 80! Hard to believe we have been around for 80 episodes. I’m excited to be interviewing The Reverend Canon Michaelangelo D’Arrigo.
The Reverend Canon Michaelangelo D'Arrigo lives in the Metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia, area with his wife, Claudia, a Therapeutic Massage Therapist, son, D'Mitri, a high schooler, two doggies, and a cat. Before ordination, he worked as a professional musician, and as a substance abuse counselor
He was ordained to the Anglican Priesthood in 2006 and spent two years in parish ministry, specializing in Pastoral Counseling and Liturgical Writing. He then worked as a missionary to the homeless community in the Little Five Points neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia, for three years.
After his mission work ended, Michaelangelo spent the next two years working with non-denominational churches in the Metropolitan Atlanta area, specializing in Pastoral Counseling, and Music Ministry.
In 2012, after a brief stint back in a parish setting, the Holy Spirit led him to start Metanoia Ministries. This church was established to serve everyone; gay, straight, trans, disenfranchised, seekers, those abused by other churches, and everyone in between. His mission continues to be to spread the Good News to all. To counsel as needed, to teach, to provide folks the tools they need to work through their salvation.
Metanoia later transformed into what is now Agape Fellowship of Greater Atlanta. They are exploring what it means to be the church in our ever-evolving cultural landscape.
Michaelangelo is an Elder/Priest in the Convergent Christian Communion, and Canon to their Presiding Bishop.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is hosted by David Oliver Kling and produced by The Community of Saint George, a Young Rite jurisdiction.
Welcome to episode 79, in this episode I have the honor of interviewing Father Joseph Grieboski. His bio is long, but I didn’t know what to cut out so want to share it all with you. I think you will find his story fascinating.
Joseph K. Grieboski is a social entrepreneur whose innovative ideas have revolutionized thinking across a number of fields.
In 1999 – at the age of 24 – Grieboski founded THE INSTITUTE on Religion and Public Policy, a well-respected and world-renowned non-governmental organization at the forefront of religious freedom advocacy. Many years and several Nobel Peace Prize nominations later, Grieboski has become an internationally recognized expert in religious freedom, national security, counter-extremism, human rights, and conflict transformation. As a matter of fact, in a letter to Grieboski in 2005, His Majesty, King Mohammed VI, of Morocco referred to Grieboski’s work as the “foundation of a new civilization”.
His extensive travels to over 140 countries in every corner of the map have allowed Grieboski to meet, interact with, and befriend leaders of business and industry, government, entertainment, advocacy, and other arenas, giving him one of Washington’s best and most sought-after rolodexes.
From confidence-building programs in Darfur to post-conflict reconstruction in Kosovo, from track-three diplomacy efforts in North Korea and Iran to minority protection and reintegration in Iraq and Afghanistan, from authoring countless laws for numerous countries to securing the successful release of hostages and prisoners, Grieboski has been at the forefront of some of most crucial and sensitive issues in the world.
Grieboski is a Senior Fellow with The Dietrich Bonhoeffer Institute and was one of three finalists for United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief and nominee for United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants and Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, demonstrating global recognition of his expertise on international human rights and security issues. Chairman of the Board of International Center on Religion and Justice, he also serves as Chairman of the Board of International Campaign for the Rohingya; Member of the Board of Directors of Interfaith Alliance; Member of the Board of Trustees of the International Foundation for Tolerance; Member of the Board of Directors of The Working Group on Children Recruited by Terrorist and Violent Extremist Groups; Member of the Board of Advisors of Rumi Forum; Strategic US Advisor to the Directorate, Faith and Globalization Program, Durham University, United Kingdom; Secretary-General, Interparliamentary Conference on Human Rights and Religious Freedom; Member of the Board of Honor, Planète Citoyenne; Member of the Board of Advisors, Arakhan Rohingya Union; Member of the Board of Advisors, Military Religious Freedom Foundation; Member of the Board of Advisors, Anti-Predator Project; Member of the Expert Advisory Group on "Promoting and Protecting the Universal Right to Freedom of Religion or Belief through Law: Current Dilemmas and Lessons Learned”, International Development Law Organization.
The author of over 50 articles and two recognized publications with Palgrave Macmillan and Oakton, Grieboski served as a columnist for The Huffington Post and a foreign news editor and contributor for The Cutting Edge News. His book, Because I Believe: Inspiring Stories from People Who Are Changing the World, is due out in 2021.
Former Chair of the US State Department Strategic Dialogue with Civil Society Working Group on Religion and Foreign Policy Subgroup on International Development and Humanitarian Assistance under Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Grieboski has also worked inc lose partnership with the Foreign Office of the United Kingdom, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the European Parliament, the Holy See, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, The Opposition with Jordan Klepper, and many other national and international entities. As a religious freedom, human rights, and international policy expert, Grieboski has testified before the United States Congress, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the United Nations Human Rights Council, the European Parliament, and numerous other legislative and international bodies.
In April 2010 Grieboski was inducted into the International Board of Sponsors of the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College – Martin Luther King’s alma mater. The award honors those who have made significant contributions to the civil and human rights nonviolence movement in the tradition of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King.
Grieboski holds a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service degree and a Master of Arts degree in National Security Studies, both from Georgetown University. He is completing a Master’s in Sacred Theology from Agape Seminary. In 2008, Grieboski received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Marywood University in Scranton, PA.
Ordained a priest in the Independent Old Catholic Church in April 2019, Grieboski lives in Alexandria, VA, with his wife, Tracy, and their dog, Eddie, and cats Theo, Charlie, and Bridgie.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is hosted by David Oliver Kling and produced by The Community of Saint George - a Young Rite jurisdiction.
Welcome to Episode 78! In this episode, I have the honor of speaking with Brian Ashmankas.
Brian is a native of central Massachusetts. He is a former politician and former Roman Catholic seminarian for the Diocese of Worcester. He has two master’s degrees, one in political science and the other in theology. He was dismissed from sponsorship by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester in December 2019 after sharing with his bishop that he has a well-discerned call to be a married Catholic priest in Worcester. He is currently an aspirant for ordination with the Good Shepherd Companions, an Ecumenical Catholic Ordinariate formed from the joining of the Ecumenical Catholic Diocese of America and the St. Barnabas Mission with roots in the Married Priests Now movement started by Emmanuel Milingo. He is recently the founder and facilitator of the “Community of the Hyphenated.” This group meets weekly on Zoom to share and listen to each others’ spiritual insights and stories and aims at self-reflection, self-betterment, learning from others’ experiences, camaraderie, and ultimately social and ecclesiological transformation – building a new world and church in the shell of the old.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is hosted by David Oliver Kling and produced by The Community of Saint George - a Young Rite jurisdiction.
Welcome to Episode 77.
In this episode, I, David Oliver Kling, will be talking about what is a chaplain? I have been working as a full-time hospice chaplain since December of 2013 and prior to my work in hospice, I completed 4 units of Clinical Pastoral Education as a chaplain resident at St. Mary’s Medical Center in Huntington, West Virginia.
What is a Chaplain?
- Good advice for anyone interested in chaplaincy would be to suspend your sectarianism.
- Does being a Chaplain mean I'll have to do things I don't want to do?
- Chaplaincy brings up all of our personal issues and creates its own anxieties.
- Do Chaplains reject academic insight and knowledge?
- A Chaplain is someone who reflects theologically and who uses their theological reflection to inform and empower their care for others.
- How does a Chaplain do an assessment?
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is hosted by David Oliver Kling and is produced by the Community of Saint George (a Young Rite jurisdiction).
Welcome to Episode 76!
In this episode, I have the honor of interviewing Deacon Karen Gordon.
Deacon Karen Gordon is a student for the priesthood in the United American Catholic Church. She is a veteran of the US Navy having served from 1984 until 1989. She has worked for the University of Tennessee at Memphis in the office of the Dean of Students, she has worked in public affairs at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis. She has done an impressive amount of volunteer work and she holds an associate of arts from Anne Arundel Community College and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Maryland in Interactive Electronic Publications. She is currently a Master of Divinity student with Nations University. I’m happy to have her on the podcast!
If you would like to be a guest on the podcast please reach out to me. If you are involved in the Independent Sacramental Movement or if you have something to offer the movement, I want to hear from you.
Welcome to episode 75!
In this episode, I welcome back Father Jerry Maynard. Back in episode 73 I had Father Jerry on the podcast, and we were going to talk about something he is passionate about, but I changed the script on him, and we talked about a question presented on the Sacramental Whine Facebook group. I wanted to have Father Jerry back on so we could go over the topic he wanted to discuss with me about. I gladly welcome Father Jerry Maynard back onto the podcast. Incidentally, if you are connected to the Independent Sacramental Movement or have something to say that would be of benefit to those within this movement please contact me about the possibility of you being a guest on the podcast.
We talk a lot about Social Justice!
Books of Interest:
Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the Peoples of the Earth.
The Tao of Thomas Aquinas; Fierce Wisdom for Hard Times.
A Theology of Liberation.
Where to find Fr. Jerry:
His YouTube Channel.
His Website.
His Facebook page.
His Twitter page.
Medium page.
Sponsor:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is hosted by David Oliver Kling and produced by The Community of Saint George - a Young Rite jurisdiction.
Welcome to Episode 74!
In this episode, I have the honor of interviewing Dr. Richard Paszkiewicz.
Dr. J. Richard Paszkiewicz (in ecclesia The Most Venerable Sunyananda Dharmacarya) is a priest, psychotherapist, martial artist, healer, chef, writer, and academic.
In addition to being ordained in the Independent Sacramental Movement, Dr. Paszkiewicz is a fully authorized Buddhist teacher, who has been given teaching authority in the Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese Zen schools. He has studied and taught Buddhism throughout the world, lectured at numerous colleges and universities, and has appeared in and written for various media outlets, in addition to serving as an official delegate to numerous notable Buddhist events, including the first White House Buddhist Leader's Conference, and the United Nation's World Day of Vesak.
