Good Shepherd Companions, An Ecumenical Catholic Ordinariate (GSC)
 Bishop Philip Belzunce, Ph.D, Bishop Ordinary
a ministry of
The Catholic Prelature of Sts. Peter and Paul
Emmanuel Milingo, D.D., Archbishop Emeritus

The Process of Incardination as a Bishop, Priest or Deacon

Dear Candidate,

We welcome you to the application process for incardination as an ordained minister in our ordinariate, Good Shepherd Companions, an Ecumenical Catholic Ordinariate, [formerly the Ecumenical Catholic Diocese of America (ECDA)], GSC has its roots in the Society of Priests for a Free Ministry which was founded by Roman Catholic priests in 1968 in St. Louis, Missouri, inspired by Vatican II, as a national pastoral initiative and its successor ministry the Fellowship of Christian Ministries (FCM) which succeeded the Society as a Roman Catholic inclusive initiative in pastoral ecumenism.

ECDA was established as a diocese in 1981 in New York by the founders of the St. Barnabas Mission who were members of FCM and as a national diocese in 1984. In 2013 ECDA became affiliated with the Catholic Prelature of Sts. Peter and Paul also known as Married Priests Now!, an international Roman Catholic ministry established by Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo in 2006 in accord with CJC Canon 1752 which states that the supreme law of the Church is always the salvation of souls. The St. Barnabas Mission, ECDA’s companion ministry, exists to build bridges of faith, hope and love and draws its mandate from Galatians 3:27-28 and Vatican II. In 2015 the name was changed to Good Shepherd Companions, an Ecumenical Catholic Ordinariate.

Incardination Application Requirements:

1. A secular position or other evidence of supporting resources for yourself, your family and your ministry. Our clergy are not salaried by the Ordinariate.
2. Evidence of ordination as a bishop, priest or deacon by a credible jurisdiction in apostolic succession.
3. A documented Master of Divinity degree from a credible institution or its equivalent.
4. A letter of application stating your reasons for this application.
5. An attestation of freedom from current impairment from a Substance Use Disorder as included in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and in substance recovery for at least one year if such has been the case in the past.
6. Three letters of recommendation from persons familiar with your ministry and character.
7. A personal statement describing your family.
8. An essay-statement of ministerial self-understanding and vocational call.
9. A copy of your birth certificate, baptismal and confirmation records.
10. A recent photograph of yourself (head and shoulders).
11. A statement from your local police department that you have a clean record.
12. An interview will be arranged as a step in the application process.
13. A signed agreement to contribute on a quarterly basis to the support of the diocese as a proportion of your ministerial income or in an amount mutually determined as equitable.
14. A signed agreement to attend synodal meetings as called.
15. A signed agreement to participate in the mission of GSC as established in its founding documents and focused yearly by the synod. A signed agreement to enter into a specific program of formation as determined by the Board of Director or its designee, the Committee on Formation, to include the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) as found in The Rites of the Catholic Church as Revised by the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council and as modified to meet the Candidate's current circumstances if not already a member of the Roman Catholic Church.
16. Name, address, telephone, email address.

All correspondence for applications will be sent to:

Bishop Philip Belzunce, Ph.D.
22380 Berry Drive
Rocky River OH 44116

Tel. 440-333-4105
Email: pbelzunce@aol.com