History of the Gnostic Church

The Primitive Foundations of The Ecclesia

As a mystery church, the Gnostic Ecclesia has always been with us, though due to the
brutal treatment of these lines of succession in the west, we find no reference to an
organized church of Gnostic Sacraments after the demise of the Cathar Churches.
Instead, we find numerous appearances, throughout Europe, of secret orders
anonymously proclaiming to be the true repositories of the ancient and hidden (occult)
Gnosis.

While the very landmarks of these orders prohibited them from openly claiming to be
such, such orders as the Brotherhood of the Rosy Cross (i.e. Rosicrucians) as well as
Martinists of a later period, Freemasons, and Orders of Military Templars, were known
agents of the gnosis. The Roman Church never ceased its open declaration of war on
these bodies and all who follow them.

By the late 18th through early 19th centuries in France, a serious movement was
underway from within the Roman Catholic Church of France to return the Gnostic
Throne of John to the Western World. This involved numerous ecclesiastics, including
Mauviel (consecrated in 1800 at Paris) and Fabre-Palaprat (later consecrated by
Mauviel), who was a leading Masonic and Templar figure of his country. These men,
both initiates of the Resurrected Order of Templars, founded the Eglise Johannites des
Chretians Primitifs. In 1831, a Mr. Chatel was initiated into the Order of the Temple and
was reconsecrated by the Primate of the Johannite Catholic Church.

At the same time that the Johannite Church was established in France, another more
esoteric body (le Oeuvre de le misericorde) was being formed by the Roman Catholic
Pierre-Eugene-Michel Vintras. However, Vintras was unable to avoid trouble with many
of the ecclesiastical authorities of the Roman Church in France, having been condemned
along with his movement by the Archbishops of Bordeaux and Nancy, even by Pope Pius
IX himself in 1851. After a period of flight from France, during which time he toured
Europe, Vintras eventually returned to Lyon, there to found the Sanctuary Interior of the
Carmel of Elie' and later the Carmel Blanc in Florence, Italy. He died in 1875, but many
of his consecrated "Pontifs Divins" continued to propagate this Carmelite Society along
strongly spiritualistic lines, as an underground church. The movement of this hidden
ecclesia persisted throughout the 19th century in France and drew many Grand Masters
of the Arcane Orders, who also continued to move in the shadows of the ongoing mystic
and esoteric movements of this fascinating period. At this time, four sacred gnostic
colleges were evolving: The Johannite, The Carmelian, The new Valentinian and The
Universelle Gnostique Eglise. Yet it was not until the end of the 19th century that they
would be plummeted to international prominence through the agency of Arch Bishop
Rene Vilatte.

The Vilatte Succession

Joseph Rene' Vilatte was born in Paris in 1854. He received the diconat and prebyterat at
Berne, Switzerland from Bishop Herzog of the Old Catholic Church of Utrecht in 1885
and returned to America, where he assumed a pastoral post at the Old Catholic Church in
Dykesville, Wisconsin. Having in mind the intent to expand the Old Catholic Church in
North America, Vilatte would eventually seek the position of Bishop. In 1891, Vilatte
sought and received alliance from Archbishop Vladmir, the Russian Orthodox Bishop of
the Aleutian Islands and Alaska, and Julius Alvarez, Metropolitan of the Independent
Catholic Church of Ceylon, Goa and India. In 1892, after consultation with Ignatius
Peter III, Patriarch of Antioch, Alvarez consecrated Vilatte as Bishop.

In 1900, Vilatte consecrated Paolo Miraglia-Gulatti, who in turn consecrated Julian

Houssye (Abbe Julio). Houssye ascended to the Primacy of the Gallican National
Catholic Church of France.

In 1911 Houssye consecrated Louis Francois Giraud as Archbishop in the Old Catholic
Chapel at Aire, near Geneva, Switzerland. Both Houssaye and Giraud were in extremely
close communion with four Gnostic Colleges of France as well as many of the Arcane
orders which were in strict concordance with those bodies.