Dr. Paszkiewicz is a registered yoga teacher with the Yoga Alliance, and has trained in the Bhakti Yoga tradition in West Bengal, India where he lived as a Brahmacari and personal assistant to a preeminent guru.
Academically, Dr. Paszkiewicz has earned a host of degrees, and completed a clinical residency in pastoral counseling at the University of Kansas Hospital, and has subsequently earned dual board certification both as a Pastoral Counselor and as a Clinical Chaplain.
Currently, in private practice as a counselor, consultant, and coach, Dr. Paszkiewicz has served as a chaplain in a variety of settings, from health care facilities to law enforcement agencies. He is the founding Convener of the Kaw River Valley Chapter of the College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy, where he also serves on the national Certification and Ethics committees.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is hosted by David Oliver Kling and produced by the Community of Saint George - a Young Rite jurisdiction.
Episode 73!
In this episode, I am joined by the Rev. Jerry Maynard as we address a question proposed by Bryan Bombardier on the Sacramental Whine Facebook group. Bryan posted:
A thought from the cheap seats on the past few podcast episodes:
"I have listened to the podcast for a while now and really appreciate the hard work. The past few episodes have created cognitive dissonance for me though.
A major message that I heard was "the ISM is not doing a good job forming priests." Point taken. The answers presented to this problem lately have a major theme. They seem to wish to model the ISM after the Roman church. Seminary education, standardized educational competency, uniform preparation, homogeny of thought, etc. Of course, I understand this isn't the only intent but it is the overwhelming impression that I received.
For a group that strives to create Vatican-free Catholicism, this seems like a very Vatican-like method. I was just thinking that forming priests as they did for the first 1500 years of the church isn't a bad idea either. Maybe focusing on bishops and their indiscretion with regard to handing out ordinations is more important than the standardization of the process. At the same time, this idea was definitely covered. It's probably a "both-and" kind of situation.
Any thoughts? Again, easy to say from the peanut gallery..."
Father Jerry and I discuss Bryan’s post with additional commentary by Subdeacon Tim Olivieri, Stephen Gallagher, and Swami Prakashananda Saraswati.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is hosted by David Oliver Kling and produced by the Community of Saint George - a Young Rite jurisdiction.
Welcome to Episode 72!
In this episode, I have the honor of speaking with the Reverend James Ishmael Ford.
The Reverend James Ishmael Ford has walked the spiritual path for more than fifty years. He's danced with Sufis, studied with Gnostics, lived in a Buddhist monastery and was ordained a Zen priest. Later he was also ordained as a Unitarian Universalist minister and preached from the high pulpits in old New England churches. He was a co-founder of the Boundless Way Zen network and was its first school abbot. Today he is guiding teacher of the Empty Moon Zen Sangha and leads the Anaheim Zen sangha hosted by the UU Church in Anaheim.
James served as a UU parish minister for twenty-five years. He is minister-emeritus of the First Unitarian Church of Providence. Today he serves as a consulting minister with the Unitarian Universalist Church in Anaheim and is an adjunct professor at the University of the West.
In addition to his role as a Zen priest and Unitarian Universalist Minister James also holds ordinations within the independent sacramental movement as well as several initiations within Inayat Khan Universalist Sufism.
He has blogged as Monkey Mind for more than a decade and is the featured speaker at the Empty Moon Zen YouTube channel.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is hosted by David Oliver Kling and is produced by The Community of Saint George - a Young Rite jurisdiction.
Welcome to Episode 71!
In this episode, I take a moment to reflect on recent events in the United States surrounding the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement. Included are statements from three different ISM communities:
Apostolic Catholic Church in America.
Advocates of St. Sebastian.
Reformed Catholic Church via LGBTQ Organizations Unite to Combat Racial Violence.
The community of Saint George – A Young Rite jurisdiction.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is hosted by David Oliver Kling and produced by The Community of Saint George - A Young Rite jurisdiction.
Welcome to Episode 70!
In this episode, I have the honor of welcoming back Bishop Gregory Godsey. He is the first on the podcast back in episode 19 and I am glad he is back! Gregory is the presiding bishop of the Old Catholic Churches International and the editor in chief of Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
In this episode, we talk about the "train-wrecks" within the Independent Sacramental Movement!
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is hosted by David Oliver Kling and is produced by The Community of Saint George (A Young Rite Jurisdiction).
Episode 69!
In this episode, I have the honor of welcoming back to the podcast an old friend, Jason Spadafore. I interviewed him back in episode 15 and I wanted to have him back to see what sorts of mischief we could come up with. Jason writes under the pen name “Agostino Taumaturgo.” He has been a student of Christian spirituality and esotericism for almost 30 years, specializing in theology and what he calls “Catholic Occultism.” Jason now writes, teaches, and lectures on spirituality, magic, and manifestation within a Christian paradigm. I’m glad to have Bishop Jason back on the podcast!
We talk about several things including the Roman Catholic Traditionalist Movement and Vatican II.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is hosted by David Oliver Kling and is produced by the Community of Saint George a Young Rite Jurisdiction.
Welcome to episode 68. In this episode, I share the audio portion of a YouTube video I created on the Community of Saint George. Discussed is the origin of the Old Catholic Union and the Liberal Catholic Church, the Young Rite, and the founding of the Community of Saint George. I don’t want this to seem like an infomercial for the Community of Saint George, but I think there is some good content that anyone interested in the Independent/United Sacramental Movement would enjoy. I have built upon the original content of the video and turned it into a paper that I wrote in a class within my Doctor of Ministry program I am currently enrolled in. So, before I get into the audio recording, I mentioned I’m going to share some additional content you cannot get from the video where I talk about ultramontanism and our rejection of this Roman Catholic ecclesiological movement.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is hosted by David Oliver Kling and produced by The Community of Saint George (a Young Rite Jurisdiction).
Welcome to Episode 67! In this episode, I have guest host Father (and bishop-elect) David Jones who talks about what every priest should have or should at least be thinking about! Fr. David first appeared on this podcast in Episode 41: Radical Incarnation with David Jones.
Sponsor:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
Links:
Catholic Liturgicals.
PSG Vestments.
Mercy Robes.
Ivy Robes.
Autom.
St. Alban's Press.
Monastery Icons.
Church Mutual Insurance.
Items every priest should have!
Items every church should have!
This podcast is hosted by David Oliver Kling and produced by The Community of Saint George (The Young Rite).
Welcome to episode 66! In this episode, I have the honor of interviewing the Reverend Doctor Bruce Epperly.
A Theologian, pastor, spiritual guide, author, and recognized leader in lay and pastoral faith formation, Bruce Epperly serves as Pastor at South Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, Centerville, MA, and professor in the D.Min. program at Wesley Theological Seminary. He has served on the faculties and administrative and chaplaincy roles at Georgetown University, Claremont School of Theology, Wesley Theological Seminary, and Lancaster Theological Seminary. Prior to coming to Cape Cod to serve as pastor of South Congregational Church, he served as Director of Continuing Education and Professor of Practical Theology at Lancaster Theological Seminary.
An ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ, Dr. Epperly has written or co-written over fifty books in the areas of theology, spirituality, ministerial excellence and spiritual formation, scripture, and healing and wholeness, including Faith in a Time of Pandemic; Become Fire: Guideposts for Interspiritual Pilgrims; The Mystic in You: Discovering a God-filled World; Finding God in Suffering: A Journey with Job; Process Theology: Embracing Adventure with God; and A Center in the Cyclone: Clergy Self-care for the 21st Century. Bruce and Kate Epperly’s co-written Tending to the Holy: The Practice of the Presence of God in Ministry, was selected as the 2009 Book of the Year by the Academy of Parish Clergy. His most recent books include Prophetic Healing: Howard Thurman’s Vision of Contemplative Activism and God Online: A Mystic’s Guide to the Internet
Dr. Epperly speaks regularly throughout North America on subjects such as healing and wholeness, personal and congregational spiritual formation, process theology, ministerial spirituality and excellence, emerging Christianity, and contemporary movements in theology and spirituality. He has appeared on “Nightline,” “ABC World News Tonight,” and “PBS News Hour.”
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
Book: Faith in a Time of Pandemic by Bruce Epperly.
This podcast is hosted by David Oliver Kling and produced by the Community of Saint George (The Young Rite).
Welcome to Episode 65! In this episode, I have the honor of interviewing The Reverend Steve Avino.
Steve is a sub-deacon within the Community of Saint George, a jurisdiction within the Young Rite (Youngriteusa.org). He is a graduate of North Central College with a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies and received a Masters in Religious Studies at Chicago Theological Seminary. He works as the Chief Operating Officer of the Parliament of the World's Religions and has dedicated his adult life to Interfaith work, including helping to organize the 2015 Parliament of the World's Religions in Salt Lake City and the 2018 Parliament of the World's Religions in Toronto.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is hosted by David Oliver Kling and produced by The Community of Saint George (The Young Rite).
Welcome to episode 64! In this episode, I have the honor of having Bishop David Strong back with us! He was the first interview on this podcast, back in episode 14, and he agreed to come back on – fifty episodes later! Can you believe it? We are on episode 64.
Bishop David Strong is the presiding bishop of the Apostolic Catholic Church in America, which is Sacramental, Sanctified, and committed to social justice.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is hosted by David Oliver Kling and produced by The Community of Saint George (The Young Rite).
Welcome to Episode 63! In this episode, I have the honor of interviewing the Reverend Doctor Trish Sullivan Vanni.
