Section 1.
The name of this Communion is, in law and fact the Old Roman Catholic Church in North
America, and shall be thusly chartered and incorporated in each Province, State or Country
where her activities are carried on.
Section 2.
This Communion shall consist of all provinces, dioceses, and parishes, that shall subscribe to
the fundamental principles of the Old Roman Catholic faith as held from the First by the
Ancient Church of Utrecht.
Section 3.
The General Objects of this Communion shall be as follows and each charter and
incorporation shall consist of the same General Objects.
a) To promote the Christian religion according to the Old Roman Catholic tradition.
Adhering to the principles of Old Roman Catholicism as given to us throuqh the aqes and
carried on by the Old Roman Catholic See of Utrecht, the Netherlands, after the separation
from the See of Rome in 1870; and as set forth in the Declaration of Utrecht of 1889.
b) To build church buildings and maintain the same; (i) for the establishment of a
Seminary for the study of religion; (ii) for the establishment and maintenance of religious
communities; (iii) for the establishment of drop-in centres; and (iv) for the establishment and
maintenance of houses of public worship.
c) To establish and maintain homes for the aged and the poor.
d) To establish and maintain institutions for all types of rehabilitation.
e) To establish and maintain charitable institutions.
f) To establish and maintain schools of learning for all age levels.
g) To publish and distribute religious literature.
h) Subject to the Mortmain and Charitable Uses Act and the Charitable Gifts Act, to
collect and receive alms, gifts, donations and bequests for the support of charities and church
institutions.
Section 4.
The Canon Law herein set forth shall govern this Communion in all matters of policy,
worship, and faith, except where other local provisions have been authorized and
promulgated.
Section 5.
It is provided that the Canons of the Un-divided Church remain forever unforced within this
Church. Where no provision has been made in this Code of Canons on any given matter,
those Canons are to be observed and obeyed as providing for such matters.
Section 6.
The supreme spiritual and legislative authority of this Communion is vested in the General
Synod and Synod of Bishops, and that authority shall be excrci3ed over head and members
alike.
Section 7.
The Spiritual and Temporal head of this Church is, and shall forever be, the Most Reverend
Archbishop-Primate, the Primate of the Old Roman Catholic Church in North America.
Section 8.
The General Synod shall consist of the Synod of Bishops, the Clergy of this Communion, and
one elected member of the laity from each parish or mission of this Communion.
Section 9.
The General Synod of this Communion shall convene every two years during the month of
July. The exact dates to be announced by the Archbishop-Primate six months in advance.
Section 10.
The Synod of Bishops shall convene during the two days prior to the General Synod.
Section 11.
All decisions by the General Synod and the Synod of Bishops shall be binding upon both the
Clergy and the Laity of this Communion.
Section 12.
The Archbishop-Primate shall submit all his actions to the General Synod for review,
consent, and ratification, nor may he in any instance consecrate Bishops without first
obtaining the consent of the Synod of Bishops of this Church.
Section 13.
For the purpose of this Code of Canons, the faithful of the Old Roman Catholic Church in
North America, and the Old Roman Catholic Church in North America, are referred to as
"faithful", "Catholics", "Catholic". There is no reference by these terms to any other Catholic
body or the faithful of any Catholic body; reference is to the Old Roman Catholic Church in
North America only.
ARTICLE II
Section 1.
The election of an Archbishop-Primate, should that office become vacant, shall be from the
Synod of Bishops and confirmed by the General Synod.
Section 2.
The Archbishop-Primate shall appoint a Vicar Apostolic, who shall assist the Archbishop-Primate in the exercise of his duties, and shall with the Archbishop - Primate be responsible
to the General Synod of this Communion. The Vicar Apostolic shall be the assistant of the
Archbishop-Primate in all matters ecclesiastical.
Section 3.
