The White Robed Monks of St. Benedict

Incardination/Licensure Program

TO:         Ordained Catholic Clergy

FROM:   The Bishop-Abbot, White Robed Monks of St. Benedict

Peace be with you.

Please forgive the somewhat formal tone of this letter. My intention is to clarify our possible working ministerial relationship and to maintain sacramental integrity within the sprit of compassion.

The purpose of our Incardination/Licensure Program is to offer the People of God a specific spiritual context to realize their sacramental needs and to offer ordained Catholic clergy a spiritual (rather than institutional) context within each may participate in its charism through incardination and to insure sacramental integrity flowing from the bishop-priest relationship.

Incardination may be offered to those clerics currently without a bishop. Licensure may be offer to those currently with a bishop and who may wish to serve The People within the context of the White Robed Monks of St. Benedict as well as within the context of their incardinated ecclesia.

The White Robed Monks of St. Benedict (WRBs) serve those who generally no longer find Roman Church Law, specifically, and to a lesser extent institutional religion, in general, a relevant issue in their personal lives. (Some of these people may be known as Contemporary Catholics.) Yet, these people appreciate the sacraments and spiritual life. A goal of the WRBs is to be present to the laity and offer them what they seek, without question, in the spirit of compassion and non-judgment. The WRBs' appreciation of Christ is that he never turned anyone away who sincerely came to him seeking his assistance.

Some Catholic clergy (bishops, priests, deacons) in transition wish to continue their priestly ministry. They do not have an ecclesial context within which to function, some being without a bishop others wishing to serve in a spiritual rather than institutional context. (Some may question the sacramental integrity of their ministerial functioning if they serve others sacramentally without episcopal acknowledgement, given the historical sacramental bond between deacon/priest and bishop.) The WRBs offer three types of incardination: Regular (explained below), In Pectore and Sub Rosa Incardination for those serving in another public venue (such as Rent-a-Priest) wherein regular public incardination status with the WRBs might bring political or other type of difficulty to the petitioner.

The WRBs extend an invitation to such clerics to serve within the context of the WRBs. (The WRBs are recognized by the IRS as a publicly supported religious order. Bishops/Priests/Deacons incardinated are authorized by local governments in the USA to solemnize marriages as allowed by civil law.) The WRBs serve independently within the tradition of the Dutch (Old) Catholic Church. (The Abbot-Bishop traces his Apostolic Succession through several lines: Armenian, Dutch (Old), Orthodox, and Roman, among others.) Bishops, Priests, Deacons wishing incardination do not have to become monks of the WRBs, although they are welcome to do so as a separate vocation/issue.

1. Upon incardination (or licensure), the Bishop-Abbot would grant you faculties to serve sacramentally within the context of the WRBs and, by implied episcopal consent, in emergencies as needed. Besides satisfying questions of sacramental integrity, such documentation also satisfies pastors of churches asking for clergy certification when a cleric ministers in their church. Many Protestant and all Unitarian Churches are open for our use. Some ask for clergy certification (not wanting "mail-order" ministers officiating in their places of worship). In that the White Robed Monks of St. Benedict serve all without question, clerics receive implied faculties to celebrate liturgies in all Eastern and Western Rites. Please refer to Synopsis: Incardination Process for specific incardination procedures.
   
   
2. The people whose marriages you solemnize receive a Marriage Certificate from the WRBs. WRBs keep an official record of marriages. The WRBs have an intake form that serves as permanent documentation. (Same for Baptisms and Confirmations.)
   
   
3. The WRBs request 5% (outside San Francisco Deanery) or 10% (inside SF Deanery) of a donation you may receive. Your donation helps the WRBs defray advertising and operating costs as well as supporting is educational programs. The WRBs advertise in local and national papers. If the WRBs provide (at your request) Marriage Packets, then the WRBs request an additional $5.00 each; for WRB Information Packets (giving Laity an ecclesial context as well), an additional $5.00 each. Postage and handling service fee as appropriate.
   
   
4. Our relationship would be that of equals, our roles differing as to function. We are ministers of The Word. We serve the People of God. As a bishop, I am your servant as well. My wish is that we are present to one another for support and guidance for the benefit of those whom we serve, ourselves and our families. I ask for no promise or vow of obedience to me as a bishop. As a monk, I ask us to listen to the Lord, speaking to us as He may. We are being obedient when we are listening through (ob + audiens) our perceptions (illusions), beliefs (delusions), and stories (allusions).
   
   
5. The WRBs ask that you complete the Network Application Form and a Incardination Application Form, which will be followed by a request to (perhaps edit and) sign a Ministerial Services Agreement that further delineates our working relationship for our mutual responsibility, appreciation, understanding, integrity, and service. (Attached is a Letter of Testimony regarding possible encounters with the legal system and a W-9, if a USA citizen). Please be clear: you do not have to become a monk, follow a rule, or maintain a monastic practice. (You will automatically become an affiliate of the Benedictine Network.) All that we ask is that you be responsible for your personal integrity as a human being bring human serving The People in light of your ordination.
   
   
6. Re dogma, etc. As you may have gleaned from the other documents in this web site, the WRBs are not dogmatic. Christ was not. He only had two commandments: love God, love neighbor. Our approach is that of being fluid rather than flexible or inflexible. Being fluid like water, the WRBs take the shape of any container (the wants and needs of the people we serve) while maintaining our own personal integrity. Water in a cup, a cruet, a straw, a cistern is still water. We are offering the people we serve an opportunity to be (perhaps again) at peace with themselves and God (whomever or however one may or may not conceive God). Our goal is that of all religion: to close that gap between the individual and God, that sense of alienation or separation.
   
   
7. If you wish to meet and/or discuss further, please contact me directly either by phone (USA: 415-292-3228) or by e-mail to Father Abbot.

Synopsis: Incardination Process
Incardination Application Form
Cleric-Abbot-Bishop Relationship: Presence and Service

Peace and Joy to you and yours.

The Bishop-Abbot, White Robed Monks of St. Benedict