Monday, May 19, 2025

The First Council of Nicea

1700 years ago today began the First Ecumenical Council of Nicea One, the Great Council of the 318 Fathers...

We believe in one God, the Father almighty,
maker of all things visible and invisible;
And in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
begotten from the Father, only-begotten,
that is, from the substance of the Father,
God from God, light from light,
true God from true God, begotten not made,
of one substance with the Father,
through Whom all things came into being,
things in heaven and things on earth,
Who because of us men and because of our salvation came down, and became incarnate and became man, and suffered,
and rose again on the third day, and ascended to the heavens,
and will come to judge the living and dead,
And in the Holy Spirit.
But as for those who say, There was when He was not,
and, Before being born He was not,
and that He came into existence out of nothing,
or who assert that the Son of God is of a different hypostasis or substance, or created, or is subject to alteration or change
– these the Catholic and Apostolic Church anathematises.



Tuesday, May 13, 2025

25th Wedding Anniversary

To my dearly beloved Megan, as we celebrate our SILVER Anniversary, our 25th Wedding Anniversary, on Tuesday 13th May 2025. I love you!
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The Prayer Book's Service for Holy Matrimony preaches the most effective sermon possible on the subject. God and Jesus and Saint Paul all agree, for various reasons, that Christian marriage is a good thing. As a result, following the Prayer Book, each member of the couple makes promises to God and to each other which concern his moral will.
They are promises he cannot possibly keep on his own. So by blessing the marriage God says, 'As long as you have the will to keep these promises, I will give you the grace and the help you need to do it.'
Today's wedding points out a custom which the Church of England and her lineal descendants share which is unlike the custom of any other Catholic church on earth. That is the custom that her clergy may marry. In the Roman Communion priests are not to marry, but married men can in some cases serve as priests. In Eastern Orthodoxy a married man may be ordained priest, but no priest may get married.
Our church's rule is that, since Holy Scripture in no way forbids it, the clergy are permitted to apply to themselves the same standards which Saint Paul lays out for all Christians in his First Epistle to the Corinthians. Saint Paul says some people are called to be married, and some people are called not to be married. Each state of life is a gift which carries its own advantages and disadvantages.
God doesn't think that either of the states is superior to the other. He leaves it to you and the Holy Ghost to figure out which gift you have and then act accordingly.
Father Chad stood before me when I made him a deacon and ordained him a priest, and he promised that his home and his family would be wholesome examples and patterns to the flock of Christ. Today he and Megan are taking a momentous new step in that direction.
Article of Religion XXXII, titled 'Of the Marriage of Priests,' says that it is lawful for the clergy as it is 'for all other Christian men, to marry at their own discretion, as they shall judge the same to serve better to godliness.'
Let us pray that the marriage begun here today will indeed serve Megan and Father Chad better to their own personal godliness, and that it will always stand as a wholesome example and pattern to us.
-The Most Reverend John Thayer Cahoon, Junior








The Four Orders of the Church

In this special episode, we're once again excited to have Bishop Chandler Holder Jones join Mining the Mysteries to explain the four orders of the church: episcopate, presbyterate, diaconate, and laity. The discussion covers the biblical basis for this structure, the importance of order, the difference between ontology and functionality in ministry, and addresses concerns about clericalism and accountability within the church.

Friday, April 04, 2025

DEUS SYNOD 2025

We are pleased to announce that registration for the Diocese of the Eastern United States Synod is now open! The event will occur at the Embassy Suites Greenville Golf Resort and Convention Centre in Greenville, South Carolina, with the Church of Saint George the Martyr serving as our host parish. One can find more information about registration, hotel, and the schedule on our website www.anglicanprovince.org under the Events tab.
The Synod will be held from 28th July to 1st August 2025. On Monday and Tuesday, various committees of the Diocese will meet. On Wednesday, there will be a Clergy Conference, a Deaconess Luncheon, and a Clergy Wives' Brunch. The Synod will begin at 1pm on Wednesday 30th July and will conclude after the banquet on Thursday evening. There will be a final Holy Mass on Friday morning for those who can attend before traveling.



Thursday, April 03, 2025

Saturday, March 15, 2025

Diocese of the Eastern United States Synod 2025

The Diocese of the Eastern United States Synod will be hosted by Saint George the Martyr Church, Simpsonville, South Carolina. The dates are 28th July to 1st August 2025. Committee meetings will be held on Monday and Tuesday. The Clergy Conference will be held on Wednesday morning and the opening of Synod will occur on Wednesday afternoon at 1pm. Please plan to stay for the banquet on Thursday night. An early travellers' Mass is the only Friday event. More details, including hotel information, are to follow. We look forward to seeing you there!




Wednesday, March 05, 2025

2025 Lenten Devotional

The Anglican Province of America Lenten Devotional



ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made, and dost forgive the sins of all those who are penitent; Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness. may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.


Sunday, March 02, 2025

The Wall Street Journal, Ten Years On

Ten years ago, on 3rd March 2015, my brother Father Brandon Holder Jones and I made the front page of the Wall Street Journal with this article about our conversion to the Sancta Catholica Ecclesia. We are identical twins and both priests in our respective Apostolic jurisdictions, the Anglican Province of America and the Roman Catholic Church. At the time, we joked that President Obama was actually below us on the front WSJ page! The article went viral and produced a remarkable array of reactions across the US and the world. Ten years on, by God's grace, we remain well and blessed, and more active than ever in pastoral ministry. God bless you.









Friday, February 14, 2025

Presiding Bishop's Epistle IX

The newest Presiding Bishop's Epistle for the Anglican Province of America.




Nicea 1700 Years On



Dearly beloved in Christ,
We believe in one God, the Father almighty,
maker of all things visible and invisible;
And in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
begotten from the Father, only-begotten,
that is, from the substance of the Father,
God from God, light from light,
true God from true God, begotten not made,
of one substance with the Father,
through Whom all things came into being,
things in heaven and things on earth,
Who because of us men and because of our salvation came down, and became incarnate and became man,
and suffered, and rose again on the third day, and ascended to the heavens, and will come to judge the living and dead,
And in the Holy Spirit.
But as for those who say, There was when He was not,
and, Before being born He was not,
and that He came into existence out of nothing,
or who assert that the Son of God is of a different hypostasis or substance, or created, or is subject to alteration or change
– these the Catholic and Apostolic Church anathematises.
With these words, the original version of our Creed (nicknamed ‘N’) from the First Ecumenical Council of Nicea I, which Council was held from 20th May 325 to early July 325, we celebrate in
this new year of grace and salvation the 1700th anniversary of the First General Council of the Holy Catholic Church. We encourage all parishes and missions of the Anglican Province of America to observe a special day or Sunday this year in commemoration of God’s gift to us of our statement of Orthodox and Apostolic Faith in the Most Blessed Trinity and the true Deity and Incarnation of Our Lord, God, and Saviour Jesus Christ. If one waxes bold, one may use this original version of the Nicene Creed at a special liturgy, a Creed which both clearly affirms the Eternal Son of God as homoousios, being of One Substance or Essence with the Father, and condemns with equal clarity all the pernicious errors of the heresiarch Arius. It is a remarkable year in which to be a Catholic Christian! 2025 is a momentous year in the history of Christ’s earthly Kingdom, Holy Mother Church.

The First Council of Nicea

1700 years ago today began the First Ecumenical Council of Nicea One, the Great Council of the 318 Fathers... We believe in one God, the Fat...