Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica in Brittania
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law
O.T.O. also encompasses Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica (E.G.C.), the Gnostic Catholic Church, which was originally brought to O.T.O. by Dr. Gérard Encausse (Papus) in 1908 e.v. The E.G.C. is a Thelemic religious environment, dedicated to the advancement of Light, Life, Love, and Liberty through the Law of Thelema.
The central activity of the E.G.C. is the celebration of the Gnostic Mass, Liber XV, which was composed by Aleister Crowley for O.T.O. in 1913 e.v. Membership in E.G.C. is available through baptism and confirmation.
Members of O.T.O. in good standing are eligible for clerical training and ordination in E.G.C. Many O.T.O. local bodies celebrate the Gnostic Mass on a regular basis. In some locations, no formal affiliation with O.T.O. is required to attend Mass, although visitors are expected to communicate the sacrament.
Membership
Baptism
The public ceremony of baptism may be administered by any Priest or Priestess of E.G.C. under the direct or indirect supervision of a Bishop or Auxiliary Bishop. The person baptized must be of at least 18 years of age, and need not be an Initiate member of O.T.O. Baptism does not confer Lay Membership in E.G.C.
Confirmation
The public ceremony of confirmation may be administered by any Priest or Priestess of E.G.C. under the direct or indirect supervision of a Bishop or Auxiliary Bishop. The person confirmed must have previously been baptized, must have committed the Creed to memory, show evidence of commitment to E.G.C. and need not be an Initiate member of O.T.O. Two sponsors are required. Confirmation confers Lay Membership in E.G.C.
Ordination to the Diaconate
Ordination to the Diaconate in E.G.C. may be performed by any Bishop or Auxiliary Bishop of E.G.C.; or in the absence of a Bishop or Auxiliary Bishop, by any Priest or Priestess of E.G.C. under the direct or indirect supervision of a Bishop or Auxiliary Bishop.
Recognition of sacerdotal authority within E.G.C.
All persons who attain to the degree of Knight/Dame of East and West of O.T.O. are, as part of their initiation, ordained as priests/priestesses of E.G.C. A ceremony conveying recognition of sacerdotal authority within E.G.C. may be performed by any Bishop or Auxiliary Bishop of E.G.C.
Ordination (Consecration) to the Episcopate
All persons who attain to the Theoreticus Sub-degree of the VII° of O.T.O. are, as part of their initiation, consecrated Bishops of E.G.C. Only the Primate and the Patriarch have the authority to consecrate Bishops within E.G.C. Regardless of the putative validity of his or her apostolic succession, no person consecrated by any person other than the Primate or the Patriarch after 1st October 1991 e.v. is recognised as a Bishop of E.G.C.
CONTACT
egc@oto-uk.org
EGC Secretary,
c/o BM Thelema,
London.
WC1N 3XX