The Reverend Doctor Trish Sullivan Vanni Ph.D. is the pastoral director of Charis Ecumenical Catholic Community, the first Ecumenical Catholic Church in Minnesota where she serves as pastoral director. She is also an adjunct professor of theology at a local University. Trish has served as a consultant to parishes, dioceses and ministry professional associations in the areas of formation, vision casting, and mission development. An accomplished writer, she has written magazine articles and books published for the Catholic community. Trish received a Master of Divinity degree at St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota and an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Roman Catholic ecclesiology and organizational leadership theory at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. She lives in Eden Prairie, Minnesota with her sculptor husband Peter, her mother, two of her three adult children and, with minimal harmony, a neurotic rescue dog and two senior citizen cats.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is hosted by David Oliver Kling and produced by The Community of Saint George (The Young Rite).
Welcome to episode 62! In this episode, I have the honor of interviewing Bishop Rob Lamoureux.
Bishop Rob Lamoureux was ordained to the priesthood in 2013, under the auspices of the Young Rite, and consecrated in 2015 while in the Apostolic Celtic Church, he returned to the Young Rite in 2019 and serves as the current Formation Director. Rob has had diverse training with various mentors, initiations, and formal education on Eastern and Western traditions. His work as a marriage and family therapist is his passion and where he spends a lot of his time. Rob sees his passion and work in therapy as his service and his mission and it has been ongoing since the 1990s, including working with the homeless, addicted and severe mental health issues in many forms, from housing to benefits, to jobs and placement. Once Rob was licensed, he specialized in interfaith/intercultural issues, families, couples, and relationships. Through the many years of studying with mentors and monastics, Rob found a deep love of esoteric and monastic traditions and founded a religious order called the Order of Mystics (OM), small esoteric tribal order forming under the Community of St. George/The Young Rite.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is hosted by David Oliver Kling and produced by The Community of Saint George (The Young Rite).
Welcome to Episode 61!
In this episode, I have the pleasure of welcoming back to the podcast Father Jerry Maynard. I interviewed Father Jerry in episode 55 and he wanted to return and I’m glad to have him! We talk a lot about Discipleship and related topics!
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
Book:
The Tao of Thomas Aquinas: Fierce Wisdom for Hard Times by Matthew Fox.
This podcast is hosted by David Oliver Kling and produced by The Community of Saint George (The Young Rite).
Welcome to episode 60, in this episode I have the honor of interviewing Father Shannon T.L. Kearns.
Father Shannon is a writer, speaker, and theologian. He is the co-founder of Queer Theology. He is also the founder of Uprising Theatre Company. He graduated from Union Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity and is an ordained priest in the Old Catholic Church. Fr. Shay is a sought-after speaker on queer theology, transgender issues, and the intersections of identity and faith. He’s been published in Geez Magazine, Lavender Magazine, Believe Out Loud, and The Huffington Post, and featured in The Advocate and the Star Tribune. He is a Lambda Literary Fellow for 2019 and is part of the Finnovation Fellowship in 2019-2020.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is hosted by David Oliver Kling and produced by The Community of Saint George (The Young Rite).
Welcome to Episode 59.
In this episode I have the honor of interviewing Bishop Rebecca Lee Pierce, she was recently consecrated a bishop within the Convergent Christian Communion at their recent General Assembly on February 16 of 2020. Bishop Rebecca has graduate degrees in nursing administration, health service administration, and health law. She has been a nurse, an educator, and an Air Force officer. She is retired from a long career in nursing but is starting her new vocation as a bishop.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is hosted by David Oliver Kling and is produced by The Community of Saint George (The Young Rite).
Welcome to episode 58! I am honored to have the Reverend Subdeacon Tim Olivieri return to the podcast as a guest host. Tim and I are part of the same jurisdiction, the Community of Saint George which is part of The Young Rite.
In this episode, we talk about several things including the problem of sex offenders among the clergy, priestly formation, accountability, and more!
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine!
This podcast is hosted by David Oliver Kling and produced by The Community of Saint George (The Young Rite).
In this episode, we will take a closer look at the elevator speech which asks the question, “How would you describe the Independent Sacramental Movement to someone who has no idea what it is?” A nice succinct definition of a complex subject. The Independent Sacramental Movement is an incredibly diverse autonomous movement with hundreds of micro-denominations rooted in apostolic succession and celebrating the seven sacraments instituted by Jesus Christ. That’s a succinct elevator speech…
But don’t take my word for it. I have compiled several others such as,
Archbishop Alan Kemp, the founder and first Presiding Bishop of the Ascension Alliance.
Bishop Brian Stanford, with the Gnostic Catholic Union.
Bishop Carol Vaccariello, an Independent Catholic Bishop and United Church of Christ pastor.
Bishop Chris Carpenter, Presiding Bishop of the Reformed Catholic Church.
Father David Jones, with the Celtic Catholic Church USA.
Bishop Gregory Godsey, Presiding Bishop of the Old Catholic Churches International.
Father Jerry Maynard, with the Order of Mary Magdalene.
Bishop Joseph Menna, the Prior General and Bishop of the Augustinians of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Cleric Kathleen Ostlie, with the Apostolic Johannite Church.
Bishop Kenny von Folmar, Presiding Bishop of the Convergent Christian Communion – formerly known as the Anthem Network.
Father Kevin Daugherty, with the Convergent Christian Communion.
Bishop Lainie Peterson, Presiding Bishop of The Open Rite.
Deacon Michael Holford, with the Ecumenical Catholic Church of Australia.
Bishop Nina Paul, Presiding Bishop of the Open Catholic Church.
Father Robert Mitchell, with Ekklesia Epignostika Seminary.
Subdeacon Tim Olivieri, with the Community of Saint George (The Young Rite).
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is hosted by David Oliver Kling under the auspices of The Community of Saint George (The Young Rite).
Welcome to episode 56. In this episode, I have the honor of interviewing Kathleen Ostlie.
Kathleen enjoys learning, writing, and speaking on a variety of esoteric topics; mainly dealing with the western esoteric tradition. She is dedicated to the search and application of truth which has been central to her since childhood and is what inspired her to pursue external and personal education in Philosophy. She is a published poet and essay writer. Kathleen is also an artist, business marketer, freelance writer, counselor, tutor, and event/ retreat organizer.
She is in love with hermetic mystic Christianity with great respect and love for sacramentalism and the beauty in the roots of the Christian tradition. Kathleen has found a home within the Apostolic Johannite Church and is working the minor orders having recently been ordained a cleric. A core belief that influences her work is reconciliation, bringing people with different views together for civil conversation and learning experiences.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is hosted by David Oliver Kling and produced by The Community of Saint George (The Young Rite).
Welcome to Episode 55, In this episode, I have the honor of interviewing the Reverend Jerry Maynard;
Father Jerry is known as, “The people’s Priest,” and has a ministry of Protest, Praise & Community organizing in Houston, Texas. He works on foreign and domestic issues, teaches the spirituality of nonviolence and serves as founding pastor of The People’s Church. Jerry is an Independent Catholic Priest with the Order of Mary Magdalene and can be found at www.revjerrymaynard.org
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is hosted by David Oliver Kling and produced by The Community of Saint George (Young Rite).
In this episode, I have the honor of interviewing Deacon Robert E. Mitchell Jr.,
Robert is a writer, martial arts expert, and deacon enrolled in Ekklesia Epignostika Seminary in pursuit of Holy Orders. He is the founder and organizer of St. Barachiel’s of Richmond, a Christian meetup that he aspires to grow into a church. A martial artist for over thirty years, he is the founder and First Elder of Cabal Fang Temple Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit that has been providing free public martial arts instruction for personal development since 2009. Cabal Fang is an initiatory and martial art that marries practical self-defense and fitness with the Hermetic Mysteries. He is the author of several books both fiction and nonfiction, including "The Calisthenics Codex" which has been a Top 10 exercise e-book since its publication in 2015. He graduated from the University of Virginia in 1983 with a B.A. in English. He and his wife Karen are the proud parents of four children and five grandchildren.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine!
This podcast is hosted by David Oliver Kling and is produced by The Community of Saint George (The Young RIte).
Episode 53, in this episode I share with you a sermon I preached on November 9th, 2019 at the Annual Convocation of the Community of Saint George (The Young Rite). The scripture used for the sermon comes from the Book of 1st Samuel, chapter 28. The story of the Witch of Endor. The occasion for the sermon was the ordination of two subdeacons – Tim Oliveri and Steve Avino. I think it’s an important message and I hope you enjoy it. After the sermon, I share some final thoughts for 2019 as we move into the New Year.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is hosted by David Oliver Kling and sponsored by The Community of Saint George (The Young Rite).
In this episode, I have the honor of interviewing Deacon Michael Holford.
Michael grew up just south of Queensland's capital, Brisbane, in Australia. He comes from a slightly religious family, with a Presbyterian mother and an atheist father, but seldom entered a church as a child.
He converted to Christianity as a teenager at a local evangelical "Plymouth" brethren assembly. Baptized by immersion at 18, while also pursuing an education in ecological science.
Michael’s first job out of university was assisting an agricultural consultant as a "cop scout": monitoring crops for pests and disease, data which would then be used to make spray recommendations. He worked for two consultancies in an assistant capacity, before landing his first full-time position as a Horticultural Crop Consultant. Michael worked in the agricultural field of research for a couple of years, before landing a job back in Brisbane in the certified organic industry, where he has been for most of the last 8 years.
He picked up further studies and experience in agronomy and biosecurity along the way.
Michael’s first exposure to the Independent Sacramental Movement was way back in 2005. While at university, his studies in science, especially evolutionary biology, saw him questioning his evangelical faith tradition. In a search for answers, he stumbled across Orthodox Christianity and loved what he saw: beauty, reverence, and timeless ritual. He almost became Orthodox in 2002, but his girlfriend, Barb, now his wife, didn't share his interest in Orthodoxy. He compromised, and ended up at a wonderful Anglo-Catholic parish: this parish, part of the "Forward in Faith" movement, was kind of like a "church within a church" - traditionalist Anglicans just within the official Anglican communion.
