The Seminary of the Old Catholic Churches International
Called to Serve. Formed in the Faith of the Apostles.
Something has been stirring in you. A pull toward the altar, toward the care of souls, toward the ancient faith proclaimed in word and sacrament. If you sense a call to ordained ministry in the Old Catholic tradition, you have come to the right place.
The Old Catholic Institute is the official seminary of the Old Catholic Churches International, established in 2015 to form men and women for the diaconate and priesthood in the apostolic tradition of the Dutch Old Catholic Church. We stand in the tradition of the ancient Church of Utrecht, which has maintained its independence from Rome since at least 1122 and its fidelity to the Catholic faith of the undivided Church: the seven sacraments, the patristic consensus, the seven Ecumenical Councils, and the episcopate in historic apostolic succession.
We are neither Roman Catholic nor Protestant. We are Old Catholic, holding the faith once delivered to the saints as the Church held it before the divisions of the eleventh and sixteenth centuries. We receive Scripture within the living Tradition of the Church. We celebrate all seven sacraments. We maintain the threefold order of bishop, priest, and deacon. And we do so in communion with a global family of Old Catholic communities committed to the ancient faith, lived out in the present age.
Formation for Ministry, Where You Are
We understand that those called to serve do not always have the freedom to relocate, leave employment, or attend residential classes. The Old Catholic Institute offers fully online, self-paced, asynchronous formation: a rigorous graduate-level curriculum that meets you where you are without compromising the depth or integrity of your theological education.
Whether you are discerning a call to the permanent diaconate, the transitional diaconate, or the priesthood, our formation programs are designed to accompany you through the full arc of that journey, from your first courses in Scripture and theology to your final practica and ordination. Every course is taught from within the Dutch Old Catholic tradition, with Bishop Greer Godsey serving as your instructor and formation director.
This is not distance learning designed for passive consumption. It is an apprenticeship in the faith, demanding, formative, and pastorally grounded. You will read the Fathers of the Church. You will preach. You will write. You will be examined. And you will be formed.
Rooted in Tradition. Ready for Ministry.
The Church needs pastors who know the Scriptures, who can celebrate the sacraments with theological understanding, who can preach with both fidelity and pastoral wisdom, and who have been tested before they are sent. The Old Catholic Institute exists to produce exactly that kind of minister: a servant of the Word and Table who carries the ancient faith into the communities and lives entrusted to their care.
If you believe God is calling you to ordained ministry in the Old Catholic tradition, we invite you to explore our programs, review our curriculum, and reach out to begin a conversation. The Church is waiting for the ministers she needs. We are here to help form them.
Explore our programs. Begin your discernment. Answer the call.
The Old Catholic Institute, Seminary of the Old Catholic Churches International
Founded 2015 – oldcatholicinstitute.org