The Eglise Gnostique Universelle

In 1890 Jules Doinel founded the Universal Gnostic Church, one of the aforementioned
sacred colleges of Gnosis in France. Doinel assumed Patriarchal rank and consecrated
three Bishops: Papus (Dr. Gerard Encausse), Sedir, and Chamuel, who were, in their own
right, prestigious leaders of Arcane Orders active in France. They formed the Sacred
Synod of the Gnostic Ecclesia and, through the action of Fabre des Essarts, French
symbolist poet and close friend of Gnostic Bishop Houssaye, they undertook to enter the
Universelle Gnostique Church into the communion of the Eglises Gallican (Catholique).

In 1913, Giraud consecrated Jean Bricaude, an ex-Trappist monk. Bricaud had come to
his new status with very illustrious credentials, for by this time he held the titles of
President de la Societe Occultiste Modaile, Patriarch de L'Eglise Gnostique Universelle,
President du Supreme Consiel de L' Ordre Martiniste and Grand Hierophant du Rite
Ancient and Primitif de Memphis-Mizraim and Rectuer de la Rose Croix. Bricaud
gathered in Lyon, France a very strong following of Gnostic clergy and lay folk, and in
1918, consecrated Victor Blanchard.

Bricaud died in 1934 and was replaced by Constant Martin Chevillon, who was elected to
the Patriarchate and consecrated as such by Giraud in 1936. Chevillon, like his
predecessor, was a man of achievement, but also of courageous and saintly character. He
incurred the severest fear and hatred of Adolph Hitler. After the puppet Vichy
government suppressed the Ecclesia, on March 22, 1944 Chevillon was taken to a
cathedral and gunned down by the Nazis and French militia men under the Gestapo
subservience of Klaus Barbie, also known as "the Butcher of Lyon'.
The Roman Catholic Succession of Brazil and the Gnostic Church
With the deadly shroud of the second world war having been drawn back, the EGCA
began to spread from France to Portugal, Italy, Belgium, North Africa and South America
(especially Brazil), where eventually it merged its succession with that of the Roman
Catholic Succession of the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church. The National Brazilian
Catholic Church was established some time after June of 1945 after Pope Pius XII gave
benediction to Nazi and Fascist troops in St. Peters Square in 1943.

In 1970, Dom Antidio Vargas, formerly Orthodox Bishop of Brazil and Archbishop of
the Brazilian Catholic Church, consecrated Pedro Freire as Patriarch of the EGA. Freire
had previously been the Primate of South America. As Patriarch, he succeeded Mauer,
who had been elected by the Synod of the Church in 1969.

Pedro Freire did much to propagate the Church in the Americas. On December 31, 1970,
he established the Primacy for North America and appointed to this post the Metropolitan
Roger St. Victor Herard, in Ecclesia Tau Charles, as Primate located in Chicago, Illinois.
With the death of Pedro Freire in 1977 the Synod of the Gnostic Catholic and Apostolic
Ecclesia failed to elect a successor and permitted the Ecclesia to become autocephalous
(independent of external and patriarchal authority).

The Sacramental Ministry

The Apostolic ministry of the Gnostic Catholic Ecclesia is in its origin established to
institue the sacramental ministry for the Arcane Orders of Initiation throughout the world,
severed from the One Holy Catholic Church after the first French revolution by Clement
XIV, Bishop of Rome and which continues to be maintained today by the present
occupant of this chair.

The Gnostic Catholic Ecclesia continues to acknoledge and maintain a concordance with
numerous of the chains of ancient and classical traditions of initiation.

We acknowledge and uphold the unity and the hypostasis of the Holy Trinity and Christ
our Lord the Logos, who, abiding in the heart of the Divine Pleroma, confers to his
faithful, salvation through grace, which is inseparable in its essence from the Holy
Gnosis.

"We recognize One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, the communion of the Holy
Aeons and saints, custodians of the essential wisdom of the race, who preach the great
law, who live and labor unselfishly dedicated to the advancement of all beings." We look
to the coming Parousia of the Logos and absorption of this world into the Universal Will
hence bringing to an end the Universe of the Demiurgos, and his wheel of existences, the
ultimate of Perfection and Unity.