His parish priest blended in a wonderful and engaging way, catholic worship and conviction, evangelical preaching, with just a dash of charismatic spirit. When he was consecrated at the hands of extra-diocesan bishops, the archbishop of Brisbane had him removed from his post as rector. Michael and his wife followed him into the "continuing" Traditional Anglican Communion, where they stayed for most of five years, even receiving permission of the bishop to preach as a layperson. It was this Anglo-Catholic bishop that first encouraged Michael to pursue theological education.
He received his theological qualification at a Wesleyan institute, Nazarene Theological College in Brisbane, known for its ecumenical spirit; for most of his assignments he drew heavily on Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican sources. He was also drawn at this time to the worship and spirituality of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), which eased his traditionalist sensibilities.
In 2015 Michael stumbled across a local mission parish of the United Ecumenical Catholic Church and was intrigued. What began as casual, occasional visits became regular attendance by 2017, and by the end of 2018, our priest raised with me the question of ordination.
Michael was ordained a deacon in the church of God on the 13th of January 2019, at the hands of Bishop Ron Langham of the Ecumenical Catholic Church of Australia. He has been tasked with supporting the ministry of our priest, Reverend Narelle, and he has been bringing the blessed sacrament to friends on the northern outskirts of the city. He has received mentoring and further education by an experienced and theologically astute priest in his communion: who is filling in the gaps of Michael’s Wesleyan studies, and emphasizing sacramental theology. After meandering through every form of Christianity there is, Michael has finally found a spiritual home.
We talked about:
- His elevator speech, how he defines the Independent Sacramental Movement.
- Belonging.
- His jurisdiction, Ecumenical Catholic Church of Australia and what makes it unique.
- His greatest challenge as a deacon and his greatest blessing.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is hosted by Bishop David Oliver Kling and is sponsored by The Community of Saint George (The Young Rite).
In this episode, I discuss Jacques De Molay, the last Grand Master of the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon also known as the Templars. The history of the order is explored as well as the suppression of the order.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is produced by The Community of Saint George (The Young Rite) and is hosted by Bishop David Oliver Kling.
In this auspicious episode 50, I will answer the question "What is the Independent Sacramental Movement?" This will be done by looking at the characteristics of the Movement:
- Independent.
- Sacramental.
- Apostolic.
- Diverse.
- United.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
Books Mentioned:
"The Many Paths of the Independent Sacramental Movement," by John Plummer.
“The Magic of Catholicism: Real Magic for Devout Catholics,” by Brother ADA.
“Who are the Independent Catholics? An introduction to the Independent and Old Catholic Churches," by John Mabry.
“Independent Sacramental Bishops: Ordination, Authority, Lineage, and Validity," by Rob Angus Jones.
“The Other Catholics: Remaking America’s Largest Religion,” by Julie Byrne.
This podcast is produced by The Community of Saint George (The Young Rite) and is hosted by Bishop David Oliver Kling.
In this episode, I have the honor of interviewing the Reverend Andrea Turner.
Andrea was ordained into the Priesthood of Ecclesia Gnostica by Bishop + Steve Marshall on February 28, 2016, at Hagia Sophia Chapel in Seattle. In 2003 she committed herself to the Gnosis by baptism and confirmation. By September 2005 she joined the clergy as a lay server, worked her way up through Holy Orders which ultimately led to the Priesthood. She has been married to her husband Ken Turner for over 30 years and they have two grown sons Paul and Matt. During the week she works as a case manager with mothers who struggle with substance abuse disorders and their children. she connects them to resources for sobriety and sustainable life. In the past, she worked for Head Start first as a teacher and later as a Family Advocate. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Washington and has Associate Degrees in Early Childhood Education and Chemical Dependency Counseling.
What did we discuss?
- We talk about her elevator speech.
- She spoke about how the book “Mists of Avalon” by Marion Zimmer Bradley and the more recent film “Mother” influenced her spiritualty.
- She discussed how her work with mother’s and addition influences her ministry.
- Finally, we talked about her greatest challenge and blessing within the ministry.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is produced by The Community of Saint George (The Young Rite) and your host is Bishop David Oliver Kling.
This is a special episode of Sacramental Whine: An Independent Sacramental Movement Podcast. If you’re not familiar with the podcast, I’m David Oliver Kling your host, and I’m a Bishop within the Community of Saint George (which is part jurisdiction and part religious order within The Young Rite).
This episode is special because I have a guest host.
Returning to the podcast is Father Kevin Daugherty, a priest with the Convergent Christian Communion (formerly known as Anthem Network) and co-founder at Kindling Fires: A New Monastic Order. I interviewed Father Kevin back in episode 29 and he was a guest host once before and he wanted to return to the podcast, and I’m happy to have him back.
Topics discussed:
- Meaning of the word Catholic and how we use it along with a look at sacramental theology.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is produced by The Community of Saint George (The Young Rite) and is hosted by Bishop David Oliver Kling.
In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing Tim Olivieri.
Tim is postulant in the Community of Saint George (The Young Rite). Born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Tim encountered independent Catholicism for the first time while attending Catholic school just blocks away from St. Stanislaus Cathedral, the cathedral of the Polish National Catholic Church, in Scranton, PA. Tim came to know the jurisdiction and its many area parishes through friends and relatives of classmates. Growing up he felt a strong pull toward the priesthood and began actively exploring a vocation in the Roman Catholic Church during high school. Two major events caused him to reconsider that choice; the first was that his parish priest left the church to join the Episcopal Church. The second was that his diocesan vocation director left the priesthood entirely after only two years of ministry and in the middle of Tim's discernment process.
He enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served most of his enlistment at Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily, Italy. Taking the time to explore the Greek Orthodox traditions of his mother and continuing to learn about the ISM through an early web directory. Shortly after receiving his honorable discharge from the Navy, he entered the seminary of the Oblates of St. Joseph, a Roman Catholic religious order founded in Asti, Italy by St. Joseph Marello. He left after two years and shortly after married his now-former spouse. Over the course of ten years, Tim left the church in favor of his spouse's Judaism before ultimately returning to Christianity and finding himself drawn to the ISM community and the Community of St. George in particular.
Tim is also a Master Mason affiliated with the Grand Lodge of New York and a companion of the Holy Royal Arch within the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons in New York.
Tim has a bachelors and master’s in business management and works as a fundraising professional in higher education. He has a daughter, age 6, who is the light of his life and he lives in Ithaca, New York.
We talked about:
- Identity in the Independent Sacramental Movement.
- Polish National Catholic Church.
- Oblates of St. Joseph.
- Ethiopia and the Ethiopian Orthdox Church.
- His challenges and blessings within Formation to the priesthood.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
The Independent Sacramental Movement Database.
The Community of Saint George (The Young Rite).
This podcast is hosted by Bishop David Oliver Kling and sponsored by the Community of Saint George (The Young Rite).
In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing Father Daniel Goldfarb.
Fr. Daniel (in ecclesia known as Venerable Father Mikha’el) is a former Buddhist priest of the Pure Land and Esoteric Schools of Buddhism and a current Gnostic and Independent Sacramental Priest within the Gnostic Catholic Union. He has a Master’s Degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, is a Reiki Level 3 Master-Teacher and a Martial Arts Instructor and Studio Owner teaching Kemp Karate, Shaolin Kung Fu and Tai Chi Chuan. Fr. Daniel is a Master Mason as well as being involved with other hermetic and mystical orders. His ministry focuses on personal spiritual cultivation through Gnostic Meditation, contemplation and prayer.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This episode is produced by The Community of Saint George (The Young Rite) and hosted by Bishop David Oliver Kling.
In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing Father Aaron Watson.
Aaron is a recently ordained Priest within the Home Temple group. In June of 2019, he completed his Diaconate studies in the Home Temple and was ordained as a Priest in Staten Island, NY. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Texts (Summa Cum Laude) with a minor in Biblical Languages. He also holds certification in Missions. He is a lifetime "member of the Alpha-Chi National Honor Society and is listed in the "Whos who" of College and University Students in 2006. He has studied under Dr. Lewis Keizer of the Home Temple, where he is currently working through their curriculum. He is a phone salesman by day and a Pastor by night. He feels called to build bridges between faith communities.
Aaron started his ministry in 2002 while a student at Ohio Valley University in Vienna, WV. Preaching and teaching at small country churches. He continued his ministry until he fell ill in 2009. Diagnosed with Bipolar disorder and disillusionment with what the "church" had to offer, he began his search for God in other capacities for several years. His search led him to Catholicism, where he was confirmed on Easter of 2008. When that didn't help his disillusionment, Aaron began to study with the Sufis, where he developed a hunger for mysticism and esoteric studies. It was during this time that he discovered the Western Mystery Tradition. From 2008-2016 he found himself under many teachers trying to discover the kernel of truth that resides in all religious expression.
We talked about:
- His elevator speech, how he talks about the Independent Sacramental Movement.
- His challenges and blessings within ministry.
- Chaplaincy and Hospice chaplaincy.
- Bringing the sacraments to people.
Links:
Home Temple.
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is produced by The Community of Saint George (The Young Rite).
In this episode, I have the honor of talking to Jennifer Olin-Hitt. While not specifically connected to the Independent Sacramental Movement she is here to talk about Spiritual Direction and the benefits of having a Spiritual Director.
Jennifer began her journey as a professional spiritual guide in 1989 as a young seminarian. She earned a Masters of Divinity, served United Methodist churches, and then earned a Masters of Education in the counseling field. A certificate from the Haden Institute prepared her specifically for the one-on-one work of Spiritual Direction. This work with individuals is the joy of her life. When she is not seeing individuals for Spiritual Direction, she works as a mental health therapist for teens and their families. She continues to train and learn through the Spiritual Directors International.
Links:
Jennifer's Spiritual Direction Page.
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is produced by The Community of Saint George (The Young Rite).
