back to Anglican: +Compton-Caputo

The Free Protestant Episcopal Church

 

This church was established in England on 2 November 1897 by a union of

several small British episcopates established in the 1870s in

reaction to the rising Anglo-Catholicism of the Church of England.

 

The Most Rev'd Leon Checkemian (1848 to 1920), an Armenian Uniate

bishop had moved to Britain and became an protestant Anglican and served as

the first primate of the new Church.

 

Apostolic Succession in The Free Protestant Episcopal Church

 

This Church holds valid Apostolic Succession derived from the Armenian

Catholic Church, the Syrian Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and

the Church of England (through the Reformed Episcopal Church of the United

States of America). These lines were in the jurisdictions that united in

1897 to found the Free Protestant Episcopal Church.

 

The Anglican Succession is as follows. The Most Rev'd and the Rt. Honble Dr.

John Moore, Archbishop of Canterbury consecrated in 1787 William White as

the PECUSA bishop of Pennsylvania. He in turn consecrated in 1832 John Henry

Hopkins the PECUSA bishop of Vermont. Bishop Hopkins consecrated in 1866

George David Cummins the PECUSA assistant bishop of Kentucky.

 

In 1873 Bishop Cummins founded the Reformed Episcopal Church. The Succession follows from

him thus: 1873, Charles Edward Cheney, REC USA; 1876, William Rufus

Nicholson, REC USA; 1879, Alfred Spencer Richardson, REC USA.

 

Bishop Richardson later moved to Britain where he was involved in the work of the

Free Church of England. On 4 May 1890 he assisted in the sub conditione

consecration of Bishop Leon Chechemian. From Bishop Chechemian the

Succession continues thus: 1897, Andrew Charles Albert McLaglen, FPEC

Britain; 1922, Herbert James Monzani Heard, FPEC Britain; 1939, William

Hall, FPEC Britain; 1952, Charles Dennis Boltwood, FPEC Britain;

1958,Emmanuel Samuel Yekorogha,FPEC Africa;

1966,Albert J. Fuge, Sr., FPEC USA;

1971, Robert R. Rivette, FPEC USA;

1971,Horst-Karl F.Block, FPEC,London,Britain;

1972,Horst-Karl F.Block, FPEC Liberia, W.A.

History of The Free Protestant Episcopal Church This church was established in England on 2 November 1897 by a union of several small British episcopates that had been established in the 1870s in reaction to the rising Anglo-Catholicism of the mother Church of England. Protected by 4th Baron and 61st Archbishop William Conyngham Plunket of Dublin and sustained by The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr.Edward White Benson.(1883-96) The Most Rev'd Leon Checkemian (1848 to 1920), an Armenian Catholic Church bishop who had moved to Britain and became an protestant Anglican, served as the first primus (primate) of the new Church.The political element was a hindrance for CHECKEMIAN to return to Armenia,and in 1895 the work of all Churches was thron into confusion by the wellknown Armenian massacre.The Most Rev'd Charles Dennis Boltwood (1889 to 1985), the eighth primus (1959 to 1979), brought the Church to North America in 1958 when on a tour of the United States and Canada he consecrated bishops for both countries.The Most Rev'd Charles K.S. Moffat (1907 to 1989) was consecrated on 24 August 1958 by Rt.Rev'd C.D. Boltwood as the Metropolitan Archbishop of Canada. After his death in November of 1989, Dr.Moffat was succeeded as the Canadian head of the Church by the Most Rev'd Benjamin Charles Eckardt (1902 to 1993), the Archbishop of Ontario, whose headquarters was in London, Ontario. Archbishop Eckardt had also been consecrated by the Rt.Rev'd Boltwood in August of 1958. Due to a lack of episcopal oversight, the western congregations at Calgary in Alberta, Regina in Saskatchewan, and Brandon and Winnipeg in Manitoba disappeared and the Western Diocese was formally dissolved on 15 March 1991. The Church then carried on in Canada in its remaining Ontario Archdiocese under Archbishop Eckardt. Archbishop Eckardt died in January of 1993. At the time of his death the FPEC Archdiocese of Ontario had congregations in London, Toronto, Owen Sound, Windsor, and Holland Centre in the Civil Province of Ontario. Archbishop Rivette was consecrated in New York City on 19 October 1971 by Bishops Albert J. Fuge, Sr., assisted by Benjamin C. Eckardt, William C. Thompson, and Ernest P. Parish. In 1979 Primus Boltwood resigned his office and retired as Bishop Primus of the FPEC and as Archbishop of Great Britain at the age of ninety years. He transferred the office of Primus to the then Archbishop of the USA, the Most Rev'd Albert J. Fuge Sr. of New York City. The European and African bishops of the Free Protestant Episcopal Church strongly disagreed with this as they did not view the office of Primus as Archbishop Boltwood's to give.This transfer was not canonical nor in accordance with our Ecclesiastical Constitution. In 1979 de facto and in 1980 de jure, they elected the Presiding Bishop of France and Germany, Dr. Horst-Karl Block,Ph.D. of Mönchengladbach, Germany, as the tenth Bishop Primus. After Archbishop Fuge's death in the 1980s, he was succeeded as Archbishop of the USA by the Rt. Rev'd Robert R. Rivette (Ret.) of San Antonio, Texas. During the 1980s and 1990s the FPEC disappeared in the USA with its bishops either dying or starting their own or joining other Anglican /Independent Catholic bodies.