Old Roman Catholic Church in North America
The Old Roman Catholic Church in North America descends from the North American Old Roman Catholic Church founded by Archbishop Carmel Henry Carfora. Archbishop Richard Arthur Marchenna consecrated Robert Alfred Burns, a priest ordained by Carmel Henry Carfora, in 1961. Burns left Marchenna in 1963. That year he joined with Archbishop Wilfred A. Barrington-Evans of the Old Roman Catholic Church (English Rite) and began using that designation. He was appointed Archbishop of Chicago by Barrington-Evans.
| Old Roman Catholic Church in North America | |
|---|---|
| Classification | Tridentine |
| Orientation | Old Roman Catholic |
| Polity | Episcopal |
| Leader | William Myers |
| Region | North America |
| Origin | North America |
| Separated from | North American Old Roman Catholic Church |
| Branched from | Old Catholic Church |
| Merger of | Independent Catholic Church |
| Members | 12,000 |
Upon Burns' death he was succeeded by Andrew Gordon Johnston-Cantrell of Toronto. Archbishop Johnston-Cantrell resigned his office on January 5, 1975 whereupon Bishop Facione succeeded as Presiding Bishop. The Provincial Synod, during its meeting on April 19, 1975, confirmed Bishop Facione's succession and elected him Titular Archbishop of Devon as well as first Bishop of Michigan and the Central States. That same year the church's name was changed to the "Old Roman Catholic Church in North America."
Facione moved the church's headquarters to Detroit, Michigan, and then to Louisville, Kentucky, where it is now. In 1989 the Western Regionary Diocese established in 1945 by Archbishop Carfora entered into union with the ORCCNA under Bishop Frederick Pyman. After Pyman's death Bishop Patrick King was consecrated for the diocese on June 5, 1995. Further growth occurred when Archbishop Facione appointed, in 1999, Bishop Luke Amadeo Iezzi as Bishop of the French Antilles. Before Facione's death in 2019 he nominated Archbishop William Myers of The Society of Mercy as his successor, and Myers was confirmed by the Church's Executive Council.
Archbishops
- May 1963 - 20 April 1974: Robert Alfred Burns
- 1974 - 5 January 1975: Andrew Gordon Johnson-Cantrell
- 12 April 1975 – 14 June 2019: Francis Peter Facione
- 14 June 2019 - Present: William Myers