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| Logo by Mario Zeleny |
St. Clement of Alexandria Seminary is the official seminary of the Universal Catholic Church; its mission is to train clergy for the worldwide church and to provide continuing theological education for those interested in deepening their knowledgeof all things spiritual.
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| Photo by Stuart Miles |
We offer three tracks of study:
1. Postulants to Holy Orders
2. Certification in lay theological studies
3. Personal enrichment
Upon satisfactory completion of all specified course work, postulants are awarded as authorized by the State of California Private Post-Secondary Education Act:
- A Bachelor’s Degree in Divinity
- For those who have already earned an undergraduate degree, the Seminary awards a Master of Divinity.
- For those in the Lay Theology Program, a Certificate of Completion is issued.
Our primary purpose is to provide training for Christian Ministry within the Universal Catholic Church. Even so, we welcome all whose intellectual curiosity regarding matters theological, historical, and spiritual leads them to apply.
We hope to provide a challenging, rewarding experience for all who aspire to the Higher Call of service in Christ.
Courses are taught in a distance-learning format. The instructors try to make him or herself available as much as possible via post, email, or telephone to answer questions that may arise. Upon successful completion of any given course, a letter of completion is provided so the student may then enroll in the next course in the sequence.
We invite you to apply and to join the growing liberal, independent Catholic Movement, building a firmer foundation for the most noble work anyone can do, serving Our Lord and Teacher, Jesus Christ.
Acceptance to the Seminary does not guarantee acceptance as candidate for Holy Orders, as certain residency requirements, time for discernment, a background check, and the express recommendation of one’s Bishop must be included for elevation to Orders. Additionally, candidates for Holy Orders will be required to present themselves for personal instruction by their Ordinary.
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THE UNIVERSAL CATHOLIC CHURCH
The Universal Catholic Church (UCC) is a Christian church formed in 2007 with headquarters based in the United States. The Church traces its founding to Jesus and the Twelve Apostles and regards the bishops to be the literal successors of the Apostles, holding their keys of authority. The Universal Catholic Church considers itself to be part of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church and to be both Catholic and Liberal. While it derives its Apostolic Succession from the Old Catholic Church, the UCC is not in full communion with either the Utrecht Union, or the Roman Catholic Church, and differs with them theologically in several important respects.
In the United States, as of 2011, the UCC has five dioceses, which are the diocese of the west (Alaska, Hawaii, California, Washington, Oregon, and Nevada), the diocese of the southwest Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado), the diocese of Texas (Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana), the diocese of the middle-Atlantic (Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and Washington D.C.) and the provincial diocese.
The Liberal Catholic Movement exists to forward the work of her Master Christ in the world and to feed his flock. It draws the central inspiration of its work from an intense faith in the living Christ.
The UCC is an independent and self-governing body within the Liberal Catholic Movement. It is neither Roman Catholic nor Protestant—but Catholic. It traces its apostolic succession to the Old Catholic Church of Holland that came into existence as a result of a complete re-organization of the Old Catholic Church in 1915- 1916 in Great Britain. The UCC formed from the Old Catholic Church through the Liberal Catholic Church.
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| Photo by Matt Banks |
The UCC combines the Catholic form of worship—its stately ritual, its deep mysticism and its abiding witness to the reality of sacramental grace—with the widest measure of intellectual liberty and respect for the individual conscience.
This Church is governed by its General Episcopal Synod, the highest authority within the UCC. The Presiding Bishop is the ranking prelate of the Church. National hierarchies are divided into provinces (and dioceses as the case may be) under the Episcopal guidance of Regionary, Diocesan and auxiliary bishops as well as occasional Bishops Commissary. Some areas are directly under the jurisdiction of the Presiding Bishop where the local work of the Church is not highly developed.
