Homilies & Pastoral Letters
Pastoral Letter on Elections: Called to Be Witnesses of Christ in a Time of Division
(08/28/2024) In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit
As we approach another season of political campaigning, we find ourselves amidst a cacophony of voices, each striving to capture our attention and loyalty. English – Read the pastoral letter here.
Español – Lea la carta pastoral aquí
Presiding Bishop’s Statement in Support of Peace Talks in the Middle East
(06/06/2024) I begin many of my letters and formal communications with the salutation of “Peace”. I use it as an invitation for us to be free of anxiety and as a reminder to myself that as I write or speak to do so with hope that my words invite peace and not discord. You can read the letter here.
Presiding Bishop’s Pastoral Letter to the merging parishes in the Archdiocese of Baltimore
(06/02/2024) We in the American National Catholic Church, who draw on our shared faith and experience, note with some care for all of you who might be members of the parish communities which are closing or consolidating in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. You can read the letter here.
Christmas Message from the Presiding Bishop
(12/23/2022) Peace! Merry Christmas! I wanted to extend to all the People of God, clergy, and parishes of the American National Catholic Church my hope for all of us, the fullness of joy promised by the mystery of the Incarnation. You can read the letter here.
Presiding Bishop’s Pastoral Letter on the Respect for Marriage Act
(12/13/2022) Today, with the signing of the Respect for Marriage Act, we in the American National Catholic Church can rejoice that we have come a little closer to the proposition that all people are created
equal. You can read the letter here.
equal. You can read the letter here.
Presiding Bishop’s Pastoral Response to the shooting at Club Q
(11/21/2022)As the Christian community prepares to celebrate the liturgical season of Advent, a time to reflect on the themes of joy, hope, peace, and love, we prepare our hearts and minds for the celebration of Christmas; the mystery of the Incarnation; we as a nation are challenged by yet another act of gun violence and slaughter. You can read the letter here.
Presiding Bishop’s Pastoral Letter on the Uvalde Shooting
(05/25/2022) In the name of the Father, + the Son, and the Holy Spirit!
When Matthew the evangelist tried to describe King Herod’s slaughter of the Bethlehem innocents, the recollection of the event left him so dumbstruck with horror that he could only quote a passage from the prophet Jeremiah… You can read the letter here.
When Matthew the evangelist tried to describe King Herod’s slaughter of the Bethlehem innocents, the recollection of the event left him so dumbstruck with horror that he could only quote a passage from the prophet Jeremiah… You can read the letter here.
Presiding Bishop Urges COVID Vaccinations
(08/12/2021) As I write this, COVID is making an unwelcome and frightening comeback in the United States. Infections, hospitalizations, and deaths are on the rise. What began as a joyful spring season that promised the pandemic’s end has mutated into a summer of alarm at its resurgence. You can read the letter here.
Presiding Bishop Responds to USCCB on Communion
(06/22/2021) At their annual June meeting, the United States (Roman) Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB) voted by nearly a 3-to-1 margin to draft a teaching document on receiving Communion. You can read the letter here.
Presiding Bishop George Lucey Calls on Mr. Trump to Resign
(01/12/2021) The insurrection that resulted in the storming of the Capitol and the death of at least five persons, instigated by the incendiary and false insistence on the part of Mr. Trump and his allies that the November election was invalid, is not simply a body blow to American democracy. It’s also a mockery of cherished Christian values. You can read the letter here.
Presiding Bishop George Lucey Pastoral Letter on Resisting the Normalization of Indifference
(10/28/2020) The recent revelation that the U.S. government is unable to locate the mothers and fathers of some 545 migrant children taken from their asylum-seeking parents at the Mexican border should weigh heavily on the hearts of each American. You can read the letter here.
Presiding Bishop George Lucey Pastoral Letter on Growth as a Mindset in the Pandemic
(09/11/2020)One of the consequences to parishes and church communities of the prolonged social distance requirement of this pandemic is the potential of losing a sense of belonging to those communities. You can read the letter here.
Bishop George Lucey’s response to the comments of Archbishop Jose Gomez regarding the Supreme Court’s extending federal protection to LGBTQ
(06/17/2020) As Presiding Bishop of the American National Catholic Church, (www.TheANCC.org), I was unpleasantly surprised to read the comments by Archbishop Jose Gomez, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, criticizing and/or condemning the recent Supreme Court’s decision on upholding Gay Rights and their acknowledgment of the rights of Gay people to full acceptance in the institutional life of American society. You can read the letter here.
ANCC Presiding Bishop on the Murder of George Floyd
(05/30/2020) “I can’t breathe.” So gasped George Floyd shortly before he was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer last Monday. “I can’t breathe.” This isn’t the first time an African American man has uttered these terrible words. Six years ago, Eric Garner said the same thing as he was throttled to death by New York City police on Staten Island. You can read the letter here.