The Vicar Apostolic may not in any wise interfere with local diocesan affairs of any see,
which has it own local episcopal authority resident within the Jurisdiction assigned by the
Communion to a Bishop. But it is provided that the Vicar Apostolic may cause an
investigation to be made into diocesan affairs, where there is evidence of serious disorders
which affect the welfare spiritual and temporal of the Communion as a whole.
Section 4.
The Vicar Apostolic shall call a General Synod for the purpose of electing an Archbishop -
Primate should that office become vacant.
Section 5.
There shall not be a perpetual coadjutor to the Archbishop-Primate of this Communion. In
the event that the Primatial Office shall become vacant Section 1 of this Article is to be
enforced.
Section 6.
When any given region of the Communion has fifty canonical erected parishes, it may be
created a Diocesan jurisdiction and an Ordinary granted to that jurisdiction by the General
Synod of the Communion.
Section 7.
The election of all Bishops shall rest with the Archbishop-Primate and must be confirmed
by the Synod of Bishops.
Section 8.
The Mother See of this Communion shall be the Primatial See of Wexford and shall consist
of that part of Metropolitan Toronto bounded on the west by Yonge Street, on the north by
Steeles Avenue, on the south by Lake Ontario, and on the east by the boundaries of the
Metropolitan area.
Section 9.
The Archbishop-Primate shall be the Archbishop-Metropolitan of the Primatial See of
Wexford and he shall appoint from among the Bishops, Priests and Laity, such qualified
persons to form the Primatial Chapter and Curia of the Church in North America.
Section 10.
Diocesan Bishops, shall be the ecclesiastical authority within their own sees, and appeals
from them may be made to the Archbishop-Primate if he receives written permission of the
Bishop whose acts are being appealed The final Court ot Appeal is the General Synod of this
Communion.
Section 11.
In the event of a vacancy within the Episcopal Order, the Synod shall certify the same to the
Archbishop-Primate, who shall then issue his mandate for the Synod to elect one of the
celibate Priests to fill such vacancy. It is provided that all such elections shall be confirmed
by the Most Reverend Archbishop-Primate before Episcopal consecration may be given.
Section 12.
Those Bishops received in the Communion of this Church, who shall have obtained episcopal
consecration in some other communion, shall first be tried, examined, and proved concerning
their qualifications before being admitted to the exercise of such episcopal statue in this
Church. But where there is a serious doubt as to as to the validity of the orders of such
applicants, they shall be ordained and consecrated sub-conditione, Ir they are to be admitted
to the exercise of the Episcopate.
ARTICLE III
Section 1.
Candidates for the Sacred Priesthood must be twenty-four years of age and shall have
completed their theological preparation in a recognized seminary of this Communion, or
under the supervision of such priests qualified to prepare such students, under the direction
of their own Bishop or the Primatial Office.
Section 2.
The same Canon applies as stated in Article 11, Section 4. upon reception of Priests ordained
outside of the obedience of this Communion.
Section 3.
All candidates for the Priesthood, shall be required to give in writing, before the reception
of Holy Orders, that they will exercise their ministry within the obedience of this Communion,
and under the Iurisdiction of their Ordinary. Violation of this will result in canonical
action.
Section 4.
Priests in good standing within the Communion shall receive from their own Ordinary their
celebret, which should be given tor a stated ecclesiastical year.
Section 5.
Priests shall exercise their ministry only in the place where they are assigned to, and may not
discharge any sacramental actions outside of their own cure, without the permission of their
Ordinary.
Section 6.
Priests who hold status of pastors of churches within this Communion shall have the parish
and all property vested in the name of the Communion and of the local Ordinary and
diocesan officials, and have authority to transfer same. The Archbishop-Primate, the
Ordinary, and the Chancellor of the Church shall form the board of incorporations of all
Diocesan Jurisdictions. All Parishes and Missions received into this Church shall likewise be
incorporated within the provisions of this Canon.
Section 7.
Priest may be excardinated from one Jurisdiction to another with the permission of their
Ordinary, and that of the Ordinary of the jurisdiction they seek to enter.