This is a special episode of Sacramental Whine: An Independent Sacramental Movement Podcast. If you’re not familiar with the podcast, I’m David Oliver Kling your host, and I’m a Bishop within the Community of Saint George (which is part jurisdiction and part religious order within The Young Rite).
This episode is special because I have a guest host.
Returning to the podcast is Father Brian Stanford, a priest with the Liberal Catholic Union. I interviewed Father Brian back in episode 30 and he was a guest host on episode 36. He enjoyed the experience so much that he wanted to return to the podcast, and I’m happy to have him back.
We’re going to talk about several things including:
- Gnosticism and Brian's work to create a Gnostic Revival in Asheville, North Carolina.
- We talked about Clerical Celibacy in follow-up to the solo episode 42.
Links:
Father Brian Stanford's YouTube Page.
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is produced by the Community of Saint George (The Young Rite).
In this solo episode, the topic of Clerical Celibacy is discussed along with the concept of bio-power. Examples for and against clerical celibacy are explored.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is produced by The Community of Saint George (The Young Rite).
In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing Friar David Jones,
Friar David L. Jones is an Independent Catholic Priest, specifically an ordained Celtic Catholic Priest of the Celtic Catholic Church USA. He is a Friar of the Celtic Franciscan Companions, a religious order within New Monasticism. In 2017 by the grace of God and the working of the Holy Spirit, he along with family and friends began a small church plant/mission named Our Lady of Mount Carmel in St. Joseph, Missouri.
Friar David holds a Masters in Theological Studies from the Institute of Religious and Pastoral Studies, University of Dallas. He has spoken internationally in Italy at the Rimini Meeting and throughout much of the United States. He is a regular columnist for Il Sissidiario, Catholic Online, the Clarion Journal of Spirituality and Justice.
His conversion story is published in the Italian book entitled Sotto Il Cielo D'America (Under the American Sky) written by Marco Bardazzi. The introduction of this book has been translated into English and is available on-line. Another story of his life is published in the Italian book entitled Mi Mancano Solo Le Hawaii(They Lack Only Hawaii - Living and travel notes of an Italian transplanted to America) written by Maurizio "Riro" Maniscalco.
Friar David has been married to Becky for 25 years. They have four children. He is also a retired 26-year active duty United States Army senior field grade officer & former Non-Commissioned Officer, a combat veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan plus a humanitarian assistance mission to Haiti. He is a true Renaissance man.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This Podcast is produced by The Community of Saint George (The Young Rite).
In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing the Reverend Rick Romero, OSFoc.
Father Rick is a priest with the Old Catholic Churches International. Father Rick is also a Friar with the Order of St. Francis Old Catholic and is Vicar of Latino Affairs. Since the age of nine, Father Rick has been a student of the Bible and has actively been in service of the church.
Born and raised as a Seventh-day Adventist, Father Rick attended Adventist schools until his sophomore year of college studies. At the age of 17 Father Rick began directing church choirs and eventually became Professor of Music and Director of Choirs at an Adventist university in Mexico. Father Rick conducted two concerts of Handel’s “Messiah” in Spanish at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City with the Mexico City Chamber Orchestra and the University Choir. This was the first-ever performance of “Messiah” in the Spanish language at the Palacio. While in Mexico City, the choir also gave a live performance of the cantata “Jesus is Coming” on national television. After returning to the United States, Father Rick continued to direct choirs at several churches of various denominations, ranging from Catholic and Protestant to Unitarian Universalist.
After 30 years of service as a church musician, in 2008 Father Rick enrolled at Sophia Divinity School, a seminary with the Catholic Apostolic Church of Antioch. In 2011 and 2012, Father Rick was ordained into the Diaconate and Priesthood by Bishop William Gameson of the Catholic Church of Jerusalem. In 2012 Father Rick began a chartered ministry with the Catholic Apostolic Church of Antioch. He began a parish ministry, “Our Lady of the Roses,” which focused on social justice issues including prison ministries at Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s “Tent City” and advocacy for universal health care.
Father Rick founded Universal Spirit Broadcasting Network in 2010, and he is the Executive Producer. Universal Spirit Broadcasting Network, Incorporated is an educational, non-profit Colorado corporation that is a telecommunications organization dedicated to ecumenical ministries that celebrate all faiths based on the Universal Spirit of peace and love. USBN features programs that are spiritual, educational, promote fine art, and highlight social justice issues. USBN is currently producing “End Game,” a program of political and spiritual commentary. USBN and “Convergent Streams” magazine are co-producing “The Unidos Voice” as an outreach to the spiritual community on social media. Father Rick is a contributing editor of “Convergent Streams.”
In this episode,
We talked primarily about his social justice work,
We talked about Universal Spirit Broadcasting, The Unidos Voice, and the Unidos Manifesto, along with the struggles of producing audio-visual content for the Independent Sacramental community.
Links:
Unidos Voice with Rev. Fr. Rick Romero.
Unidos Voice with Rt. Rev. David Oliver Kling.
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is produced by The Community of Saint George (The Young Rite).
This is a special episode of Sacramental Whine: An Independent Sacramental Movement Podcast. If you’re not familiar with the podcast, I’m David Oliver Kling your host, and I’m a Bishop within the Community of Saint George (which is part jurisdiction and part religious order within The Young Rite).
This episode is special because I have a guest host.
Returning to the podcast is Father Kevin Daugherty, a priest with the Anthem Network and co-founder at Kindling Fires: A New Monastic Order. I interviewed Father Kevin back in episode 29 and he wanted to return to the podcast, and I’m happy to have him back.
In this episode we talked about:
- Reclaiming the term Evangelical and Evangelism.
- The Convergence Movement.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is produced by The Community of Saint George (The Young Rite).
In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing Bishop Chris Carpenter the Presiding Bishop of the Reformed Catholic Church.
In this episode, we talked about several things, including:
- How he left the Roman Catholic Church to find the Independent Sacramental Movement.
- Clinical Pastoral Education and Chaplaincy.
- His greatest blessing and challenges within the ministry.
- His hopes for the Independent Sacramental Movement.
Links:
Convergent Streams: the Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is produced by the Community of Saint George (The Young Rite).
This is a special episode of Sacramental Whine: An Independent Sacramental Movement Podcast. If you’re not familiar with the podcast, I’m David Oliver Kling your host, and I’m a Bishop within the Community of Saint George (which is part jurisdiction and part religious order within The Young Rite).
Returning to the podcast is Bishop Bob McDonald, a bishop with the Liberal Catholic Union. I interviewed Bishop McDonald, also known as Tau Meinrad, back in episode 17 and he wanted to return to the podcast, and I’m happy to have him back. Check out episode 17 to learn more about him.
We talked about what do you do when the "ordination honeymoon" is over as well as "bishop burn-out."
We also talked about a new project, the United Conference of Apostolic Sacramental Bishops. Several jurisdictions are involved in the UCASB including:
- The Community of Saint George (The Young Rite),
- The Liberal Catholic Union,
- The Society of Franciscan Workers,
- The Reformed Catholic Church,
- and The Anthem Network.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is produced by The Community of Saint George (The Young Rite).
This is a special episode of Sacramental Whine: An Independent Sacramental Movement Podcast. If you’re not familiar with the podcast, I’m David Oliver Kling your host, and I’m a Bishop within the Community of Saint George (which is part jurisdiction and part religious order within The Young Rite).
This episode is special because I have a guest host. The first time having a guest host!
Returning to the podcast is Father Brian Stanford, a priest with the Liberal Catholic Union. I interviewed Father Brian back in episode 30 and he wanted to return to the podcast, and I’m happy to have him back.
We’re going to talk about several things including:
- Christian Esotericism.
- Impostor Syndrom.
This episode is sponsored in part by Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This Podcast is produced by The Community of Saint George (The Young Rite).
In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing:
The Reverend Doctor John Mabry. John was ordained to the Old Catholic ministry in 1991. He has served as an associate pastor — and later the solo pastor — of Grace North Church in Berkeley, California since 1993. Grace North Church is a Congregational church that worships in a more-or-less Anglican fashion.
John was consecrated a bishop in 2007 for the Old Catholic Order of Holy Wisdom, he served that community until he retired from the episcopacy in 2012, when he was received into the United Church of Christ as a pastor. He continues to serve Grace North Church, now also received into the UCC, and also serves at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Oakland.
He holds a master’s degree in Culture and Creation Spirituality from Holy Names College and a doctorate in Philosophy and Religion from the California Institute of Integral Studies, where he majored in Hinduism and minored in Taoism.
John holds certificates in Anglican Studies, Spiritual Direction, and Spiritual Direction Supervision, and for the past sixteen years has directed the Interfaith Spiritual Direction Certificate Program at the Chaplaincy Institute — an interfaith seminary in Berkeley, CA — where he also teaches comparative theology. He has taught spirituality, Christian mysticism, world religions, and pastoral ministry at various graduate schools in the Bay Area.
John is the author of over thirty books. He also owns and operates The Apocryphile Press, a small publishing house with more than 200 titles by 50 authors around the world. Among many other things, Apocryphile publishes many important books on Old Catholic history, theology, and practice.
John is married to Doctor Lisa Fullam, a veterinarian turned-theologian who currently serves as Professor of Moral Theology at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, CA. They live in Oakland and have three lovely dogs.
In his spare time, John sings in two Bay Area progressive rock bands, Metaphor and Mind Furniture, which between them have released five CDs of original material over the past twenty years.
We talked about several things, including:
- Jurisdictionalism within the Independent Sacramental Movement.
- Christian Mysticism.
- John’s Blackfriar novels, “The Kingdom, The Power, and The Glory.”
- And other subjects, you just need to listen.
Links:
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is produced by The Community of Saint George (The Young Rite).
In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing the Reverend Tracy Barnowe.
This episode of Sacramental Whine: An Independent Sacramental Movement podcast is a special episode. It’s special because my guest is an expert in church growth and she came on the podcast to de-mystify this topic.