We proclaim the necessary intercession of Our Holy Mother Sophia, and the Esoteric
prominence of the Throne of John, Beloved of our Lord and to who He gave His
revelations.
Of these confessions we are profoundly realized and make public to all beings daily in
the Gnostic Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

The Apostolic Succession of the Gnostic Catholic Church

The Gnostic Apostolic Church has its origin in the affiliation of the very important
Antioch Church which was before the Alexandrian Church and was the most important
intellectual center of Christianity and which gave birth to the Edesse Church. Here is the
summary of its Apostolic Succession.

The following is the report of the "ANTIQUITATES ANTIOCHENAE" from Simon

Pierre the Apostle, First Bishop of Antioch, until the 125th degree of succession:

1. Simon Peter Apostle consecrated Evodius, the Bishop and Patriarch of Antioch;

126. Ignatius Peter III, Patriarch of Antioch and Eastern See, who consecrated in 1877
A.D.;

127. Mar Paul Athanasius, Syriac Bishop of Kotayan, who consecrated in July 29, 1889;

128. Julius I, Antoine Francois Xavier Alvarez, Bishop of Ceylon, whom consecrated in
May 29, 1892;

129. Mar Timotheus, J. Renee Vilatee, whom consecrated May 6, 1900;

130. Paul, Paolo Miraglia, who consecrated December 4, 1904;

131. Julio, Julien Houssaye, whom consecrated June 21, 1911;

132. Francois, Louis Francois Giraud, who consecrated July 12, 1913;

133. Jean II, Jean Bricaud, whom consecrated May 5, 1918;

134. Targelius, Victor Blanchard, whom consecrated January 7, 1945;

135. Eon II, Roger Menard, whom consecrated June 10, 1946;

136. Jean III, alias Robert, Bishop of Samaria, Robert Ambelain, whom consecrated
January 26, 1958;

137. Andreas, Andre Mauer, second Patriarch of the Gnostic Apostolic Church;

138. Tau Jean, Roger Pommery consecrated by Robert Ambelain in May 26, 1958, who
consecrated in September 16, 1967;

139. Tau Guillaume, Willer Vital-Herne

Tau Charles Harmonius II (L'Eternelle Acolyte)

The Gnostic Catholic Ecclesia in the Americas

The Krumm-Heller Order
In the early part of the 20th century, Papus authorized Dr. Krumm-Heller was authorized
to establish orders of the Great Work (Martinist, Freemasonic and Rosicrucian orders) in
France, Mexico and South America. He was also a Bishop of the Doinel line of the
Gnostic Church. Krumm-Heller was attracted to the mysteries of the Mayan and Inca
civilizations. Among the natives of these regions, he established the "Fraternitas
Rosicruciana Antiqua".

The Post World War II Recovery of the Universal Gnostic Church and
The American Expansion of the E.G.A.
Due to the efforts of Krumm-Heller, as well as the surge of migration of Europeans
fleeing to South America during World War II, the occult and esoteric population of
Latin America grew to produce a strong renaissance. Meanwhile, in Europe, Robert
Ambelain had become patriarch and began the recovery of the Gnostic Church in
founding the Universal Gnostic Church, as it was known since the patriarchate of Jean
Bricaud and the martyred Constant Martin Chevillon. During the 1950's, Ambelain
authored and translated many Gnostic and Masonic works and recovered the Gnostic
Archives. Ambelain recognized the growing gnostic spirit in the Americas. In 1956, he
consecrated Pedro Freire of Brazil, as Bishop Primate of Latin America, who consecrated
Fermin Vale Amesti, as Primate of Venezuela and Central America.