ARTICLE IV
Section 1.
Those in Orders of Deacon shall, until such time as they be ordained Priests, be assigned by
their Bishops to serve as curates or vicars of missions. But it is provided that no cleric may
be ordained deacon, until he has completed two years of theological preparation or studied
with a qualified priest, and has attained the full age ot twenty-three years.
Section 2.
It is provided that the Order of Perpetual Deacon may be restored within this Church. Only
those candidates who are non-celibates may be ordained to this Order, and those so ordained
not to be promoted to a higher Office or Order.
Section 3.
Candidates for Minor Orders, shall first be examined as to mental and educational fitness for
the clerical state, and then only admitted after they have promised to follow all the canonical
requirements for Holy Orders.
Section 4.
This Communion does not tolerate the practice of any of its clergy attempting to form or
contract marriages after the reception of Holy Orders, and this Communion holds that Orders,
under such conditions, are an impediment to marriage.
Section 5.
Priests, non-celibates, coming to this Church, mist prove that their marriages were contracted
before the reception of Orders; and in those instances where it is established, that marriage
followed the reception of Orders, such will not be admitted to the exercise of the Priesthood
in this Communion.
Section 6.
Priests whose canonical marriage has been dissolved through civil action, may not contract
another marriage. This canon applies to all Clergy regardless of order and status.
Section 7.
There shall be a period of not less than three months from the reception of the lonsure to the
reception of the Minor Orders. Further, there shall be a period of not less than six months
from the reception of Minor Orders to the Subdeacon. And there shall be a period of not
less than one year from the reception of Subdeacon to the Deacon and one year from the
Deacon to the Priesthood.
Section 8.
It Is provided that in certain cases the Archbishop-Primate may dispense with Section 7 of
this Article and allow ordination to be given to a suitable candidate.
ARTICLE V
Section 1.
This Church recognizes the Religious State, and decrees that Religious Orders shall
exist within the fellowship of the Communion, with the approval of the Bishop of the
Diocese, if they are wise and self-supporting.
Section 2.
The Religious shall at all times be under the direct jurisdiction of the Archbishop-
Primate, and the immediate jurisdiction of their own Superiors.
Section 3.
Religious superiors shall ensure that their subjects when designated by thorn willingly
undertake, without prejudice to religious discipline, labours of the sacred ministry,
especially in the diocese in which they reside, as often as their services are needed by
local Ordinaries and pastors, even outside their own churches or oratories. In turn, local
Ordinaries and pastors shall willingly call upon the services of religious, especially
those residing in their diocese, for the work of the sacred ministry, especially for the
hearing of confessions.
Section 4.
In the exercise of the sacred ministry, religious, even regulars, are in many things
subject to the jurisdiction the Archbishop-Primate and are bound to observe the
regulations published by him.
Section 5.
Local Ordinaries have the right to preach in any church in their territory, even an
exempt one.
Section 6.
Priests of another diocese, whether secular or religious, shall not be invited to preach
unless the permission of the Ordinary of the place in which the sermon is to be given
has been previously obtained; the latter is not to grant permission unless he is either
already certain of their qualifications, or has received from the preacher's own Ordinary
testimonials asserting the preacher's learning, piety and Integrity. However, according
to the common opinion, the pastor may permit a priest who is known to him to preach
once or twice without obtaining faculties from the Ordinary. Thus, for example, a priest
who has no faculties to preach may be permitted to deliver a Lenten sermon or a
sermon at Forty Hours' Devotion.
Section 7.
By means of the homily at Mass, the mysteries of faith and the guiding principles of the
Christian life are expounded from the sacred text, during the course of the liturgical
year. The homily, therefore, is to be highly esteemed as a part of the liturgy itself; in
fact, at those masses which are celebrated with the people present on Sundays and Holy
Days of obligation, it is not to be omitted except for a serious reason. No exception
may be made for conventual, sung or pontifical Masses.
