.jpg)
The Catholic Diocese
​of Mid-America
Come, Journey With Us!
About Us
We are the Catholic Diocese of Mid-America.
We are a diocese made up of Catholic Communities and ministries in Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, and Mexico. Our Diocese is both conciliary (synodal) and episcopal. This means that we affirm the importance of the laity in our decision-making processes. Our diocese is part of the Old Catholic Communion.
We recognize that God works in all churches, but we are Old Catholic in our church structure - which means that we hold fast to the classic catholic faith regarding the holy sacraments and ministry - as it was understood in the early church. We are not afraid to affirm the ancient creeds of the Catholic faith and adhere to the faith handed down to us from the apostles. Rather than being rigid or stuck in tradition, however, we are progressive - looking to the early church for guidance as we engage contemporary issues.
As Old Catholics, we recognize that each "local church" (diocese) is full and complete whenever and wherever the laity are gathered with their clergy and their bishop around the altar for Holy Communion. Each "local church" (diocese) is an icon - an image of the Church Universal. Like the early church, our diocese is autonomous but seeks ways to be in relationship with other Christians and in communion with other Catholic dioceses.
​
We recognize the importance of the Pope in being an icon of unity but are not under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church. Unfortunately, many Catholics today wrongly assume that there is only one Catholic Church and that all Catholics are Roman Catholics. That is not true and never has been true. There have always been various strains of Catholics. While not in full communion, the Roman Catholic Church recognizes several of these lines of catholicity as being valid. The Old Catholic apostolic lineage is one. In the Old Catholic tradition, each diocese is self-governing and autonomous - yet interrelated with other Catholics. Rather than recognizing the Pope as standing in the place of Peter, Old Catholics understand that each bishop in each diocese serves as Peter among the band of disciples (presbyters/priests and deacons) within the diocese. In Old Catholic ecclesiology, there is no need for a superstructure - a universal jurisdiction. All dioceses are full and complete in itself. Thus, the focus is not on the hierarchy but on the ministry that takes place within the local diocese.
Our Story
Several years ago, the Catholic parishes of the Mid-America region began meeting together to form a stronger relationship. They wanted to share support and seek out opportunities for joint ministry. Bishop Rick Hollingsworth was elected as the proto-dioceses' Vicar Forane (acting Bishop). In 2016 Bishop Rick retired and, by election, was succeeded by Bishop Rafael Adams.
On March 7, 2017, representatives from each community gathered to approve our Constitution. On March 8th The Catholic Diocese of Mid-America (CDMA) was legally incorporated as a non-profit religious organization in Oklahoma. That same weekend, Bishop Rafael Adams was officially installed as the Bishop Ordinary for our new diocese. Bishop Rafe served until his retirement on October 24, 2022
On November 2, 2024, our Diocese ratified the election of Father Dewayne Messenger as our next Diocesan Bishop. We are currently making plans for his consecration on April 20, 2024.
We are a Family - a Diocese
The term Diocese is a fairly common term used by several Catholic jurisdictions. Unfortunately, for some people it brings up some unpleasant connotations. The term was used in Roman law to designate the territory dependent for its administration. And in the Roman Catholic Church it defines the area of a Bishop's jurisdiction. We have chosen to keep this term because the original meaning of the word means "household" and this describes what we seek to become - a family of faith communities working and sharing together.
We are Synodal
Our form of governance or polity is synodal. We understand that this is the way decisions were made in the early church. We reject the concept that the Holy Spirit only speaks to the clerical magisterium. We value the input of our laity and offer them equal voice in decision making. Each parish from the diocese may send 1 representative plus an additional representative for each 25 members or fraction thereof.
When we meet together as a synod, the clergy and laity meet as one body. The voices of the lay representatives and the clergy are heard equally. We strive for consensus, in our decision-making, but if it becomes necessary votes may be taken from each order (lay and clergy).
The Role of the Bishop
We understand that the main attribute of a Bishop is not to be one who rules, but one who serves. The Bishop is one who strives for unity among the people of the diocese. Bishops serve as advisors, counselors, and spiritual leaders. Bishops stand in the stream of an ancient tradition - guarding the faith handed down to us from the apostles. While there are certainly administrative duties that go along with the role of the Diocesan Bishop, the focus is more on relationship and coalition building than regulation and governance within the local church (diocese).
The Old Catholic Communion
Our diocese is part of the Old Catholic Communion - a communion of self-identified Old Catholic dioceses that share a common ecclesiology, theology, and understanding of Catholicity. We look to our Old Catholic sisters and brothers in Europe (and especially Utrecht) for our ecclesiology, spiritual guidance, and theological understanding. We are grateful for the gift Old Catholicism offers faithful Catholics. The term "Old Catholic" indicates that the way our dioceses relate is based on the early church structure, where each diocese was considered independent and yet in full communion with other dioceses. We share the faith of the ancient Church before the innovations were introduced after the seven ecumenical councils of the unified Church. To find out more about the Old Catholic Communion here in the United States, please click here:
© The Catholic Diocese of Mid-America