In 1967, the patriarch Mgr. Roger Pommery, upon learning that certain French Bishops
had ordained a woman to the episcopate, called a World Wide Synod of the Bishops of
this Church. This synod failed to resolve the issue with an overall consensus, and when
certain French Bishops continued the practice, the Belgian Bishops deserted and gave
way to the formation of an opposition church known as the New Alliance. Pommery's
health failed, and the patriarchy passed to Andre Mauer. Mauer retained the office
briefly because of poor health and eventually passed the chair to Dr. Pedro Freire. Before
doing so, he invested Bishop Willer Vital-Herne (consecrated the year before by Roger
Pommery, Tau Jean) with the primacy of the E.G.A. for Haiti, Antilles and the Caribbean
Islands. He also appointed Fr. Roger St. Victor Herard as Apostolic Prefect of North
America.

Under Mauer, the consensus was made to elect a North American bishop. This was
Roger St. Victor Herard. Herard was a political refugee who had come to the United
States to escape oppression and possible assassination from the Duvalier government in
Haiti. He was a highly celebrated Mason and Martinist in his homeland as well as in
North America and in Europe. He was well-respected by the heads of numerous esoteric
fraternities, especially L'Ordre Martiniste, and by Philippe Encausse, its Grand Master,
who was the son of "Papus", Dr. Gerard Encausse.
When Mauer resigned in 1969, the High Synod elected the Primate of Latin America,
Pedro Freire, who was consecrated originally in 1956 by Robert Ambelain. This was the
first time in history that the patriarchate was moved not only out of France itself, but out
of the hemisphere and to the Americas. Dr. Freire was a much loved and respected man,
not only in the Eglise Gnostique Apostolique, but also amongst many other clergy of
Apostolic Rites around the world. He was given a very grand coronation and installation
to the Patriarchate on December 17, 1970.

In 1977, Freire passed away, and Edmond Fieschi was elected by the Holy Gnostic Synod
as Patriarch. However, Fieschi was influenced to resign in December of 1977, abdicating
in favor of Fermin Vale-Amesti. But Vale-Amesti refused to accept this nomination and
“proclaimed the independence of the ecclesiastical provinces on April 7, 1978”. In the
absence of an international patriarch, the E.G.A. would claim autocephalaus status, which
Roger Herard seconded in 1979 following Vale-Amesit's declaration. This left René
Chambellant as a constitutional patriarch or patriarche titulaire in the south of France,
since Chambellant retained the title of "Primate of The Gauls" after having been elected
successor to Chevillon.

By the end of the 1970's, Roger Herard had consecrated two more bishops in the United
States: Carl St. Cyr and Alphonse Douyon. During this time, Mgr. Herard also began to
broaden his relations to these clergy belonging to other churches of Gnostic acclaim.
First, he recognized the patriarchate of George Boyer in England, whose gnostic lineage
descended from Richard Powell, and George Brister, the Archbishop of Oklahoma City
for the Old Catholic Church, in concordat with the Ecclesia Gnostica under Bishop
Stephen A. Hoeller, also of the Powell lineage. The drawing closer of these two
successions eventually becomes more prominent. From these relationships, Mgr. Herard
began to receive various items of gnostic interest in English print. At the beginning of
the 1980's Mgr. Herard turned his focus toward "opening" the Church to all Americans
whose primary language was English. At this time Robert Cokinis was introduced to
Herard.

In 1984 Cokinis was elected Bishop of Wisconsin and Auxiliary Metropolitan of

Chicago, with the mandate to develop Churches for the American people (especially of
primarily English speech) and after my consecration in November of the same year, he
was authorized to incorporate the Church in the United States and to select American
clergy for its Board of Trustees/Rector.

At the end of July 1989, Herard remarked that the next effort was to further advance the
American Church and to ordain an assistant Bishop (Godlewski) with Cokinis, so that
their efforts could expand and gain foundation. However, in August 1989 Herard
collapsed into a coma and died.

In 1990, the synod of Bishops in North America met in New Jersey to begin discussion
on the future of the Church without its Primate. In remembering advice given to him by
Herard, Cokinis contacted Rene Chambellant, patriarch according to the Synesius
constitution of 1906. Chambellant was supportive of efforts toward ecumenism of the
associated gnostic rites, which had been the Church’s focus at that time. Chambellant
then died in 1993.