Founder & Ecumenical Primate

Archbishop Dr. Karl Rodig

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I believe in God who is Love, Peace, Justice, and Mercy, who created all people equally.  

I believe there is only one Human Race.

I believe Racism is learned and needs to be unlearned in order to become a just society.

I experienced in my growing faith that to follow Jesus is to consciously getting to know HIM, therefore finding HIM, and then let HIM lead.

I believe that God calls men and women into ministry as shown in the early Church's history.

 

Curriculum Vitae

     Archbishop Karl Rodig graduated with a Masters degree in Theology from the Paris-Lodron University of Salzburg, Austria 1980-1986. PhD studies in Dogmatic at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA 1990-1993.
He received his Doctorate in Ministry in 1998 at Florida Center for Theological Studies.
Dr. Rodig was ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood on July 1st, 1986 in the Cathedral of Salzburg Austria. He was consecrated a bishop on May 29th, on the Feast of the Holy Trinity in 1999 for his Church. Since then he is serving his worldwide church community as Primate Archbishop.
He was involved in parish ministry, hospital ministry, spiritual director during several trips to Israel, Rome, France and Spain.
When Karl came for the first time to the US as a Seminarian in 1984 to experience American and Canadian Parish lives, he stayed for three month. He loved the people so much that he promised to come back one day.
In 1987 he came back to help out for three weeks at Roman Catholic Parishes in Toronto, Canada.
In 1989 -after prayer and reflection, he decided to leave as a clergy the Roman Church being convinced that vocation to the ministry should not be dependent on celibacy, rather it should be optional; for over a thousand years there were married clergy, including 39 married popes. 

From 1994 to 1996, in the multi-ethnic city of Miami, Florida, Karl gave pastoral care to dying patients with Aids, because no one wanted to take on this difficult ministry.

     Five years, 1996-2001, he was a chaplain at Miami Children’s Hospital (member of South Florida Chaplains Association), and conducted for many years ministry to disenfranchised Catholics in Florida. He taught at Barry University and in public schools. In 1999 he was called to be a professor for Koiné Greek at Florida’s Center for Theological Studies.
     Dr. Rodig’s years of pastoral experience in different parts of the world, hearing the cry of so many Catholics who seek a new spiritual home, and attentive to the call for reforms in the Roman Catholic Church and other Catholic Rites, led to his decision: to start a new ecumenical movement for Catholics from different Rites and Protestant Churches alike with a new vision for the 21st Century—praying and seeking dialog and unity with all Christian churches, and dialog with other religions as well.
     This new movement, founded in 1998, he called “The Reformed Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church.” After receiving churches from different Catholic Rites, he changed in 2007 with his bishops the name to: “The Ecumenical Catholic Church of Christ”. He was offered by his bishops to use the title, “Ecumenical Primate”. He prefers, Presiding Bishop. 

     After 2 years of searching within 10 US States, we also saw in 2007 that churches being up for sale in Detroit. Bishop Karl sold his house, and in 2010, bought St. Anthony Roman Catholic Church in Detroit. It has become our National Cathedral, and international headquarters.        

The Church has grown worldwide in Europe, the United States, Latin America, Africa, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. Ukraine, Russia. Archbishop Karl founded also the “Institute of Hope for the abandoned Street Children”. He has traveled his world wide missions many times. His clergy and lay people around the world are actively involved in pastoral care reaching out to all of God’s people in need.  Archbishop Karl is also a Consultor for the Worldwide Catholic Church Reform Movement, including members, like Hans Kueng, and Sister Joan Chittister. A signed letter was sent to Pope Francis on November 1st, 2013. Our Cathedral Abbey of St. Anthony is also a member of the Roman Catholic movement of "Elephants in the Living Room" which seeks to keep the ideas and reform issues of the Second Vatican Council alive, seeking active dialog and Reform. Bishop Karl is also a member of the Detroit Clergy Alliance  working with the Tubman Center for Truth and Justice.  Its “Manifesto” is registered in the Library of Congress. His Episcopal motto is also the one for the Church: