Who We Are

The EPISCOPAL - CATHOLIC church welcomes you!

We are SACRAMENTAL in Worship, CATHOLIC in Spirit, ORTHODOX in Faith, and PROGRESSIVE in Love.

  • Church of the Risen Christ & St. Mary Episcopal Catholic Church are independent parishes within the Episcopal - Old Catholic communion.

    Our Manual
    The Holy Bible with Deuterocanonical/Apocryphal Books of the Old Testament (KJV, NRSV or ESV)

    The Book of Common Prayer

    Our Message
    Jesus Christ crucified, buried, risen and coming again!

    We believe God loves you with no exceptions! There are no conditions on the unconditional love of God.

    Our Goals
    To Worship God
    To Grow in holiness
    To Seek the Old Paths
    To share the Faith with others

  • A desire to live out our individual & collective faith in God among our community. We seek to demonstrate God's care for every person in real and practical ways, inviting those we meet to discover a personal relationship with Christ, grow as His disciple, and join us in impacting our community with knowledge and love of God found only in Christ Jesus

  • To Inspire, Experience and Share the Reality of Christ through Word and Sacrament.

    Further, our mission is to spread the word of the Holy Scriptures, offer the sacraments and provide the church to those that seek it, and can't find it elsewhere. We do not (and will not) spend our time doing debate. This simply is not practical. We share Jesus and the love that God has for ALL people. We are a vibrant community steeped in tradition, bringing the concepts and precepts of the Ancient Apostolic Churches to our modern age. We are open, Christ centered, Scripture based, non-judgmental and non-political.

  • Praise & Worship - A life lived and given back in worship of God

    Liturgical & Sacramental Worship - The value of holy & historical worship

    Preaching & Teaching Scripture - Biblical teaching from the Word of God

    Evangelism & Outreach - Sharing the life-changing message of Jesus Christ

    Missions & Missionary Work - Being salt & light wherever God calls

    The uniqueness of each person - Every person matters to God

    Diligent pursuit of a personal relationship with Christ - Endeavoring to run the race set before us.

    The Trinity - God the Father, Son & Holy Spirit as confessed in the Nicene Creed

    Demonstrating Christ's love & compassion -Bearing others burdens & the hope found in God

    Fellowship - Joining and enjoying the community of Faith

  • Episcopal meaning governed by Bishops of valid Apostolic succession (or Orders). Bishops are successors to the Apostles and, among other secular and ecclesiastical duties, confirm new members to the Church. The Faith teaches and we believe that children are covered by Baptismal grace. At the age of discretion, children are given Catechism and Confirmation instruction, after which they receive the Sacrament of Confirmation conferred by a Bishop and their first communion. We do this as a balance between catholic and reformed teaching and is Scripturally based, partly on St. Paul's words in I Corinthians 11:29, "discerning the Lord's body."

    Although we are episcopal, we are not in communion nor have any affiliation with The Episcopal Church, USA or The Protestant Episcopal Church in North America (The Episcopal Church or “TEC”).

  • Catholic yet not Roman. The Church is universal, holding earnestly the Faith for all time for all people and part of the historic Undivided Church, tracing its teachings and ministry to the early Apostolic Church instituted by Jesus Christ, the Seven Ecumenical Councils, and the unanimous consensus of the Church Fathers.

  • While the Church is one, it adapts itself to differing cultures and circumstances. We believe in the freedom of individual churches, dioceses and provinces to respond to the needs of the particular people they serve. Independence does not mean that a parish or diocese or any other level of church government has the right to change the Faith.  Each congregation owns its own property. Neither the bishops nor the conventions of this Church make political decisions for the people of the Church. Christians are bound to make their political decisions and exercise their rights in the light of the Gospel.

  • A traditional parish of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church instituted by Our Lord Jesus Christ. In our worship, we profess the orthodox Christian Faith by joyfully proclaiming the timeless Gospel of our Saviour and celebrating the seven Holy Sacraments as received in the canonical Holy Scriptures and the teachings of the Church Fathers. In our services, we use a liturgy based on the Book of Common Prayer, which contains prayers and affirmations of Faith dating to the beginning of Christianity and the traditional Anglican liturgy. This liturgy has been continuously used in parishes since it was first published in 1549 Book of Common Prayer.

  • We are a part of Christ’s One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.

    Our Communion
    The Episcopal—Catholic Free Communion

    The Table of Christ: An Interdependent Sacramental Communion

    Our Province
    The Episcopal Free Fellowship

    Our Diocese
    The Diocese of St. Patrick

  • The story of the Church of the Risen Christ is one of faith and growth. The parish founded in 2009 as St. Francis Old Catholic Church started with very little. After many years of praying, planning, fundraising, and the generosity of many other churches donating, the parish is growing into a thriving faith community.
    2009 - The Old Catholic Church started an independent mission in Memphis, TN. The Rev. Fr. Tommy Shepperd founded and served as the parish’s first Priest.

    2019 - The parish closed public services due to the pandemic. Post-Pandemic times made the church struggle to reopen. As a result, the church went entirely online.

    2023 - Fr. Tommy was called to serve another parish and Rev. Fr. Justin L. Gates was called to serve as the parish’s second Priest.

    2024 - The Parish was a mission of the Free Anglican Mission Society. M. Caleb Hayes was licensed as the parish’s first lay reader. The mission parish was moved and replanted in Trenton, TN. With the move, the parish reorganized and renamed the church as the Church of the Risen Christ. The decision was made to retain the history of the parish as St. Francis by naming the chapel in his honor. A new patron saint was being prayed about.

    2025 - The Parish unanimously voted to leave the Free Anglican Mission Society and unite with the Episcopal-Catholic Communion, in the Diocese of St. Patrick, province of the Episcopal Free Fellowship of America. Thus, allowing the parish to return to its Old Catholic roots. The Rev. Fr. Justin L. Gates was incardinated. M. Caleb Hayes was ordained into the Holy Order of Deacons, becoming the parish’s first permanent deacon. A new Patron Saint for the parish was named. St. Mary Magdalene was chosen.

    COMING SOON is the Memphis Mission. St. Mary Episcopal Catholic Church will soon be in the greater Memphis area.

  • From our earliest days, the Church of the Risen Christ (formally St. Francis Old Catholic Church) has carried a story of faith, resilience, and renewal. Founded in 2009 under the patronage of St. Francis of Assisi, our community was built upon Francis’s vision of humility, simplicity, and love for all creation. His spirit of welcome and compassion remains a living part of our heritage.

    In 2024, through prayer and discernment, our parish embraced a new chapter of life. We placed ourselves under the patronage of St. Mary Magdalene, the first witness of the Resurrection and the Apostle to the Apostles. Once misunderstood and rejected, Mary was chosen by Christ to proclaim the Good News to the world. She embodies our mission as a parish of hope, restoration, and bold witness to the Risen Lord.

    To honor our history and preserve our roots, our chapel remains dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi. Here, we remember the simplicity of the Gospel and the call to love without boundaries.

    Together, St. Mary Magdalene and St. Francis remind us that our parish is both rooted in tradition and renewed in resurrection.

  • Information coming soon!

  • St. Mary Magdalene (Feast Day: July 22)
    The Apostle to the Apostles. Once misunderstood and rejected yet chosen by Christ as the first witness of the Resurrection. She represents new beginnings and dignity restored.

    Who she was: 
    A close follower of Jesus, often misunderstood in history. She was freed by Christ (Luke 8:2 mentions seven demons cast out of her) and became one of His most faithful disciples.

    Why she matters:

    • Wrongly branded for centuries as a prostitute, she symbolizes the experience of being mislabeled, misunderstood, or excluded.

    • She stood by Christ when nearly everyone else abandoned Him—present at the Crucifixion, the Burial, and the Resurrection.

    • Christ entrusted her first with the Good News of the Resurrection, making her the “Apostle to the Apostles.”

    Patronage themes:
    Repentance, new beginnings, dignity restored, steadfast discipleship, evangelization.

    For our parish: 
    She embodies the Church for the rejected—someone written off by others but lifted up by Christ to a place of honor and witness.

The Episcopal - Catholic Communion History

The Church of the Risen Christ stands within the historic stream of the Independent Episcopal Catholic Movement—a family of churches that uphold the catholic faith, apostolic succession, and sacramental life while exercising ecclesial autonomy from the Roman See. This movement, rich in history and diversity, represents a continuing effort to preserve the ancient faith in contexts of freedom, accountability, and local mission.

Early Foundations of the Independent Catholic Tradition

The origins of the independent Catholic movement may be traced to the early eighteenth century, when questions of jurisdiction and authority began to surface among bishops of the Western Church. In 1724, Dominique Marie Varlet, a Roman Catholic bishop, consecrated Cornelius Steenoven as Archbishop of Utrecht without papal approval. This act—though carried out in fidelity to apostolic order—resulted in separation from Rome and the establishment of what became known as the Old Catholic Church of the Netherlands.

From this pivotal event emerged the principle that episcopal authority and apostolic succession do not depend solely upon papal jurisdiction, but upon the Church’s continuity in faith, order, and sacramental grace. The Old Catholic Church thus became a refuge for clergy and faithful who desired to maintain Catholic doctrine and worship without submission to papal infallibility or centralized control.

