Yesterday is History, Today is a Gift, Tomorrow is Mystery

Clergy of the ICATX

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The clergy of the Catholic Church of Texas are dedicated servants of Christ, committed to preserving the sacred traditions of the Catholic faith. Under the leadership of Archbishop Elliot Esch, our clergy uphold the teachings of the Holy Apostles, ensuring that the Church remains steadfast in its mission. Each clergyman is ordained through apostolic succession, carrying forward the sacred responsibility of shepherding the faithful, administering the sacraments, and safeguarding the purity of Orthodox doctrine.

The Church’s apostolic succession is rooted primarily in the Thục line, flowing from Archbishop Pierre Martin Ngô Đình Thục to Bishop Moisés Carmona, then to Bishop Pancratius, to Bishop Esch, and from him to all current bishops except two. One of these, Bishop Gregory, was originally consecrated by Archbishop Eros and Bishop John de la Cruz—two bishops of distinct Vilatte‑derived lineages—according to the older canon requiring two consecrators, and was later re‑ordained by Bishop Esch, bringing him fully into the Thục succession. The other, Bishop Dmitri (now defrocked), came from a Ukrainian Old Calendarist movement that had separated from ROCOR under Metropolitan Vitaly and was consecrated at the age of thirty‑three. Alongside these episcopal lines, the Church’s priestly and fraternal society connections—formed through shared sacramental life, common discipline, and mutual recognition among traditional clergy—further strengthen the continuity and integrity of its apostolic heritage. Through this united succession, together with our unwavering fidelity to the Traditional Latin Mass according to the 1954 Missal, the Holy Scriptures in the Latin Vulgate, the ancient creeds and confessions, the canons, and the theological scholarship of the ages, the Church stands in full continuity with the historical Roman Catholic tradition. Yet more profoundly, through the grace of the sacraments and our living communion with Christ, we belong to the eternal Church—the Body of Christ, the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church that transcends time and remains forever united to the Apostles and to the Lord who founded it.

Synodal Bishops/Archbishops