The roots of the Celtic Christian
Church go deep, and into the personal religious history of both Bishop Joseph
Grenier, and Rev. Cait Finnegan. Some of their early personal history can
be read on this website on other pages which highlight our foundation
community or ministries,
St.
Ciarán's,
as
well as the page which tells about
Our Presiding Bishop.
Other influences in their lives include not
only their families of origin, which were both devoutly Roman Catholic, but the
circles surrounding them as they themselves began to follow Christ's call.
Joseph began novitiate with the
Augustinians of the Assumption (The Assumptionist Fathers) in 1952. His
spirituality was greatly influenced by his Franco-American family and the
spirituality of his religious order. When, in 1980, he married Cait
Finnegan, this spirituality remained and deepened within their marriage.
During the first two years of their marriage he worked for a non-profit
organization directed by a Jesuit and located at Fordham University. He
also studied computer programming and worked for a publishing company. At
that time he and Cait became very involved in CORPUS (Corp of Resigned Priests
United for Service) whose members were all married Roman Catholic priests who
remained willing to serve as priests in the Roman Catholic Church, while
remaining married to their wives.
At the same time, they became involved
in a "support group" for women who were involved with Roman Catholic priests,
understanding that priests and women in that situation rarely felt safe sharing
their lives with others, and therefore hid their relationships until they were
able to announce their wedding, or as sadly happens all too frequently, the
woman discovered she was involved with a priest who was abusing his power and
did not love her. Eventually, Joseph and Cait began directing this support
group and renamed it Good Tidings (to relate it to the scriptural reference to
Christ's presence among us in our lives). That ministry escalated into
full-time for Cait, and nearly full-time for Joseph. 
It was then that they
relocated to the Poconos in Pennsylvania, and began offering hospitality to
those women and priests who loved one another and who were honestly discerning
their own futures, and to those women who had suffered from the abuse of
clerical power from some priests. This ministry evolved into regularly
scheduled times of fellowship and liturgy, with some of these profoundly wounded
women knowing they would never again return to the Roman Catholic Church or
confess to or trust a Roman Catholic priests. Cait's ministry in these
circumstances is what awakened her to a call to priesthood.
In 1996 Cait and a friend went to
Ireland and spent time with the married priests in Dublin, and with Cait's
family in Longford. During that time in Ireland, among family and friends,
and her ancestral roots, Cait's early childhood spirituality returned in a
profound way, renewing her spirit. She talked with the married Irish
priests who were reading Matthew Fox's ORIGINAL BLESSING, and they remarked how
they'd never lost what Matthew was discovering through Creation
Spirituality--their Celtic Christian Spiritual roots. That sparked an
epiphany moment for Cait, and when she returned home to Pennsylvania she knew
that it was a Celtic spiritual home she sought, and that the Latin Rite was not
where she was most profoundly at home. Joseph, on his part, was reading
the work of Matthew Fox on Creation spirituality as well, and he too sensed a
call to another spiritual path, that seemed more of a home for him. When
they talked and prayed, and investigated Celtic Christian spirituality together,
it gradually became very clear where they both were called.
At that time several
people were gathering in Joseph and Cait's home regularly for a shared
Eucharist, and fellowship. They introduced Celtic Christian
spirituality, and the reality of the
Old Catholic Church and
Independent
Catholic Churches which were rooted in Roman Catholicism, and preserved
the sacramental life in their Churches. These Churches also shared
in apostolic succession as part of the historic Catholic Church.
After discussions, prayer and reflection, the community choice was to
follow a Celtic Christian spirituality, and join with a Celtic body of
Churches. At this same time, others were contacting Joseph and
Cait regarding beginning cell communities, and St.
Ciarán's Fellowship
of Celtic Christian Communities as an Independent Old Catholic Celtic
Rite Church was born on
April 6, 1997 with the consecration of Father
Joseph Grenier to the episcopacy. Soon after, Cait founded a Celtic religious
order,
The Order of the Merciful Christ for men and women
who were called to live by the Rule of St. Columba.
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Spiritual Direction
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St.
Ciarán's
Fellowship joined what was
at that time called: The Celtic Christian Communion, as a third Church
family, along with Bishop Ivan MacKillop of the Church of the Culdees in
Oregon, and Bishop Thomas Faulkenbury of the Anamchara Celtic Church in
Texas. The Celtic Christian Communion continued for another year
and dissolved over differences regarding "open Communion" or "inclusive
Communion."
St.
Ciarán's
Fellowship held strongly to welcoming Christians to our Eucharist, as
did the Anamchara Celtic Church. When the Celtic Christian
Communion dissolved, St.
Ciarán's Fellowship then changed its legal name
to The Celtic Christian Church, and continued to reach out to others who
felt called by Christ to live a Celtic Christian spirituality in the
Church Catholic.
Since the members of
the Church were scattered around the country, it was decided to have a
yearly retreat together, which was called a "spiritual ceili" borrowing
that term from Bishop Faulkenbury. It was time to pray and
play together and celebrate their Celtic Christian Faith. These
yearly gatherings continue in various retreat centers chosen each year.
As the years passed,
the Celtic Christian Church welcomed its second bishop, Katherine Kurtz, who joined the Celtic Christian Church
on November 6, 2001, as already
a consecrated bishop, transferred from the Apostolic Catholic Orthodox Church,
and
presides over All Angels Jurisdiction. Bishop Katherine's career as an
author is combined with her spiritual ministry. The third
bishop, Wilson Finnery, who was consecrated July 13, 2002 by Bishops
Joseph Grenier, Raymond Kelly and Williard Shultz of The Catholic
Apostolic Church of North America at the Kenbrook Retreat Center, and served St. Brendan's
Jurisdiction since then.
On that same weekend
at our Church's yearly spiritual ceili we celebrated the ordination of
Deacon Brenden Fleurinck, and the Profession of Vows of Sister Patricia
McClellan and Brother Seaghn O'Meara of the Order of the Merciful
Christ. (The Order of the Merciful Christ, an ecumenical Celtic
order, eventually became independent of the Celtic Christian Church to
more easily welcome members of other denominations.)
Today, the Church
continues to grow slowly, and beautifully, seeking not "corporate
growth" but spiritual growth, with its members seeking to serve God and
neighbor. We are a Church based upon the early Celtic Christian
growth of "cell communities" which when they become too large to
maintain the spiritual intimacy of true communities whose members know
one another, break into two communities, with the second community
calling forth a leader, or a leader naturally emerging from the first.
We are not in a rush to build an institution, but rather are on fire to
share the Good News of God-With-Us.
Bishop Joe Grenier at CCC 2009 Spiritual Ceili
the Celtic
Christian Church