Tracy has been an ordained minister with the United Church of Christ since 2012. She has over 20 years of experience in growing organizations, and she has even started a few. After years as a revitalization minister, teaching growth workshops, and consulting with declining churches, she decided to start a website to get this information to more churches that need help fast. Her website is http://howtogrowmychurch.com and she is the author of the book, “Grow Your Church: Overcome the biggest obstacle to church growth and get 85% of your first-time visitors to return.”
Listen to this episode to learn the following:
- The five lost skills (that cost nothing!) that all churches should master to grow anywhere.
- The most important factor a newcomer is looking for in a church home.
- What the emerging church will look like in 50 years and how to let it happen in your church today.
- The difference between experts, metrics, and evidence-based church growth strategies, and why that is important.
Links:
Tracy Barnowe's webpage.
Grow Your Church (on Amazon).
This episode is sponsored in part by Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This Podcast is produced by The Community of Saint George (The Young Rite).
In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing Bishop Michael Beeson.
Michael, also known as Tau Isidore, is the Bishop of the Diocese of North Texas of the Liberal Catholic Union and serves as Rector of the Oratory of the Assembly of Archangels. Michael is Knighted in the Esoteric Chivalric Order of St. Meinrad and served as a co-founder of the Order of Knights Bishop of Avignon.
Michael was consecrated into Apostolic Lineage by Bishops Bob McDonald and Jeremy Orosco. Outside of his work with the Liberal Catholic Union, he is involved in Hermetic and esoteric studies as well as involvement in a Masonic Lodge under the Jurisdiction of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Texas of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons.
Esoteric studies have largely defined his path. He has been a diligent student of the Hermetic sciences and practices Christianity in the model of Father Marsilio Ficino.
This episode is sponsored in part by Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This Podcast is produced by The Community of Saint George (The Young Rite).
In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing Bishop Kirk Jeffery.
Kirk attended Boise State University and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work. From there he went to Methodist Theological School in Ohio where he earned a Master of Divinity and Master of Arts in Christian Education with a specialization in Youth Ministry. During seminary, he served as the student associate pastor at Marysville United Church of Christ in Marysville, Ohio.
After graduation, he began serving United Methodist Churches in Oregon and Idaho. While serving as pastor to these congregations, he completed a Doctor of Ministry degree from Drew University (2010).
Upon leaving the United Methodist Church Kirk joined the Open Episcopal Church and was ordained to the priesthood October 20, 2013; however, because of the lack of support shown to the clergy in the United States by the OEC he chose to incardinate with The Young Rite.
Bishop Kirk was consecrated on November 2nd, 2018 and serves as a governing bishop in the Community of Saint George (The Young Rite).
This episode is sponsored in part by Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is produced by The Community of Saint George (The Young Rite).
In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing John Plummer.
John grew up in and around Nashville, TN. He was unsuccessfully raised Southern Baptist and later baptized into the Roman Catholic Church. He first came across independent sacramental churches in the mid-1980s. After becoming actively involved in the ISM in the early to mid-90s, he was ordained to the priesthood in 1996 and consecrated in 1998. He has degrees from Fordham – Bachelor of Arts in both philosophy & theology, Vanderbilt – Master of Arts, in history of Christian thought; and, the Graduate Theological Foundation – Doctor of Philosophy in theology. He is perhaps best known for the published version of his dissertation, The Many Paths of the Independent Sacramental Movement. John is now the associate pastor and bishop coadjutor at St Basil's Parish in Nashville, preaching and celebrating the liturgy every week.
This episode is sponsored in part by Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine.
This podcast is produced by The Community of Saint George (The Young Rite).
In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing Father Brian Stanford of the Liberal Catholic Union. Brian said to me, “I grew up in a Christian-ish household. My mother is a Christian and my father is an atheist. I never had religion foisted upon me and was encouraged to question and search. At the age of 14 I consciously entered the spiritual path when I discovered a copy of Donald Michael Kraig’s book “Modern Magick” and the Dammapada. I began experimenting with ceremonial magick and meditation.”
Over the following years, Brian spent time with Hare Krishnas, lived in a Zen temple, got addicted to heroin, went to prison, came out transformed.
He continued his spiritual Quest through chaos magick, Gnosticism and Vajrayana Buddhism.
Years of Buddhist meditation and Vajrayana practice resulted in an epiphany which ultimately led him into Christianity, the Divine Feminine through Mary, and the Independent Sacramental Movement.
After two years a Christian he found the Liberal Catholic Union and was recently ordained to the priesthood, having previously been ordained a deacon.
His focus is investigating and practicing esoteric strands of Christianity, learning various aspects of Independent Catholic practice and training in the martial arts. He lives in Ashville NC and is currently working to build a community of people who are interested in engaging with Christianity in new and alive ways.
You can find some of his writing at Seek the Mystery Blog.
We talked about several things including:
- His elevator speech.
- As a new priest, we discussed his thoughts on the priesthood and priestly formation.
- He describes what Gnosticism and Esoteric Christianity means to him.
- He is a student of the martial arts. He discusses his training and how it impacts his ministry.
- He talks about his greatest challenge within the Independent Sacramental Movement.
- And finally, he talks about his greatest blessing since he started following a Christian vocation to ministry.
This episode is sponsored in-part by Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine. Check it out!
This episode is produced by The Community of Saint George (The Young Rite).
In this episode, I have the honor of interviewing:
Father Kevin Daugherty of Lincoln, Pennsylvania. He is the co-founder, Abbot and priest of Kindling Fires: A New Monastic Order and is Mission Developer/Pastor of the Mission St. Anthony within the Anthem Network. Kevin was ordained to Christian ministry in April 2013, became an Ordained Elder within The Anthem Network in October 2017, and was commissioned as Abbot in June 2018.
In the episode we discuss several things including:
- His elevator speech.
- He describes Kindling Fires: A New Monastic Order. What it is and what makes it unique.
- He describes the New Monasticism movement.
- He talks about his vision for ministry in general and his vision for the Independent Sacramental Movement.
- He describes his greatest challenge within ministry.
- And finally, he talks about his greatest blessing within ministry.
Links:
The Anthem Network.
Kindling Fires: A New Monastic Order.
This episode is sponsored, in part, by Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine!
This episode is sponsored by The Community of Saint George (The Young Rite).
In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing:
Friar Joseph Menna who serves as Prior General and Bishop, as well as a founding member, of the Augustinians of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. He received a degree in Religious Studies at La Salle University, earned a Master of Science degree in Education, and has been an educator for over 25 years. A former Order of Saint Augustine Friar, Friar Joseph has a background in religious studies, personal development, spirituality, psychology, and mathematics. Bishop Joseph was ordained to the priesthood in 2005 and consecrated in 2014.
In the interview, we discuss several topics including,
- His elevator speech.
- He describes what makes the Augustinians of the Immaculate Heart of Mary unique and what does it mean to be an Augustinian.
- He discusses the Communion of Synodal Catholic Churches and what makes his jurisdiction unique.
- We talked about how being bi-vocational in education has informed his ministry.
- He talked about his greatest challenge as a friar, priest, and bishop.
Finally, we talked about his greatest blessing within ministry.
Links:
Communion of Synodal Catholic Churches
Augustinians of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
This episode is sponsored in part by Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine, why? Because I read it, and I love it and think you will love it too. If you haven’t checked out Convergent Streams, I encourage you to do so. Check it out at convergentstreams.org.
This podcast is produced by the Community of Saint George (The Young Rite - LCC Tradition).
In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing:
Bishop Carol Vaccariello who follows a Braided Way. In addition to being an Independent Catholic bishop, she is also ordained in the United Church of Christ and Christian Church – Disciples of Christ as well as a Creation Spirituality Elder. She is the founding Bishop of Ordo Hagia Sophia or Order of Holy Wisdom.
Carol holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from Ecumenical Theological Seminary in Detroit, Michigan. A Master of Divinity degree from Ashland Theological Seminary in Ashland, Ohio. And also has a Master of Business Administration from Baldwin- Wallace College, in Berea Ohio.
Carol is a ritual artist, produced and directed Cosmic Masses; she co-directed the Doctor of Ministry program at the University of Creation Spirituality; she mentored the design of the first Creation Spirituality ordination program. Carol is an inspirational speaker, storyteller, sacred chanter, healer, spiritual director, retreat facilitator, Zen Still Point practitioner, and plant whisperer.
In this episode, we talk about several things including:
- Her elevator speech.
- She once wrote, “Creation Spirituality is the foundation for my spiritual life.” She elaborates on what she means by that statement.
- She talks about her spiritual path as a braided way and talks about what she means by “braided way.”
- She describes her experience at the Basilica of the Black Madonna, in Sicily.
- She talks about the Order of Holy Wisdom. What it is and her involvement in the order and how is it unique.
- She talks about her greatest challenge within ministry.
- And finally, she talks about her greatest blessing within ministry.
Links:
Braided Way Magazine.
Learn more about Carol.
Learn even more about Carol.
Carol's personal website.
What is the Cosmic Mass?
The TCM Experience.
The Black Madonna of Tindari, Sicily.
Carol Vaccariello as a Spiritual Director.
This episode is sponsored in part by Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine, why? Because I read it, and I love it and think you will love it too. If you haven’t checked out Convergent Streams, I encourage you to do so.
This podcast is produced by the Community of Saint George a jurisdiction within The Young Rite.
In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing:
Bishop Fred Bower, also known as Tau Taliesin, is the bishop of New Hampshire for the Liberal Catholic Union and pastor of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament. He was ordained a priest and then a bishop in the Liberal Catholic Rite in 1994. He is a professionally certified Achologist focusing on transformational Life Coaching and Neuro-linguistic Programming. He is currently studying Transformation Storytelling and working on his certification as an end of life doula.