Section 8.
Ordinaries shall see to it that at least once every ten years pastors provide a
sacred mission, as it is called, for the flock entrusted to their care The pastor, even
a religious pastor, must abide by the regulations of the local Ordinary in providing
these missions for the people.
Section 9.
If in the judgment of the local Ordinary the aid of religious is needed for the catechetical
instruction of the people, religious superiors, even exempt, when requested by the
Ordinary, are bound either personally or through their discipline, to give this instruction to
the people, especially in their own churches.
Section 10.
It Is the right of the local Ordinary to regulate in his diocese everything pertaining to the
training of the people in Christian doctrine; and even exempt religious, In teaching non-
exempt persons, are obliged to abide by his regulations.
Section 11.
The Archbishop-Primate has the right and the duty to guard lest in any school anything
should be taught or should happen contrary to faith or good morals. He has the right to
approve the instructors in religion and the textbooks of religion; and also in the interest of
religion and morals, to demand that both instructors and textbooks be removed.
Section 12.
Religious and secular clerics may not publish books on moral, religious, or theological topics,
holy pictures, books or booklets of devotion, of prayers, etc., unless they first obtain the
permission of the Archbishop-Primate and obtain the nihil obstat and the imprimatur of the
Archbishop-Primate.
Section 13.
The permission by which the Archbishop-Primate grants authorization for publishing (the
Imprimatur) is to be given in writing and is to be printed at the beginnlnq of the book or
magazine, or on the sacred image, giving the name of the Archbishop-Primate and also the
place and date of the grant.
Section 14.
Local Ordinaries must see to it that the prescriptions of the sacred canons concerning divine
worship are accurately observed, and especially that superstitious practices are not introduced
into public or private worship or into the daily lives of the faithful, and also that nothing be
introduced which is foreign to the faith, in conflict with ecclesiastical tradition or which
savours of sordid profiteering. The Ordinary can visit the churches and public oratories to see
to it that the sacred canons are observed.
Section 15.
No one may place or cause to be placed in churches, even exempt, or in other sacred places,
any unusual image, unless it has been approved by the local Ordinary.
Section 16.
Only those relics can be publicly venerated in churches, even exempt churches,
which arecertified to be genuine through an authentic document issued by the
Archbishop-Primate, or by some other ecclesiastical person to whom the faculty of
authenticating relics has been granted to by the Archbishop-Primate.
Section 17.
Unless there is an immemorial custom to the contrary, or unless in the
prudent judgment of the Bishop, local circumstances require something
different, on the feast of Corpus Christi there shall take place in any given
place only one solemn procession through the public streets, and that from the
principal church; in it all the clergy must take part, as well as all religiou6
communities of men, even those enjoying exemption; only those regulars are
excused from participation who live perpetually in the strict enclosure.
Section 18.
If the local Ordinary orders the ringing of bells, the recitation of certain
prayers, or the carrying out of certain functions for a public purpose, all
religious, even exempt must obey, without prejudice, however, to the constitutions
and privileges of each institute.
Section 19.
Special regulations made by the local Ordinary or the Archbishop of
admitting priests or bishops to the celebration of Mass in a providing these
regulations are not contrary to the Code of Canon by everyone.
Section 20.
Each religious institute enjoys only those privileges which are contained in
the Code of Canon Law or which have been directly granted to it by the Primatial See;
every communication of privileges is excluded for the future. Privileges acquired
through communication and peacefully enjoyed by religious institutes before the Code
are not abrogated by this canon. The privileges enjoyed by a regular order
belong also to the nuns of that order, In so far as they are capable of enjoying them.
Section 21.
All regulars enjoy the privilege of beginning the celebration of Mass from
two hours before dawn to two hours after midday, probably also three hours
after midday. Regulars may use this privilege anywhere; other priests,
including seculars, may enjoy this privilege when they celebrate Mass in a
church or oratory of regulars.