Divine Liturgy * Holy Eucharist

Santuário San Rafael Ascension Catholic church

An independent ministry in the Catholic Tradition

Bishops of the Hispano-Visigothic Rite of Ancient Spain, also known as the Mozarabic Rite.

Holy Eucharist * Mass * Divine Liturgy

The offering of the Holy Eucharist is the central mystical ritual of Christianity. In ancient Catholic Tradition, the bread and wine offered become the Body and Blood of Christ through a process of mystical transformation that St. Thomas Aquinas called transubstantiation. For modern Christians who are attuned to Catholic modes of worship, the Mass, or Divine Liturgy becomes the supreme and intimate ritual of transformation and ascension of the soul to mystical union with God. Each person is invited to intimate and heartfelt participation in this powerful and transforming ritual, regardless of your doctrinal stance, understanding, or even doubts.

· Experience a communion of peace with the Living Christos.

· Worship in an ancient style which touches the archetypal roots of the soul.

· All are welcome at the table of the Living God without reference to denominational affiliation, beliefs, dogmas, doctrine, sexual orientation, marital status, gender identity, faith, doubt, or any other human obstacle to the overwhelming Divine Love present in the Holy Sacrament.

· Explore new kinds of liturgy which use inclusive language, expressing that deep and ancient truth that God is beyond all gender and all human categories.

St. Michael the Archangels and other angels often accompany sincere seekers as they approach the Sacrament of Holy Communion.

Divine Liturgy

Why the Mozarabic Rite?

Christians in the ancient world used rituals or liturgies to express their worship to God. This was very natural for human beings to do, since some sort of ritual action is as old as the human species. In different parts of the world, Christian worship was known as Mass (in Rome and the West) or Divine Liturgy (mostly in the East). In Spain, the liturgy was influenced to some extent by the practices of Egypt and North Africa, as well as by the Mother Church of Jerusalem, when many refugees from Jerusalem came to Spain following the seizure of Jerusalem by the Persians in the Sixth Century. Like immigrants everywhere, they brought with them their own traditions and also adopted those of their new neighbors. Following the Muslim period in Spain, the Christians who had remained in Muslim-ruled territories were known as Mozarabs, and retained their ancient rite which was influenced by the Old Latin Tradition, the Byzantine, Visigothic, African, and Syrian churches. During the same period, the church at Rome underwent a similar process with the Germanic Franks to the north, and developed the rituals and mass which became Roman Catholicism. The Mozarabic rite has survived until modern times in a few places in Spain. It is characterized by a deep devotional life, rich language, and an ancient heritage which is both eastern and western.

For those of us who seek a deep connection to the past, but want to re-interpret it in the light of modernity, rites such as the Mozarabic rite demonstrate that diversity and variety can co-exist with traditional liturgy in the west. As a non-Roman form of worship, it is especially relevant to a post-imperial world where diversity and variety are valued and seen as part of the richness of God’s creation.

At the same time, we offer a variety of other worship experiences for spiritual seekers with a mystical or Gnostic orientation, especially interested in healing and bridging gender and sexual issues which have become so painful in the traditional Catholic churches.