He has a diverse spiritual background. Having explored esoteric and Gnostic Christianity, Zen and Nichiren Buddhism, as well as Theosophy and Revival Druidry. Fred is a member of the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids, also known as OBOD, where he finds a connection to the sacred through the power of myth and story. He is an organizer of Silent Heron Seed Group, an OBOD affiliated contemplative Druidry group exploring the connection to the natural world through meditation and ritual.
In the episode, we talked about several things, including:
- His elevator speech?
- How he integrates the spirituality found in the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids into his understanding of Christianity. And he talks about what is the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids.
- He talks about his acceptance within Druidry while also being a Christian.
- His greatest challenge as a bishop within the Independent Sacramental Movement.
- And finally, we talk about his greatest blessing within ministry.
Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine. This episode is sponsored in part by Convergent Streams, why? Because I read it, and I love it and think you will love it too. If you haven’t checked out Convergent Streams, I encourage you to do so. Check it out at convergentstreams.org. I like the print copy, but you can also get it in ebook format.
This Podcast is produced by the Community of Saint George (The Young Rite).
In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing:
Archbishop Alan Kemp. He is the founder and first Presiding Bishop of the Ascension Alliance, a religious community, church, and umbrella organization. He is a professor of sociology, trained in clinical social work, and also earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from St. Andrew's College. He is an educator, priest, bishop, writer, and I would add an all-around great guy.
In this episode we talk about:
- His elevator speech? How he describes the Independent Sacramental Movement to someone who has no idea what it is.
- He spoke about the Ascension Alliance and Ascension Theological College.
- He spoke about his dissertation from St. Andrew’s College for his doctor of ministry degree.
- He talked about his greatest challenge as a bishop.
- And finally, he talked about his greatest blessing in ministry.
This episode is sponsored in part by Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine. If you haven’t checked out Convergent Streams, I encourage you to do so, why? Because it’s a great publication AND when you support Convergent Streams you are supporting a ministry within the Independent Sacramental Movement. How can you go wrong with that? Check it out at convergentstreams.org. I like the print copy, but you can also get it in ebook format.
This episode is produced by the Community of Saint George (Young Rite).
In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing:
Vladichitsa Olga, also known as Maeve Leroux. She is Metropolitan Bishop of the Universalist Orthodox Church, an Independent and Autocephalous jurisdiction. The Universalist Orthodox Church maintains the ancient and rich liturgical forms of worship found in Eastern Orthodox Christianity. However, as an emulation of the evident boundless love of God, all people are included at every level of Church life.
As a pansexual transgender woman, Olga would normally be excluded from ministry and be denied the Eucharist in any mainline Orthodox community—despite confessing the fullness of the Orthodox faith. This is a common struggle for many Orthodox Christians, for any variety of reasons, and is the original impetus behind the formation of the Universalist Orthodox Church.
In addition to the basic responsibilities of managing her jurisdiction, she also functions as an Abbess. She draws on her monastic background for any who wish to deepen their personal spirituality and engage in the work of Theosis as Orthodox monastics.
Vladichitsa is also deeply passionate about liturgical and sacred art, and rather than serving as officiant during most liturgies, prefers to preside at the chanter’s stand.
As part of her vocation, but also a means to support the ministry of her parish, she also sews vestments of various traditions—primarily for other clergy within the Independent Sacramental Movement. This is something she is greatly honored to do and values as a deeply prayerful, creative, and joyful task.
In this episode we discussed several topics including:
- Her elevator speech.
- Her identify as a pansexual transgender woman. And how it has affected and influenced her ministry.
- The formation of the Universalist Orthodox Church.
- Her experience as a monk in the canonical Orthodox Church.
- Her greatest challenge in ministry.
- Finally, her greatest blessing in ministry.
This episode is sponsored in part by Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine. If you haven’t checked out Convergent Streams I encourage you to do so, why? Because it’s a great publication AND when you support Convergent Streams you are supporting a ministry within the Independent Sacramental Movement. How can you go wrong with that? Check it out at convergentstreams.org. I like the print copy but you can also get it in ebook format.
This podcast is produced by The Community of Saint George (The Young Rite).
In this episode, I have the honor of interviewing Sean Medley.
Sean lives in St. Louis, MO with his fiancé Lisa. He is an artist and writer and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Digital Animation from Missouri College.
Sean attended a strict Southern Baptist school from Kindergarten through Seventh Grade. This instilled in him a deep conviction of the reality of God. While still a teenager, Sean discovered the Eastern Orthodox Church, and at age seventeen, was baptized into Orthodoxy via the Greek Old Calendarists, who are traditionalists not in communion with mainstream Orthodoxy.
Sean continued attending traditionalist parishes of the Greek Old Calendarist and White Russian Churches, and from 2001 to 2006 he was a novice at Holy Cross Monastery in Wayne, WV, and St. Gregory of Sinai Monastery in Kelseyville, CA.
A practitioner of the Jesus Prayer and Christian theurgy, Sean has created a series of Gnostic-inspired digital art, which can be viewed at his website, link in the show notes. He is also the author of the yet unpublished Gnostic-themed novel, A Scroll Of Light And Darkness.
During the interview, we discussed several topics including,
- His experience as a Greek Old Calendarists Orthodox Christian.
- What monastic life was like for him and why he left the monastery.
- We talk about his practice of Christian theurgy.
- Finally, we talk about his art and his writing.
This episode is sponsored in part by Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine. If you haven’t checked out Convergent Streams I encourage you to do so, why? Because it’s a great publication AND when you support Convergent Streams you are supporting a ministry within the Independent Sacramental Movement. How can you go wrong with that? Check it out at convergentstreams.org. I like the print copy but you can also get it in ebook format.
Links:
Art by Vav bar Ziwa
This episode is produced by the Community of St. George (Young Rite).
In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing Bishop Kenny von Folmar who is the Presiding Bishop and Co-Founder of the Anthem Network. The Anthem Network is a faith family gathered from the many Christian Traditions that is striving to live out an expression of the Church that honors and balances the varied witnesses of our faith ancestors. The Anthem Network’s vision is to see churches planted that are places of convergence for the Christian Tradition – reflecting a harmonious blend of the sacramental, evangelical and charismatic traditions. He has been the Lead Pastor of Solomon’s Porch in Phoenix, Arizona for the past 5 years.
In the episode, we talk about several things including,
- His elevator speech. How he describes the Independent Sacramental Movement to someone who has no idea what it is.
- What is The Anthem Network? He describes what makes it unique.
- Some of the challenges he has encountered as a bishop within the Independent Sacramental Movement.
- His Ecumenical ties with local church bodies.
- And finally, his greatest blessing within ministry.
This episode is sponsored in part by Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine. If you haven’t checked out Convergent Streams I encourage you to do so, why? Because it’s a great publication AND when you support Convergent Streams you are supporting a ministry within the Independent Sacramental Movement. How can you go wrong with that? Check it out at convergentstreams.org. I like the print copy but you can also get it in ebook format.
Links:
The Anthem Network
This podcast is produced by The Community of Saint George (The Young Rite).
In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing:
Bishop Lainie Petersen, who is the Presiding Bishop of The Open Rite. She was ordained to the priesthood in 1998 and was elevated to the episcopacy in 2009. She holds an M.Div. and M.T.S. degrees from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary as well as a Master of Library and Information Studies from Dominican University.
She offers a candle ministry and has set thousands of lights for people over the years. She has previously served as co-host for several radio shows and podcasts, including Talk Gnosis, Magic Radio Chicago, and Hard Lens Media. She is currently the theater correspondent for Playtime, which can be heard every Sunday afternoon on WCGO 1580AM in the Chicago area.
In this episode, we talk about several things including:
- Her elevator speech? How she describes the Independent Sacramental Movement to someone with no knowledge of the movement.
- We discuss her jurisdiction, The Open Rite. And the story behind its evolution.
- We discuss her academic research on women in Pentecostalism.
- She talks about her Candle Ministry and how it has grown.
- We explore her challenges as a bishop.
- And finally, she talks about her most memorable blessing within ministry.
This episode is sponsored in part by Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine. If you haven’t checked out Convergent Streams I encourage you to do so, why? Because it’s a great publication AND when you support Convergent Streams you are supporting a ministry within the Independent Sacramental Movement. How can you go wrong with that? Check it out at convergentstreams.org. I like the print copy, but you can also get it in ebook format.
Links:
Bishop Lainie Petersen's website/blog.
Candle Ministry Patreon Page.
This episode is sponsored and produced by The Community of Saint George (The Young Rite).
In this episode I have the honor of interviewing:
Bishop Nina Paul. She has been the presiding Bishop since 2008 of the Open Catholic Church. Nina brings an incredible amount of wisdom and experience to St Teresa Open Catholic Seminary where she serves as president. Nina has served as a Hospice Chaplain since 2007. She holds a bachelor’s in sacred theology and a Master of Arts in Ministry from the Seminary of St. Mary.
We discussed several things including:
- Her elevator speech. What she says when asked about Independent Catholicism and the Independent Sacramental Movement.
- The New Order of Glastonbury and Bishop Martha Theresa Shultz, and the name change to the Open Catholic Church.
- Her work as President of St. Theresa Open Catholic Seminary.
- Her experience as a hospice chaplain.
- Her greatest challenge as a bishop?
- The greatest blessing within her ministry?
This episode is sponsored in part by Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine. If you haven’t checked out Convergent Streams I encourage you to do so, why? Because it’s a great publication AND when you support Convergent Streams you are supporting a ministry within the Independent Sacramental Movement. How can you go wrong with that? Check it out at convergentstreams.org. I like the print copy but you can also get it in ebook format.
Links:
Open Catholic Church
St. Theresa Open Catholic Seminary
This episode is sponsored/produced by The Community of Saint George, a jurisdiction within The Young Rite.
