Anglo-Catholic societies, also known as Catholic societies, are associations within the

Anglican Communion The Anglican Communion is a Christian Full communion, communion consisting of the Church of England and other autocephalous national and regional churches in full communion. The archbishop of Canterbury in England acts as a focus of unity, ...

which follow in the tradition of

Anglo-Catholicism Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholicism, Catholic heritage (especially pre-English Reformation, Reformation roots) and identity of the Church of England and various churches within Anglicanism. Anglo-Ca ...

. They may be devotional or theological in nature. Many trace their origins to the Catholic revival in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

which started with the

Oxford Movement The Oxford Movement was a theological movement of high-church members of the Church of England which began in the 1830s and eventually developed into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose original devotees were mostly associated with the Un ...

in the 19th century. Although some make specific reference to the Church of England in their foundation documents, the vast majority extend their membership and influence to adherents of all member churches of the wider Anglican Communion,See, for example, th
reference
of CBS to international membership. and often also to those non-Anglican churches that are in full communion with the See of Canterbury (for example, to the

Lutheran Church Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched the Reformation in 15 ...

es through the

Porvoo Communion The Porvoo Communion is a Communion (Christian), communion of 15 predominantly northern European Anglican and Lutheran, Evangelical Lutheran churches, with a couple of far-southwestern European (in the Iberian Peninsula) church bodies of the sa ...

Origins

The various societies were founded for many different reasons. Some have specific focuses, such as an emphasis on

Mariology Mariology is the Christian theological study of Mary, mother of Jesus. Mariology seeks to relate doctrine or dogma about Mary to other doctrines of the faith, such as those concerning Jesus and notions about redemption, intercession and g ...

, or on liturgical questions (including the

Blessed Sacrament The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an ordinance in others. Christians believe that the rite was instituted by J ...

), supporting vocations amongst those who share Anglo-Catholic ideology, promoting study, encouraging devotion, or promoting pilgrimage to different sacred sites (especially those associated with

Our Lady of Walsingham Our Lady of Walsingham is a title given to Mary, the mother of Jesus, venerated by Catholics and high-church Anglicans. According to tradition, the title is linked to a Marian vision experienced in 1061 by Lady Richeldis de Faverches, an Angl ...

). In the nineteenth century, many of the older societies had a role in supporting both clergy and laity who found their Anglo-Catholic practices or beliefs challenged through the civil courts by protestant organisations, as part of the then current disagreement concerning

ritualism in the Church of England Ritualism, in the history of Christianity, refers to an emphasis on the rituals and liturgical ceremonies of the Church, specifically the Christian practice of Holy Communion. In the Church of England, Anglican church in the 19th century, the ro ...

. Those prosecuted ranged from relatively unknown parochial clergy (such as Fr

Arthur Tooth Arthur Tooth (17 June 1839 – 5 March 1931) was a ritualism, ritualist priest in the Church of England and a member of the Society of the Holy Cross. Tooth is best known for being prosecuted in 1876 under the Public Worship Regulation Ac ...

) to prominent leading churchmen of the day (such as Bishop Edward King).

The Church Union The Church Union is an Anglo-Catholic advocacy group within the Church of England. History The organisation was founded as the Church of England Protection Society on 12 May 1859 to challenge the authority of the English civil courts to determi ...

is an example of a society founded to provide legal and moral support to those Anglo-Catholics persecuted for their beliefs. Today these organisations have assumed different objectives.

Divisions

The issues of the

ordination of women The ordination of women to Minister of religion, ministerial or priestly office is an increasingly common practice among some contemporary major religious groups. It remains a controversial issue in certain religious groups in which ordination ...

and of

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...

have caused disagreement amongst Anglicans, including those of the Anglo-Catholic tradition, and these differences of opinion have had repercussions for the Catholic societies. Some societies have declared that their membership is open only to male priests, or those opposed to the ordination of women. Other societies have been founded specifically to cater for those who are open to, or support, women's ordination. Some, such as the

Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament The Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament (CBS), officially the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ, is a devotional society in the Anglican Communion dedicated to venerating the Real Presence of Christ in the ...

, have publicly declared that they are open to membership from those opposed to or in favour of women's ordination, but for the sake of internal unity will only permit male priests to hold office in the society, or to preside at the society's meetings and liturgies. Likewise, some societies have publicly opposed same-sex marriage, while others are expressly LGBTQ+-affirming. An umbrella organisation entitled

Catholic Societies of the Church of England Anglo-Catholic societies, also known as Catholic societies, are associations within the Anglican Communion which follow in the tradition of Anglo-Catholicism. They may be devotional or theological in nature. Many trace their origins to the Catholic ...

has been founded to unite those societies which oppose the ordination of women.

Current societies

The catholic societies in this table are currently active in the life of the Church of England, and (in most cases) other Anglican provinces.

Former societies

The catholic societies in this table are no longer active.

References

{{Anglicanism (footer), collapsed Church of England societies and organisations Anglo-Catholicism

Origins

Divisions

Current societies

Former societies

See also

References