The Church of the Ascension
A Parish of the Anglican Catholic Church
13941 Braddock Road
Centreville, VA 20120
(703) 830-3176
Orthodox Faith
Catholic Order
Anglican Worship
© The Church of the Ascension, 2023
About The Anglican Catholic Church
The Anglican Catholic Church is part of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ, faithfully continuing the Anglican tradition. We practice and uphold the historic Orthodox Faith, Catholic Order, Anglican Worship, and Evangelical Witness of the traditional (unchanged) Anglican Church.
Today the Anglican Catholic Church is a worldwide body. It has churches in the U.S., the United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, Haiti, and South America. In 1984 the historic Church of India (Anglican) was received and constituted as the Second Province of the Anglican Catholic Church.
The Affirmation of St. Louis
The Affirmation of St. Louis was adopted by those Anglicans meeting in St. Louis in 1977 as a statement of principles to guide them and others in the establishment of the new Anglican jurisdiction. As such, it is a foundation document of our Church. (Read the full text here)
What We Believe
We believe in the One, Holy, Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We believe that there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved, and that most holy name is Jesus, Lord of heaven and earth. We believe that only through Him is the full revelation of God given to man and that we have the awesome responsibility to preach the Good News of salvation to all nations and tongues.
We believe that the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the authentic record of God's revelation to man and is a revelation valid for all men and all time. In the Bible we have God's revelation of Himself, His saving activity, and moral demands. We believe that all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works (2 Tim. 3:16).
Our History
In 1977 an international congress of nearly 2,000 Anglican bishops, clergy and lay people met in St. Louis, Missouri, to take the actions necessary to establish an orthodox jurisdiction in which traditional Anglicanism would be maintained, by returning to the fullness of the Faith of the undivided Catholic Church. Acting according to the principles determined by the seven great Ecumenical Councils of the ancient Church and adopting initially the name "Anglican Church of North America," they placed themselves under the jurisdiction of the retired Episcopal bishop of Springfield, Illinois, the Right Reverend Albert Chambers.
What is meant by 'Catholic' and 'Anglican'?
The word Catholic is often misunderstood as meaning Roman Catholic. But Rome has no copyright on the word. The words "Catholic Church" in ancient times referred to the universal Church, teaching the entire Faith of Jesus Christ which He gave to the Apostles. In our day, when the Church is sadly divided, the term Catholic Church denotes those branches of the Church who still teach the Apostolic Faith and continue Apostolic practice. The word Anglican refers to our heritage and roots in the Church of England. (Read more here)