We believe that any independents who must lie about who they are - are neither christian nor clergy.
We now have documented proof, not only from our archives but also from the
ethnic Orthodox in America, that no independent groups claiming to be the
Society of Clerks Secular of St Basil or the AOCC are or could be us under any
name. All such claims are clearly false. Continued claims are lies and proof
these episcopi vagants are frauds. A friend went so far as to suggest these
claims were anti-christian in nature.
We understand he is a former Roman Catholic priest. He claims to head the old Forbes group, has infringed our Service Mark, has threatened us, defamed us, has published lies - claiming he heads the 1932 Aftimios Church (no such thing) and earlier published he headed the Aftimios 1937 Church (again no such Church). Since the original constitution requires Aftimios or his legal successor, the presiding bishop of the 1927 Church, to be the president of all our Church corporations any claim of a 1932 group headed by someone other than the head of the 1927 Church (us) is groundless.
1. It has been claimer that Turner was ordained by Ignatius (Wm. A.) Nichols who had been consecrated as a bishop of The Clerks Secular of Saint Basil® after Ignatius left Orthodoxy and married.
2. Not all members of the Society of Clerks Secular of Saint Basil® entered the Antiochian Church.
3. When Alexander Turner entered the Antiochian Church he was incardinated as a priest not as a bishop.
4. That father Forbes was the sole surviving Basilian in the Antiochian Church when he left the (Canonical) Antiochian Church and was later consecrated by independent bishops. These bishops were not part of the THEOCACNA Society of Clerks Secular of Saint Basil® and not with The Holy Eastern Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church in North America.sm
5. Father Forbes was never part of the Society of Clerks Secular of Saint Basil of THEOCACNA/AOCC.
Nichols did not act with any authority from THEOCACNA. Thus the ordination of Turner was not on behalf of this Church, or the SSB of this Church, and without any authority from this Church.
Since "all" SSB members did not enter the Antiochian Church the Society of Clerks Secular of Saint Basil as such did not leave one jurisdiction to enter another. This tells us that only members entered as individuals and re-established the Antiochian SSB.
Father Forbes was a priest of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese, not THEOCACNA. He was the sole member of the SSB of the Antiochian Church, not THEOCACNA. He was ordained a bishop by bishops not associated with THEOCACNA.
The Church Forbes established was not canonically established in the eyes of any Orthodox.
Over 20 years later this unincorporated group continued to use that name and their "Metropolitan" decided to claim to be the head of The Holy Eastern Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church in North America. Not the Canonically established Church Chartered in 1927 but the head of a 2007 corporation Bartholomew setup in Florida
Bartholomew claims the Church headed by Abp. Ofiesh was "established by" Abp. Ofiesh which is clearly false. Abp. Ofiesh was appointed to head the Church that was canonically established by the Synod of Bishops in North America of the Russian Orthodox Church - Moscow Patriarchate.
Their new "primate" appears, from online information, to be a former Roman Catholic Priest and not Orthodox based on his claim of lines of Apostolic Succession being in the Catholic manner of Episcopi Vagantes. In Orthodoxy Episcopi Vagantes are not recognized because in Orthodoxy a bishop leaves all authority when he leaves the Church.
Carl Bartholomew claims on his website to have been Chartered in 1932, previously he claimed 1937, in New York and he claims the organization is active but unknown as to its name. That charter appears to be under another name and no information has been located.
They are claiming our history now, they previously have used our Logo and name, our legal service mark. This is service mark infringement, dilution of our mark, fraud and identity theft.
Based on the claims of legal action against us if we sent him any documents (claims of our identity) by Mr Bartholomew and his continued BrieF History claiming to be the Church of Abp Ofiesh (American Orthodox Church) we believe him to be a liar who intends to deceive, mislead and infringe our legally owned property and our history.
Abp. Ofiesh never used the name "American Orthodox Church". That is a name used by many independents. Our short name is "American Orthodox Catholic Church"sm and is a service mark of this Church under common law. A number of old catholics use this name (service mark) without our permission in an effort to pass themselves off as THEOCACNA. They act contrary to the Sacred and Divine Canons of the Orthodox Church, they ordain women and they do not come from the Historic Church.
This Abp. Alexander, (A/K/A Carl D. Bartholomew) who claimed to be the Primate of both the Holy Orthodox Church - AJ and The Holy Eastern Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church in America, then he dropped "North", does not even appear to be Orthodox and appears to head his little Florida Corporation whose name he has stolen from The Holy Eastern Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church in North America. Since the Holy Orthodox Church - American Jurisdiction had no been incorporated for years the clergy can be held liable for their acts individually.
If you look up this Metropolitan Archbishop Alexander online under his true name - Carl D. Bartholomew you can read about this individual. He has no valid sacramental authority from The Holy Eastern Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church in North America. Since he is not a true bishop or priest of this Church he cannot have any true sacramental authorty, at least not from this church, as it is derived only from the Church as Orthodox Canons direct.
Our Church name and logo are the legal property of The Holy Eastern Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church in North America under common law since the name and logo have been used since 1927 or for over 80 years, and since the name & logo have been the Registered service mark of the Church since 2000 (until 2007) it is the legal property of The Holy Eastern Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church in North America and not up for grabs by anyone who feels they want to be THEOCACNA.
The law does not require a continuous registration of a service or
trademark. Use and ownership for 5 years gives you full ownership. We have had
the name since 1927 and claim commonlaw ownership since 1932. We claim Ownership
under the law since we registered the name with the USPTO in 2000 and our
service mark (name and logo) were legally ours since 2005.
15 USC § 1065
We are the one and only Church that was established by the Russian Synod in North America and headed by Archbishop Aftimios Ofiesh of blessed memory