Statement of Intent

The Society of Blessed John XXIII is an international society of Roman Catholics who wish to live their faith in the full Spirit of the Second Vatican Council, which was called by Pope John XXIII and convened from 1962 to 1965.

Some of us are Roman Catholics who have for years been working for reform within the structure of the Church and, having been frustrated in that attempt, wish to quietly live out our Vatican II faith while letting the rest of the Church peacefully go their own way. While we have not given up the hope that some day the whole Church will adopt the reforms needed to fully implement the documents of Vatican II in the Spirit of Blessed John XXIII, we have accepted the fact that the current bent of the hierarchy means that it will not happen in our lifetimes. Not wishing conflict with others in the Church, we intend to cease our attempts at reform, and simply proceed to live our faith as best we can within the Church as it is.

Others of us left the Roman Catholic Church and joined other churches whose doctrine and practice were more in line with our conception of what the Church should be. Most of us became Old Catholics or Independent Catholics. Some of us even became Protestants for a while. Some dropped out entirely and became unchurched. Gradually we have come back to the Roman Church, attending Mass at a progressive parish (if we could find one). But hierarchical pressures on even the best of parishes have made this almost impossible. We now intend to create our own parishes, missions, and intentional communities under the protection of the Society, remaining fully Roman Catholic, while operating free of the rigid dictates of hierarchical interference.

We have valid Catholic bishops in apostolic succession who have agreed to assist us in this endeavor. Some of our clergy are Roman Catholic priests who, having left active ministry for various reasons are returning to serve the Society's parishes. Others are validly ordained clergy from the Old Catholic/ Independent Catholic movement who have joined us. If additional clergy are needed, they will be raised up from within the laity, elected by the people, and ordained by our bishops in apostolic succession.

Because we are “conservative” and “traditional” Roman Catholics (in the true sense of those words), we will be returning to some practices of the Early Church which have long been neglected, but which are in the Spirit of Vatican II. Among these practices are the election of bishops by the people, ordination without regard to marital status, gender, or sexual orientation, and ownership of property by the people rather than by the hierarchy.

It is our hope that, having gone through the painful separation from and reconciliation with the Society of St. Pius X, the Church will not pressure us or threaten us with excommunication. We do not condemn or denigrate any other part of the Church. (Nor do we condemn or denigrate Christians who are not Roman Catholic.) We wish only to be allowed to practice our faith within the Church in accord with the dictates of our conscience.

Most Rev. Dr. Robert M. Bowman, COSF
Fr. Jerry Brohl, COSF
Michael F. Iott,
Society of Blessed John XXIII