In this episode, I have the honor of interviewing:
Bishop Gregory Godsey, who was born into a Roman Catholic family. Then he discovered the Independent Sacramental Movement; however, his first experience in the movement was disastrous. He had found himself in the company of charlatans who turned out to be invalid. In an answer to his prayers, Bishops of the American Orthodox Catholic Church sub-conditionally ordained and consecrated Bishop Godsey in 2004.
Bishop Gregory founded the Ancient Apostolic Communion in 2002. Since then the Ancient Apostolic Communion merged into the Liberal Catholic Apostolic Church, now known as the Old Catholic Apostolic Church. On April 14, 2012, Bishop Godsey was officially installed as the Bishop Ordinary of the Diocese of Saint Maximilian Kolbe (AL, FL, GA, and SC). In addition, he is also the Director of the Office of Communications and Media Relations. In May of 2015, Bishop Godsey was elected and installed as the Presiding Bishop of the Old Catholic Churches International.
Bishop Gregory is the Founding Editor of Convergent Streams, a magazine geared towards and for the Independent Sacramental Movement. He is also the founder of the Independent Sacramental Movement Database.
In this episode Bishop Gregory and I talk about:
- His elevator speech? How he describes the Independent Sacramental Movement to someone if he only had a moment to do so?
- We discuss Convergent Streams and the Independent Sacramental Movement Database.
- His initial experience within the Independent Sacramental Movement was disastrous? We discuss his experience.
- He talks about his greatest challenge as a bishop.
- We discuss imposter syndrome.
- We discuss the idea of “spiritual but not religious.”
- And finally, his greatest blessing within ministry.
Links:
Convergent Streams Magazine.
Independent Sacramental Movement Database.
Old Catholic Churches International.
Episode Sponsor/Producer:
The Community of Saint George (The Young Rite)
In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing River Sims where he discusses his ministry to the homeless and marginalized.
River Sims was born and raised in Southeast Missouri, in a very conservative area, where even today to be queer is dangerous. He was called to ministry when he was 12 in the United Methodist Church and took a student pastorate when he was 18. He received degrees from Southeast Missouri State University, and Eden Theological Seminary and was ordained an Elder in the United Methodist Church.
River’s struggle with his sexuality was at the heart of his life, and he talked to his District Superintendent about it, and instead of understanding, he was removed from ministry. He became a sex worker in LA, sued the church, received another Master's, and God would not let him go of him. He moved to San Francisco in 1994 to start Temenos Catholic Worker and encountered the Evangelical Anglican Church, where he was received into the priesthood in October 1995. In 2007 he was consecrated a Bishop and formed the Society of Franciscan Workers.
River’s ministry is to street youth, and it is a ministry of presence. It is one of harm reduction in which needles are exchanged and condoms provided. He provides food and pastoral care. His ministry is inclusive, in the words of St. Francis, "Preach the Gospel, using as few as words as possible."
River formed Franciscans Against the Death Penalty and visits campuses and protests the death penalty.
In this episode we discuss:
- His elevator speech.
- How he defines, “ministry of presence?”
- His acceptance from the Hollywood Punk kids and how he identified with the punk scene. And how he views his current ministry as an extension of that punk scene?
- He talks about embracing new wine and new wineskins?
- His challenges and blessings within the Independent Sacramental Movement.
Temenos Catholic Worker
Episode Sponsor: Community of Saint George (Young Rite)
In this episode, I have the honor of interviewing:
Bishop Bob McDonald, also known as Tau Meinrad. He is the Metropolitan Primate of the Liberal Catholic Union, an ecclesiastical Assembly of communities of Neo-Gnostic Sacramental and Liberal Catholic traditions.
He grew up in the Roman Catholic Church and embraces a Benedictine path while expressing his Benedictine spirituality through the work of St. Meinrad.
Tau Meinrad is an instructor in Kabbalah, a certified Reiki practitioner and has studied the philosophical and spiritual traditions of the world for over two decades. He believes in the pursuit of knowledge and engages in the Great work with the hope of helping others walk closer to God on their sacred pilgrimage toward Theosis.
In the interview, we talk about several topics including:
His elevator speech; his description of Christian Esotericism and how he implements it into his ministry; the history and evolutionary story of the Liberal Catholic Union; some challenges he has seen within the Independent Sacramental Movement; some of his blessings within ministry; balancing ministry and family life and finally we talk about imposter syndrome.
Liberal Catholic Union
Sponsor: The Young Rite (Community of Saint George)
In this episode, I have the honor of interviewing Archbishop Kristina Rake.
The Most Reverend Kristina Rake is the Presiding Bishop of the American Apostolic Old Catholic Church. Archbishop Rake holds a master’s degree in Theology and Scripture from Andover Newton Theological Seminary, a part of Yale University Divinity School. She is a published author of several dozen articles on topics ranging from stem cell research to quantum physics, as well as two theology books. Archbishop Rake is an award-winning preacher and writer and is a longtime member of Mensa.
We talk about several things including her views on the sacrament of reconciliation, the challenge of being a bishop, the ordination of women, Christianity and ministry to the GLBT community, and being the community that says yes!
The American Apostolic Old Catholic Church
In this episode, I have the honor of interviewing an old friend, Jason Spadafore. His bio reads: Writing under the pen name “Agostino Taumaturgo,” Jason Spadafore has been a student of Christian spirituality and magic for almost 30 years, specializing in theology and what he calls “Catholic Occultism.” Jason now writes, teaches, and lectures on spirituality, magic, and manifestation within a Christian paradigm.
This is a candid discussion of two people whose paths initially crossed back in 2005. We talk about the Traditionalist Catholic movement, sede vacantism, some of our shared experiences, and of course the independent sacramental movement.
You can find more about Jason's writings and work at his website:
THAVMA is dedicated to the serious Christian magician
In this episode, I will be interviewing Bishop David Strong and we will be talking about several things including race and racism, and some of the challenges and successes he has had within his ministry. David’s bio reads:
The Reverend David Strong is the Presiding Bishop of the Apostolic Catholic Church in America. The ACCA is a Multiracial, Inclusive, Spirit-filled church committed to making disciples in the Independent Catholic tradition. He is the founding pastor of Spirit of Christ Independent Catholic Church in Tacoma, WA and also serves as the Executive Director of AHAT Homecare, an HIV housing program. He is a passionate advocate for civil rights in the community. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1992 and consecrated a Bishop in 1994.
In this episode, I talk about the vocation to ministry and calling to the priesthood. I do this through the telling of my own story.
In this episode, I look at Freemasonry. I explore Freemasonry in three different ways. First, I will look at the Roman Catholic position on the fraternity and why Freemasonry is a problem for Roman Catholicism and the Papacy. Then I will look at the intersection of Freemasonry and the Liberal Catholic Church. Finally, I will share some recommendations for those within the Independent Sacramental Movement who might want to explore Freemasonry.
In this episode, I look at the virtue of hospitality in the context of migrants seeking asylum and juxtapose this with an experience I had on the Texas/Mexico border back in 2010.
In this episode, I tell the sad story of Christ the King Monastery and Father Abbot Leonard Giardina, Order of Saint Benedict. The monastery was a part of the traditionalist movement, a fringe movement within the Independent Sacramental Movement. Traditionalists believe the Roman Catholic Church went into error after the Second Vatican Council and they strive to keep Catholic tradition alive. Traditionalists are fringe members within the Independent Sacramental Movement because they believe they have the true faith and all non-Traditionalists are heretics, apostates, or schismatics.
In this episode, I look at the question of "how to improve the Independent Sacramental Movement," by looking at our ability to adapt to the changing religious and spiritual landscape of our time.
If you’re a first-time listener you might be asking yourself, “What is the Independent Sacramental Movement?” The quick and simple definition is Non-Roman Catholicism, or Catholic without subscribing to the authority of the Vatican. The movement also includes independent Eastern Orthodox and independent Anglicans. In episodes 2 through 5 I go more in depth in describing the independent sacramental movement.
In this episode, I want to share with you two essays I wrote. Both essays are admission essays for my application to start a Doctor of Ministry program at Methodist Theological School in Ohio, the same seminary where I earned my Master of Divinity. The first essay charts my professional growth since graduating from seminary and the second essay answers the question of what my specialization of choice is and what my goals are in starting a Doctor of Ministry program. I share this to give perspective to those who might not know much about the Independent Sacramental Movement and to share my story as I am living it; the story of one cog in the machine that keeps the Independent Sacramental Movement in motion. The episode title, "Do we need more Demons" is a play on words, as D.Min (or Doctor of Ministry) is sometimes jokingly referred to as "Demon" and how "Jesus cast out the "D.Mins."
In this episode, I discuss a recent trip to Reno, Nevada to conduct two ordinations, a consecration, and a confirmation. Additionally, the concept of "dark night of the soul" is discussed with some tips on how to combat this spiritual phenomenon.
In this episode, I explore the ordination of women and why is it that some jurisdictions within the Independent Sacramental Movement and the Roman Catholic Church choose to not ordain women.
In this episode, I look at the fourth characteristic of the Independent Sacramental Movement (within Christianity) which is Movement. I look at why the ISM is a movement and not just a collection of denominations.
In this episode, I look at the third characteristic of the Independent Sacramental Movement (within Christianity) which is Apostolic Succession.
In this episode, the second characteristic of the Independent Sacramental Movement is explored. That characteristic is Sacramental.
In this episode, I want to share with you some thoughts about The Independent Sacramental Movement. I want to look at some basics of the Independent Sacramental Movement. This will be especially important to those who have no idea what the Independent Sacramental Movement truly is, but for those who have been involved in the movement, my hope is that you will get some new insights to think about as you continue to experience and be a part of this Movement.
The movement has four important characteristics: Independent, Sacramental, Apostolic, and Diversity. In this episode, I will focus on the first characteristic.
The first characteristic is independence.
In this inaugural episode, I discuss how I came up with the podcast's name and also talk about not taking myself too seriously and how clergy within the Independent Sacramental Movement should do the same.