Christ Catholic Church

For the church founded by Karl Pruter, see Christ Catholic Church (Pruter)

Christ Catholic Church is a church of the Old Catholic tradition. The church was founded in 1937 when several independent Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches merged, thereby establishing the Polish Old Catholic Church. Most of these churches were within the state of New Jersey, such as New Brunswick, South River, Dover, and Dunellen, although individual churches as far away as Tampa, Florida were included as well. They elected Joseph Zielonka to be their first bishop. In 1959, the church changed its name to Christ Catholic Church of the Americas and Europe to more clearly indicate that individuals and churches of all nationalities would be welcome in the church. The following year, 1960, the church consisted of 22 parishes with about 7,200 members.

In 1961, Bishop Zielonka died and his suffragan bishop, Peter A. Zurawetzky, was elected as his successor. Bishop Zurawetzky started a new mission program within the church and oversaw rapid growth. Among the developments were the founding of the Church of the Transfiguration in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1965 and, two years later, the creation of the Diocese of Boston under Karl Pruter, who was consecrated at the diocese's first bishop. The following year the Christ Catholic Church, Diocese of Boston was formally recognized as an independent entity and became known as the Christ Catholic Church. It was for many years headquartered at the Cathedral of the Prince of Peace, in Highlandville, Missouri. At a later date, the Liberal Catholic Church of Ontario (Canada), formerly part of the Liberal Catholic Church International, merged with the Christ Catholic Church, but eventually the original church reformed under Bishop Pruter's jurisdiction. Bishop Karl Pruter died on November 18, 2007. Prior to his death Pruter entrusted his ministry at the Cathedral of the Prince of Peace to Bishop Brian E. Brown, a bishop whom he had consecrated sub-conditionally on September 9, 2007 and installed as the bishop of the patriarchal cathedral of the church.

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