APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION

The Nicene Apostolic Church traces its Apostolic lineage through Syrian Jacobite, Old Catholic, Armenian Uniate, Russian Orthodox and Coptic Orthodox successions, and through the Roman Catholic line transmitted by Carlos Duarte Costa, the former Roman Catholic Bishop of Botucatu and founder of the Catholic Apostolic Church of Brazil.

The Eastern Orthodox Old Calendarist lines of succession were united with this lineage on October 24th 2015.

The Church combines the lines of Apostolic Succession received from Bishop Mark Elliott Newman, Presiding Bishop of the Catholic Apostolic Church of Antioch, with those received from Adrian Glover, Presiding Bishop of the Old Catholic Apostolic Church, and with those received from Archbishop Gavrilo, Eastern Orthodox Old Calendarist Archbishop of Prague.

Among the lines of Apostolic Succession received through Bishop Mark Elliott Newman are:

1 -- Old Catholic (See of Utrecht). Hampton – Spruit/Spruit – Newman – Hunt -- Barnard -- Garner.

2 – Syrian Jacobite. Vilatte – Lloyd – Lines – Boyle – Wadle – Spruit/Spruit – Newman – Hunt -- Barnard -- Garner.

3 -- Armenian Uniate. Newman – Maxey – Wadle – Spruit/Spruit – Newman – Hunt -- Barnard -- Garner.

4 -- Syro-Chaldean. Wadle – Spruit/Spruit – Newman – Hunt -- Barnard -- Garner.

5 – Anglican (non-juring). Newman – Maxey – Wadle – Spruit/Spruit – Newman – Hunt -- Barnard -- Garner.

Old Catholic (Utrecht Succession)

On 28 April, 1908, Gerardus Gul, Old Catholic Archbishop of Utrecht, consecrated Arnold Harris Mathew as Old Catholic Bishop for Great Britain.

On 28 October, 1914, Arnold Harris Matthew consecrated Frederick Samuel Willoughby.

On 13 February, 1916, Frederick Samuel Willoughby consecrated James Ingall Wedgwood, first Presiding Bishop of the Liberal Catholic Church.

On 13 July, 1919 James Ingall Wedgwood consecrated Irving Steiger Cooper, Liberal Catholic Regionary Bishop for the United States.

On 13 September, 1931, Irving Steiger Cooper consecrated Charles H. Hampton, Liberal Catholic Regionary Bishop for the United States.

On 22 June, 1957, Charles H. Hampton consecrated Herman Adrian Spruit, who became Archbishop and Patriarch of the Catholic Apostolic Church of Antioch.

On 7 October, 1980, Herman Adrian Spruit consecrated Meri Louise Spruit.

On 12 May, 2002, Meri Louise Spruit consecrated Mark Elliott Newman.

On 27 November, 2010, Mark Newman consecrated Leon Roger Hunt.

The lines of Apostolic Succession received through Bishop Adrian Stephen Glover, which are in essence those transmitted by Archbishop Nils Bertil Persson of the Apostolic Episcopal Church, include:

1 – Chaldean Catholic. Emmanuel II Thomas – Lefberne – Brooks – Maxey – Persson – Linley – Glover – Hunt -- Garner.

2 – Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch. Persson – Linley – Glover – Hunt -- Garner.

3 – Russian Orthodox. Alexei I, Patriarch of Moscow – Wendland – Skureth – Persson – Linley – Glover – Hunt -- Garner.

4 – Melkite. Cyril, Melkite Patriarch of Antioch – Savoya – Aneed – Maxey – Persson – Linley – Glover – Hunt -- Garner.

5 – Catholic Apostolic Church of Brazil.2 Costa – Castillo-Mendez – Barber – Persson – Linley – Glover – Hunt -- Garner.

6 -- Old Catholic (Liberal Catholic). Persson – Linley – Glover – Hunt -- Garner.

7 – Coptic Orthodox. Kirollos VI – Abuna Basilios – Haithman –Lewis – Linley – Glover – Hunt -- Garner.

Roman Catholic (Catholic Apostolic Church of Brazil)

On 3 May, 1948, Carlos Duarte Costa, former Roman Catholic Bishop of Botucatu and Maura, and founder of the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church, consecrated Luis Fernando Castillo-Mendez.

On 30 January, 1985, Luis Fernando Castillo-Mendez consecrated Forest Ernest Barber.

On 14 June, 1987, Forest Ernest Barber consecrated Nils Bertil Alexander Persson.

On 23 November, 2008, Nils Bertil Alexander Persson consecrated Andrew Linley.

On 26 September, 2009, Andrew Linley consecrated Adrian Stephen Glover.

On 27 November, 2010, Adrian Glover, acting with Mark Elliott Newman, principal consecrator, consecrated Leon Roger Hunt of the Autocephalous Catholic Church of Antioch.

Coptic Orthodox.

