Apostolic Catholic Church (Philippines)

The Apostolic Catholic Church (ACC) is a Philippines-based Christian denomination forming part of the independent sacramental movement. It was established in 1992 by John Florentine L. Teruel and Maria Virginia Peñaflor Leonzon, both canonized as saints within the ACC after their deaths.[2]


Apostolic Catholic Church
National Shrine of Ina Poon Bato, Quezon City
ClassificationIndependent Sacramental
OrientationIndependent Catholicism
PolityEpiscopal
PatriarchJuan Almario E. M. Calampiano P.P.
AssociationsNational Council of Churches in the Philippines[1]
Canadian Council of Churches
RegionPhilippines and Canada
LanguageFilipino and English
FounderSt. John Florentine L. Teruel
St. Maria Virginia Peñaflor Leonzon
OriginJuly 7, 1992
 Philippines

The Apostolic Catholic Church, classified by the National Council of Churches in the Philippines and the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines as independent Catholic, was founded to mediate and unite the Western Rite or the Roman Catholic Church, and the Eastern Rite or Eastern Orthodox Church into a single unified church.[3] The church has two main shrines: the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity in Sacrifice Valley, Hermosa, Bataan and the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Rock in Quezon City.

Organization

As an independent Catholic jurisdiction, the Apostolic Catholic Church in rejection of papal authority and infallibility, is headed by a patriarch.[4] The patriarch's see is the National Shrine of Ina Poon Bato (Our Lady of the Rock) in Quezon City. The current patriarch for the Apostolic Catholic Church is Juan Almario E. M. Calampiano who succeeded John Florentine L. Teruel upon his death on 19 January 2021.[5]

Under the oversight of the patriarch, there were two religious orders and congregations: the Order of the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit (OMHS) and the Order of the Missionaries of John Florentine (OMJF). The members of the congregations are the archbishops, bishops, priests, deacons, subdeacons, nuns, and third order members, bound by their evangelical vows of chastity, poverty, obedience, acceptance of their immediate superiors to the patriarch and to God the Holy Spirit, whom adherents address as Ingkong (an archaic Tagalog honorific often glossed as "grandfather", used to refer to any elderly man).[6] The lay governing body of the Apostolic Catholic Church is headed by the Parish Pastoral Council, with its own elected officers and committees as the working force of the church.

The church is an active member of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines along with other Protestant and non-Roman Catholic churches whose goal is to achieve ecumenism.[7] It is also a member of the Canadian Council of Churches.[8]

The church claims five to eight million members worldwide, although it provides no reliable evidence for these figures.[9]

Beliefs and practices

The church adheres to the doctrine of Trinitarianism and is generally conservative. Members of the church are expected to show discipline and piety, with youths forbidden to have intimate relationships, and adults prohibited from drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, using illegal drugs, and gambling.

Saints

The Apostolic Catholic Church follows the doctrine of recognizing saints and holy people based on what they have done while still alive. Similar to the Episcopal Church in the Philippines and the Anglican Communion, it recognizes all Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Church saints. There is two one saints beatified and canonized by the ACC Patriarchate: St. Maria Virginia Peñaflor Leonzon, mother of Patriarch John Florentine L. Teruel, PP and the church. She is the honorary foundress of Apostolic Catholic Church and its Cursillo Movement. Having an elevated spiritual life, she was beatified and canonized a saint in 1995 by Patriarch John Florentine. Because of this, St. Maria Virginia P. Leonzon became the first Filipino non-Roman Catholic saint. When she was still alive, St. Maria Virginia was a living saint for all ACC members. She died at the age of 83 in Sacrifice Valley in 2005. And St. John Florentine L. Teruel after his death, was canonized on August 1, 2021. He was the First Patriarch and the Founding Bishop of the Apostolic Catholic Church

References
  1. National Council of Churches in the Philippines. "Our Member Churches". Retrieved 13 March 2012.
  2. "Apostolic church patriarch and founding bishop". The Manila Times. 2021-07-31. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
  3. "Our Member Churches". Retrieved 2021-11-11.
  4. "Governance". Acc-ingkong.com. Archived from the original on 2011-10-08. Retrieved 2011-09-19.
  5. "PATRIARCH". ACC Website Staging. 2021-02-15. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
  6. "Ingkong (The Holy Spirit)". Acc-ingkong.com. Archived from the original on 2011-10-08. Retrieved 2011-09-19.
  7. "Our Member Churches". National Council of Churches in the Philippines. Archived from the original on 2009-02-09. Retrieved 2009-07-31.
  8. Canadian Council of Churches Members List
  9. Davila, Karen. "Sekta ng sakripisyo: Kulto o sentro ng mga relihiyoso?". The Correspondents (in Tagalog). ABS-CBN News. Archived from the original on 2006-02-21. Retrieved 2016-03-08.
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