Welcome
The Old Catholic Communion of North America also known as The Old Catholic Church of North America is comprised of traditional Old Catholic Churches which retain the orthodoxy of the early Church. You will find our parishes to be welcoming places of worship and family oriented. Divorced and remarried people are welcome. All Baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are welcome to receive Holy Communion. We hope and pray you take time to study the information on our sites pages and if seeking to return the orthodoxy and Truth of the Early Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church at the time of the creeds you will visit and worship in one of our parishes where we believe you will find a home. In closing we are not a, “new church” following “new theologies”, we seek and follow the ancient path and invite you to walk with us.
"Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls." Jeremiah 6:16
About the Old Catholic Church
The Fathers of the Old Catholicism sought to abandon the path of the Roman Catholic Church and return to the faith of the undivided church which Rome embraced as well at the time of the Early Church. This was when the entire church was truly catholic in that all communions professed the same orthodox or right teachings. This means we like all true Old Catholic Churches reject the dogmas (required as essential) of, The Infallibility of the Pope, The Immaculate Conception of Mary (that Mary was conceived without sin), and the Assumption of Mary. None of these beliefs were considered to be dogmas and binding on all faithful for more than 1,800 years. Old Catholics also do not profess the teaching of Purgatory, mandatory celibacy, and many others’ beliefs which were not found in the church of the first 1,000 years. The Old Cathoic Communion / Church of North America is truly orthodox in beliefs and theology but western in customs and practices.
The Bishop's Pen
Communion
Life in Christ
Family of Believers
We Are Orthodox Old Catholic
This means we are not Roman Catholic and instead profess the orthodox faith of the Early and Undivided Church which was the intent of the founders of Old Catholicism. A time before one church claimed supremacy. A time before the Pope was declared infallible. A time when only Jesus was proclaimed as immaculately conceived. With this in mind we would like to say that we are not a western rite Eastern Orthodox Church - we are in all reality what Rome used to be - western and orthodox..
We Are Liturgical, Sacramental, and Apostolic
Our parishes celebrate Holy Eucharist using either our Missal or they may use other rites depending on the makeup of the congregation being served. We profess and provide seven Sacraments and allow all Christians baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit to receive Holy Communion.
We Are Ecumenical
We seek unity with all “catholic” churches and communions who profess the beliefs and theology of the Early Church and have valid apostolic succession. This includes other orthodox Old Catholics, Eastern Orthodox. and Anglicans.
Welcome to Those Seeking an Old Catholic Church that is faithful to the orthodoxy of the Early Church.
We invite you to prayerfully consider whether the Old Catholic Church / Communion of North America may be the home to which God is calling you. Whether you are a parish seeking a province rooted in the orthodoxy of the Early Church or clergy discerning a community where your vocation can flourish, the OCCNA offers a place shaped by the historic orthodox faith. It would be our joy to welcome you into a fellowship where all clergy are entrusted with the sacramental and liturgical life of the Church, guiding the faithful in worship, teaching, and moral formation. A fellowship of clergy whose mission is rooted in the belief that the Church is the “living temple” of the Holy Spirit, and that through the Eucharist, proclaiming the Gospel, administering the sacraments, and fostering a life of prayer, fasting, and charity and other sacraments, believers are united with God and one another.
Archbishop Michael Nesmith is a senior leader within the Old Catholic Communion of North America (OCCNA), serving as Archbishop and Ordinary of the Province of the East, also known as the Archdiocese of the Holy Spirit. His ministry reflects an ecumenical spirit shaped by pastoral service, theological study, and a bi-vocational model of clergy leadership.
Raised in a Roman Catholic household, Nesmith’s early formation centered on parish life and sacramental worship. He and his wife, Kathy, were married in 1972 and are the parents of three grown children. Their family life has remained an enduring foundation for his pastoral identity and public ministry.
After his Roman Catholic upbringing, Nesmith later joined the Episcopal Church and served in multiple lay ministries. Through study and discernment, he embraced Old Catholicism and pursued Holy Orders. He was ordained to the transitional diaconate in May 1999 and to the priesthood in September 1999. That same year, he and Kathy helped establish All Saints Parish in Clarksville, Tennessee. He was consecrated a bishop on 7 June 2003 at the Cathedral of Jesus of Nazareth in Orlando, Florida, in a service led by Bishop Paul H. Combs, with Bishops Joseph D. Dolence and Orlando Hyppolitus Lima (OSM) assisting. Drawing on professional management experience, he supported the establishment of Old Catholic missions and parishes in Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee. In 2016, he was elected to serve as Archbishop of the OCCNA.
Selected Publications
- History and Beliefs of the Old Catholic Church and OCCNA (2003)
- Old Catholic Missal / Service Book (2012)
- What is Old Catholicism 2025