The Nineteenth Century and the Birth of the Old Catholic Union

The nineteenth century witnessed renewed tension over the nature of papal authority. The First Vatican Council of 1870 defined the doctrine of papal infallibility and universal jurisdiction, causing many clergy and theologians to separate from Rome in conscience. These believers coalesced around the historic See of Utrecht, forming the Union of Utrecht of the Old Catholic Churches—a communion maintaining the creeds, sacraments, and episcopate of the undivided Church while rejecting excessive papal prerogatives.

This movement provided the theological and ecclesiological foundation upon which later independent episcopal and Catholic jurisdictions would build.

Expansion to Britain and North America

The Old Catholic witness soon reached the English-speaking world. In 1908, Arnold Harris Mathew, a former Roman Catholic priest, was consecrated as Regionary Bishop for Great Britain by the Old Catholic Church of the Netherlands. Within two years, Mathew declared autonomy, forming the Old Catholic Church in Great Britain, a body committed to the Catholic faith expressed through the Anglican patrimony.

In North America, Joseph René Vilatte, consecrated in the Old Catholic line, organized what would become the American Catholic Church in 1915. Through these and similar efforts, the Independent Episcopal Catholic movement took root across the Western world—often referred to as the Independent Sacramental Movement, a broad family of bishops, clergy, and laity preserving the essentials of Catholic faith and worship outside of Roman or Anglican jurisdiction.

The Anglican Free Communion and Episcopal Free Fellowship

The Independent Episcopal Catholic expression continued to evolve throughout the twentieth century. Among the more stable and recognizable branches to emerge was the Anglican Free Communion (International)—a worldwide fellowship of autonomous Catholic and Anglican jurisdictions united by shared faith, apostolic succession, and mutual recognition of orders.

Out of this fellowship arose the Episcopal Free Fellowship, a communion formed to provide a more flexible, pastoral structure for ministries and parishes seeking to uphold catholic order and evangelical zeal without the burdens of excessive bureaucracy or distant hierarchy.

The Church of the Risen Christ is proud to be part of this continuing lineage. Through the Episcopal Free Fellowship, we affirm communion with like-minded jurisdictions who share our devotion to the creeds of the undivided Church, the seven sacraments, the apostolic ministry of bishops, priests, and deacons, and the worship of God in the richness of liturgical tradition.

Distinctive Marks of the Independent Episcopal Catholic Witness

While independent jurisdictions vary in size and governance, certain convictions unite us:

  • Apostolic Succession: We uphold the unbroken continuity of episcopal ordination from the apostles through the laying on of hands, ensuring sacramental validity and ecclesial integrity.

  • Sacramental Life: We celebrate the seven historic sacraments of the Church, especially the Holy Eucharist, as the central act of worship and the true presence of Christ among His people.

  • Orthodox and Catholic Faith: We adhere to the ancient creeds—the Apostles’, Nicene, and Athanasian—as faithful summaries of Christian truth.

  • Autonomy in Communion: Each jurisdiction governs itself independently while maintaining bonds of fellowship and mutual recognition with sister churches.

  • Inclusivity and Mission: Many independent episcopal communities, including ours, extend full sacramental ministry to all the faithful, regardless of marital status, gender, or background, recognizing that the grace of God is not constrained by institutional boundaries.

The Continuing Witness of the Church of the Risen Christ

Our parish life and mission are rooted in this rich and often misunderstood heritage. We are Catholic in faith and worship, Episcopal in order and governance, and Independent in spirit and mission. The Church of the Risen Christ seeks to embody the balance of tradition and freedom that has defined the Independent Episcopal Catholic movement for over three centuries.

We exist not in opposition to the larger Church, but in service to it—preserving the apostolic faith and sacramental life in a form that is pastoral, accessible, and faithful to the Gospel of Christ. Through our connection to the Episcopal Free Fellowship, we participate in a global family of believers who share the same vision: a catholic church renewed by the Spirit, rooted in tradition, and open to all whom Christ calls.

The history of the Independent Episcopal Catholic movement is, at its heart, a story of faithfulness and freedom—faithfulness to the unbroken apostolic tradition, and freedom from institutional constraints that hinder pastoral care and spiritual growth. From the early Dutch Old Catholics to the present-day Episcopal Free Fellowship, this movement continues to remind the world that Christ’s Church is both ancient and living, catholic and free.

In that spirit, the Church of the Risen Christ continues its mission: to preach the risen Lord, to administer the sacraments of grace, and to uphold the faith once delivered to the saints—una sancta catholica et apostolica Ecclesia (Latin for “the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church”).