ANCC Presiding Bishop’s Plea for Peace between the United States and Iran
(01/08/2020) In the name + of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! It’s sorrowful that in this season of Christmas, a time in which Christians around the world joyfully celebrate the Nativity of the Prince of Peace, simmering hostilities between the United States and Iran erupted in violence: the White House-sanctioned assassination of an Iranian general and Iran’s retaliatory missile strike against two U.S. air bases. You can read the letter here.
An Open Letter to His Holiness Pope Francis
(10/08/2019) As Presiding Bishop of the American National Catholic Church (ANCC), it’s been on my mind and heart in recent months to write to you. I have two reasons for doing so. You can read the letter here.
Presiding Bishop’s Pastoral Letter on the Mass Shootings in California, Texas and Ohio
(08/05/2019) Once more, the nation reels in stunned dismay at gun violence, on horrific display no fewer than three times in the space of a single week. Innocent men, women, and children in Gilroy CA, El Paso TX, and Dayton OH are the latest victims of the rage and hatred that roams the land like a ravenous lion seeking prey. You can read the pastoral letter here.
ANCC Responds to Vatican’s Condemnation of Gender Fluidity
(06/13/2019) The American National Catholic Church (ANCC) is dismayed and disappointed at the release this week of a document from the Vatican’s Congregation for Catholic Education, which condemns gender fluidity as “nothing more than a confused concept of freedom in the realm of feelings and wants.” You can read the pastoral letter here.
Presiding Bishop’s Pastoral Letter on the Tree of Life Synagogue Tragedy in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
(10/28/2018) Once again it is my sad duty as Presiding Bishop of the American National Catholic Church to express my shock and sorrow at another senseless mass shooting. On Saturday, October 27, a gunman entered the Tree of Life or L’Simcha synagogue in Pittsburgh and opened fire on the congregants gathered there for worship, killing eleven sons and daughters of the Covenant and wounding many more. You can read the pastoral letter here.
Presiding Bishop’s Pastoral Letter on the clergy abuses in Roman Catholic Churches in Pennsylvania
(08/20/2018) Last week brought yet another horrific revelation of the sexual, psychological, and physical abuse of children perpetrated by spiritually unworthy Roman Catholic priests and covered up by timid bishops. A grand jury report, in the making for two years, disclosed that over 1,000 children in six Pennsylvania dioceses had been molested by 300 priests over a seventy-year span. You can read the pastoral letter here.
Presiding Bishop’s Pastoral Letter on the Crisis of Immigrant Children
(5/28/2018) “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Gen 4:9) We read in the Hebrew scriptures that this is the question Cain, murderer of his brother Abel, threw at God in an attempt to justify his bloodguilt. It has been on my mind these last few weeks as we learn about the harm our nation’s increasingly harsh immigration policies are inflicting on innocent children. You can read the pastoral letter here.
Presiding Bishop’s Pastoral Letter on the Sin of Racism
(1/13/2018) Racism is a terrible sin, founded on the pernicious falsehood that some human beings are inferior simply because of the color of their skin and hence are undeserving of respectful and fair treatment. You can read the pastoral letter here.
Presiding Bishop’s Pastoral Letter on Gender Identity
(12/22/2017) + In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit! In mid-Advent, a season in which the faithful joyfully anticipate the birth of the Christ-child, the United States Council of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) released a letter praising “natural marriage”—that is, union between one man and one woman—and condemning transgender identity on the grounds that “human beings are male or female and that the socio-cultural reality of gender cannot be separated from one’s sex as male or female.” You can read the pastoral letter here.
Presiding Bishop’s Pastoral Letter on Warlike Rhetoric and White Nationalism
(08/14/2017) + In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit! The past week has been one that surely has grieved and frightened all persons of good will. First, the current president alarmed the world with breathtakingly bellicose threats directed at the North Korean regime. You can read the pastoral letter here.
Presiding Bishop’s Pastoral Letter on Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas Paprocki’s refusal of Christian burial to persons in same-gender relationships
(06/24/2017) Earlier this month, Thomas Paprocki, Roman Catholic bishop of Springfield, IL, issued a decree ordering priests in his diocese to refuse communion and Christian burial to persons in same-gender relationships. You can read the pastoral letter here.
Presiding Bishop’s Pastoral Letter on the President’s Withdraw from the Paris Accord
(06/05/2017) The psalmist tells us that “the earth is the Lord’s, and all that dwells therein.” This reminds us of the fact, proclaimed in Genesis and affirmed by centuries of Hebraic and Christian tradition, that God’s creation is good and that we humans are called to be grateful stewards of it. You can read the pastoral letter here.
