The '''Free Church of Antioch''' is one of several Independent_Catholic_Churches which claims valid lines of Apostolic_Succession in the Historic_episcopate. The Free Church of Antioch received several lines of this succession through its founder, the late Archbishop Warren_Prall_Watters (1890-1992). The church's most important Line of Succession is derived from the Old_Catholic_Church of Utrecht in the Netherlands. This is important for Independent Catholics, as many hundreds of "wandering bishops" or Episcopi_vagantes, derive their succession from this church. Another line, Catholic, agrees that the Orders of the Old Catholics are Valid_but_illicit. Archbishop Herman_Adrian_Spruit, founder of the Catholic_Apostolic_Church_of_Antioch-Malabar_Rite, consecrated Warren P. Watters to the Episcopate on April 28th, 1973, at the Trinity Episcopal Church in Santa Barbara, California. Assisting Archbishop Spruit as co-consecrators were The Most Reverend Stephan_A._Hoeller of the Ecclesia_Gnostica, and The Most Reverend Jay_D._Kirby. In 1986 Warren Watters was elevated to Archbishop and become Director of Esoteric Studies for the Catholic Apostolic Church of Antioch. He edited and compiled three magazines which culminated in The Esoteric Review. He founded The Center for Esoteric Studies, Inc., a California religious non-profit corporation. Watters, along with Bishops Robert Branch and Torkom Saraydarian, eventually separated from Herman Spruit, believing that they needed a freer confederation to operate their own ministries. These separations came as a result of certain actions resulting from the reorganization of the mother church, the Catholic Apostolic Church of Antioch. Shortly before his death at the age of 102, Watters founded the Free Church of Antioch. One of his great concerns and motivations in founding the Free Church of Antioch was to re-establish what he believed was a needed balance of female and male in spiritual service. This concern was reflected in his ordination of many women as priests, and in the consecration of many women as bishops. Upon his death in 1992, Watters was succeeded by his wife, Archbishop Ellen_Watters. Upon her death at the age of 95 on January 12th, 2002, the members of the Board of Directors of the Center For Esoteric Studies, Inc., and The Free Church of Antioch passed all legalities and responsibilities of The Center For Esoteric Studies, Inc., and The Free Church of Antioch to Bishop Michelina T. Foster, Director of the Desert Light Chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada. ===Bibliography=== *''The Wandering Bishops: Apostles of A New Spirituality'' by Lewis Keizer. 2000 edition. *''Independent Bishops: An International Directory'', edited by Gary L. Ward, Bertil Persson, and Alan Bain. Apogee Books, 1990. ==External links== * Free Church of Antioch Category:Catholics_not_in_communion_with_Rome Category:Christian_denominations Category:Christian_group_structuring Category:Churches_that_ordain_women