On 28 June, 1959, Kirollos VI, Pope of Alexandria, consecrated Abuna Basilios as Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

On 12 July, 1959, Abuna Basilios consecrated Mikael Gabre Kristos (Leo Haithman).

On 16 February, 1982, Mikael Gabre Kristos, Metropolitan of the Ethiopian Orthodox Coptic Church of North and South America, consecrated Phillip Lewis as Metropolitan.

On 23 November, 2008, Metropolitan Phillip Lewis consecrated Andrew Linley.

On 26 September, 2009, Andrew Linley consecrated Adrian Stephen Glover.

On 27 November, 2010, Adrian Stephen Glover consecrated Leon Roger Hunt.

The lines of succession received though Archbishop Gavrilo Matei are:

1 - Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia (ROCOR)

2 - Russian Orthodox Succession (Patriarchate of Moscow)

Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia

Vitaly Ustinov, First Hierarch of ROCOR, Metropolitan of New York, consecrated Sergii of Mansonville and Varfolomey of Grenada. (Epistle of First Hierarch, Metropolitan of Rocor, ‘To All the Faithful and Flock’, 24 November/7 December 2001, New and Old Calendar, declaring his personal participation in the consecration of + Sergii and + Varfolomey.)

Varfolomey of Grenada, Sergii of Mansonville, Antony Rudei, Metropolitan of Beltsk and Anastasy, Metropolitan of Vladivostok (all Old Calendarist Bishops of ROCOR) consecrated Archbishop Victor Pivovarov.

Archbishop Anthony Orlov, Archbishop Stephan Badaev and Archbishop Victor Pivovarov (all Old Calendarist Bishops of ROCOR) consecrated Ioann Zinoviev, Metropolitan of Zaporozhie (Ukraine) and Damascene Balabanov, Metropolitan of Moscow.

Metropolitan Damascene Balabanov, Andrian Zamlinsky, Metropolitan of Moldava, Metropolitan Ioann Zinoviev, and Onufrie, Metropolitan of Bergamo and Belarus (all Old Calendarist Bishops of ROCOR) consecrated Serafim Petru Ionut Dorobat, Metropolitan of Vaslui.

Serafim of Vaslui consecrated Gavrilo Matei, Archbishop of Prague and of Bohemia, of Moravia and Silesia.

Gavrilo Matei consecrated Leon Roger Hunt, Archbishop of Myrce.

Russian Orthodox Succession (Patriarchate of Moscow)

St. Vladymir Bogojavlensky, Metropolitan of Moscow, consecrated Anthony Khrapovitsky, Ukrainian Metropolitan of Kiev.

Anthony Khrapovitsky consecrated Anastassy Gribanovsky, Moldavian Metropolitan of Kishinev.

Anastassy Gribanovsky consecrated Leonty Filippovich, Metropolitan of Chile.

Leonty Filippovich consecrated Archbishop Akakios Papas of Talantion.

Akakios Papas consecrated Archbishop Auxentius Pastras of Athens.

Auxentius Pastras consecrated Gabriel, Ukrainian Metropolitan of Poland and Portugal.

Bishop Gabriel consecrated Vigil, Ukrainian Metropolitan of Paris (under Kiev Patriarchate).

Bishop Vigil consecrated Volodymir, Metropolitan of St. Julius Island.

Volodymir consecrated (under the omophorion of Filaret Denysenko, Eastern Orthodox Patriarch of Ukraine) Bonifacije Andrei Andrea Skulic, Metropolitan of Croatia.

Bonifacije Andrei Andrea Skulic consecrated Zaharia of Melk.

Zaharia of Melk, Serafim of Vaslui, Nectarie of Copoceana and Nathanail of Vienna consecrated Gavrilo Matei, Archbishop of Prague and of Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia.

Archbishop Gavrilo Matei consecrated Leon Roger Hunt, Archbishop of Myrce.​

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Concerning the Unity of the Catholic Church.

The episcopate is one; the individual members have each a part, and the parts make up the whole.

The Church is a unity; yet by her fruitful increase she is extended far and wide to form a plurality; even as the sun has many rays, but one light; and a tree many boughs but one trunk, whose foundation is the deep-seated root; and as when many streams flow down from one source, though a multitude seems to be poured out from the abundance of the copious supply, yet in the source itself unity is preserved.

Cut off a ray from the sun’s orb; the unity of light refuses division: break a branch from the tree; the broken member cannot bud; sever the stream from its fount; once severed it is dried up. So also the Church, flooded with the light of the Lord, extends her rays over all the globe: yet it is one light which is diffused everywhere and the unity of the body is not broken up.

She stretches forth her branches over the whole earth in rich abundance; she spreads far and wide the bounty of her onward flowing streams; yet there is but one head, one source, one mother, abounding in the increase of her fruitfulness. Of her womb are we born, by her milk are we nourished, and we are quickened from her breath.

Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, 200-258.

Documents of the Christian Church, Selected and Edited by Henry Bettenson ​