Bishop’s Pastoral Letter for Good Shepherd (Vocations) Sunday
(05/05/2017) Traditionally, the fourth Sunday of Easter, “Good Shepherd Sunday,” is an occasion to remind the faithful of the importance of vocation. You can read the pastoral letter here
Presiding Bishop’s pastoral letter on the November 2016 Presidential Elections
(11/03/2016) Most Rev. George R. Lucey, Presiding Bishop of the American National Catholic Church, has issued a pastoral letter on the coming presidential elections. You can read the letter here
Presiding Bishop sends his greetings to the Orthodox Church as they prepare for their Holy and Great Council
(06/18/2016) Most Rev. George R. Lucey, Presiding Bishop of the American National Catholic Church sends his joyful and fraternal greetings as the Orthodox Church prepares for their Holy and Great Council. You can read the letter here
ANCC Bishop Calls for an End to Gun Violence
(10/29/15) The Most Rev. George R. Lucey, FCM, presiding bishop of the American National Catholic Church, expresses his grave moral and spiritual concern over what has been correctly called an “epidemic” of gun violence in the United States You may read the letter here:
Bishop Lucey congratulates Right Rev. Michael Curry for being elected the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church
(07/01/15) The Most Rev. George R. Lucey, FCM, presiding bishop of the American National Catholic Church congratulates Right Rev. Michael Curry for being elected the 27th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. You may read the letter here: Bishop’s Letter
Bishop Lucey’s Response to Archbishop of Newark regarding Fr. Anthony Lipari’s laicization
(03/18/15) The Most Rev. George R. Lucey, FCM, presiding bishop of the American National Catholic Church responded to the Archbishop of Newark’s mean-spirited notification of Fr. Anthony Lipari’s laicization. We in the ANCC are not in opposition to Rome and find the tone of Archbishop Myer’s notification the antithesis of Christian charity. You may read the letter here: Bishop’s Response
Bishop Lucey’s 2014 Christmas Greetings
(12/24/14) The Most Rev. George R. Lucey, FCM, presiding bishop of the American National Catholic Church has issued a letter to the church for Christmas. You may read the letter here: Christmas 2014 Letter.
Bishop Lucey’s 2013 Christmas Greetings
(12/25/13) The Most Rev. George R. Lucey, FCM, presiding bishop of the American National Catholic Church has issued a letter to the church for Christmas. You may read the letter here: Christmas 2013 Letter.
Bishop Lucey’s Post-Convocation Letter to the Clergy
(08/20/13) In response to a Spirit-filled gathering of the clergy and deacons of the American National Catholic Church (ANCC), Bishop Lucey, issued a letter of reflection. You may read the letter here:
Bishop Lucey’s 2012 Letter for Pentecost
(4/8/12) The Most Rev. George R. Lucey, FCM, presiding bishop of the American National Catholic Church, has issued a letter to the Church for Pentecost. You may read the letter here: 2012 Pentecost Letter
Bishop Lucey’s 2012 Easter Greetings
(4/8/12) The Most Rev. George R. Lucey, FCM, presiding bishop of the American National Catholic Church, has issued an Easter Pastoral Greeting. You may read the letter here: 2012 Easter Pastoral Letter
Bishop Lucey’s 2011 Christmas Greetings
(12/25/11) The Most Rev. George R. Lucey, FCM, presiding bishop of the American National Catholic Church, has issued a letter to the church for Christmas. You may read the letter here: Christmas 2011 Letter
Pastoral Letter by Bishop Lucey Regarding Recent Liturgical Language Changes by the Roman Catholic Church
(12/1/11) The Most Reverend George R. Lucey, FCM has issued a Pastoral Letter regarding the recent liturgical language changes by the Roman Catholic Church and the ANCC’s decision to continue to use the Roman Missal 2 translation of the New Order of the Mass (Novus Ordo).
Read the Pastoral Letter here.
Bishop Lucey’s 2011 Advent Greetings
(11/28/11) The Most Rev. George R. Lucey, FCM, presiding bishop of the American National Catholic Church, has issued a letter to the church for Advent. You may read the letter here: Advent Letter.
Bishop Lucey’s Homily at the installation of Fr. Anthony Testa as Pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Long Branch, NJ
(1/13/11) The Most Reverend George R. Lucey, FCM, presiding bishop of the American National Catholic Church, preached the homily at the welcome Mass of Thanksgiving for the installation Fr. Anthony Testa as pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Long Branch, NJ.
Preamble Statement by George R. Lucey, FCM, Presiding Bishop of The American National Catholic Church
(10/4/09) Preamble statement by Bishop Lucey to the Canons of The American National Catholic Church. Read statement here
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