Sacramental Whine

In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing River Sims where he discusses his ministry to the homeless and marginalized.

River Sims was born and raised in Southeast Missouri, in a very conservative area, where even today to be queer is dangerous. He was called to ministry when he was 12 in the United Methodist Church and took a student pastorate when he was 18. He received degrees from Southeast Missouri State University, and Eden Theological Seminary and was ordained an Elder in the United Methodist Church.

River's struggle with his sexuality was at the heart of his life, and he talked to his District Superintendent about it, and instead of understanding, he was removed from ministry. He became a sex worker in LA, sued the church, received another Master's, and God would not let him go of him. He moved to San Francisco in 1994 to start Temenos Catholic Worker and encountered the Evangelical Anglican Church, where he was received into the priesthood in October 1995. In 2007 he was consecrated a Bishop and formed the Society of Franciscan Workers.

River's ministry is to street youth, and it is a ministry of presence. It is one of harm reduction in which needles are exchanged and condoms provided. He provides food and pastoral care. His ministry is inclusive, in the words of St. Francis, "Preach the Gospel, using as few as words as possible."

River formed Franciscans Against the Death Penalty and visits campuses and protests the death penalty.

In this episode we discuss:

• His elevator speech.
• How he defines, "ministry of presence?"
• His acceptance from the Hollywood Punk kids and how he identified with the punk scene. And how he views his current ministry as an extension of that punk scene?
• He talks about embracing new wine and new wineskins?
• His challenges and blessings within the Independent Sacramental Movement.

Temenos Catholic Worker

Episode Sponsor: Community of Saint George (Young Rite)

In this episode, I have the honor of interviewing:

Bishop Bob McDonald, also known as Tau Meinrad. He is the Metropolitan Primate of the Liberal Catholic Union, an ecclesiastical Assembly of communities of Neo-Gnostic Sacramental and Liberal Catholic traditions.

He grew up in the Roman Catholic Church and embraces a Benedictine path while expressing his Benedictine spirituality through the work of St. Meinrad.

Tau Meinrad is an instructor in Kabbalah, a certified Reiki practitioner and has studied the philosophical and spiritual traditions of the world for over two decades. He believes in the pursuit of knowledge and engages in the Great work with the hope of helping others walk closer to God on their sacred pilgrimage toward Theosis.

In the interview, we talk about several topics including:

His elevator speech; his description of Christian Esotericism and how he implements it into his ministry; the history and evolutionary story of the Liberal Catholic Union; some challenges he has seen within the Independent Sacramental Movement; some of his blessings within ministry; balancing ministry and family life and finally we talk about imposter syndrome.

Liberal Catholic Union

Sponsor: The Young Rite (Community of Saint George)

In this episode, I have the honor of interviewing Archbishop Kristina Rake.

The Most Reverend Kristina Rake is the Presiding Bishop of the American Apostolic Old Catholic Church. Archbishop Rake holds a master's degree in Theology and Scripture from Andover Newton Theological Seminary, a part of Yale University Divinity School. She is a published author of several dozen articles on topics ranging from stem cell research to quantum physics, as well as two theology books. Archbishop Rake is an award-winning preacher and writer and is a longtime member of Mensa.

We talk about several things including her views on the sacrament of reconciliation, the challenge of being a bishop, the ordination of women, Christianity and ministry to the GLBT community, and being the community that says yes!

The American Apostolic Old Catholic Church

In this episode, I have the honor of interviewing an old friend, Jason Spadafore. His bio reads: Writing under the pen name "Agostino Taumaturgo," Jason Spadafore has been a student of Christian spirituality and magic for almost 30 years, specializing in theology and what he calls "Catholic Occultism." Jason now writes, teaches, and lectures on spirituality, magic, and manifestation within a Christian paradigm.

This is a candid discussion of two people whose paths initially crossed back in 2005. We talk about the Traditionalist Catholic movement, sede vacantism, some of our shared experiences, and of course the independent sacramental movement.

You can find more about Jason's writings and work at his website:

THAVMA is dedicated to the serious Christian magician

In this episode, I will be interviewing Bishop David Strong and we will be talking about several things including race and racism, and some of the challenges and successes he has had within his ministry. David's bio reads:

The Reverend David Strong is the Presiding Bishop of the Apostolic Catholic Church in America. The ACCA is a Multiracial, Inclusive, Spirit-filled church committed to making disciples in the Independent Catholic tradition. He is the founding pastor of Spirit of Christ Independent Catholic Church in Tacoma, WA and also serves as the Executive Director of AHAT Homecare, an HIV housing program. He is a passionate advocate for civil rights in the community. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1992 and consecrated a Bishop in 1994.

In this episode, I talk about the vocation to ministry and calling to the priesthood. I do this through the telling of my own story.

In this episode, I look at Freemasonry. I explore Freemasonry in three different ways. First, I will look at the Roman Catholic position on the fraternity and why Freemasonry is a problem for Roman Catholicism and the Papacy. Then I will look at the intersection of Freemasonry and the Liberal Catholic Church. Finally, I will share some recommendations for those within the Independent Sacramental Movement who might want to explore Freemasonry.

In this episode, I look at the virtue of hospitality in the context of migrants seeking asylum and juxtapose this with an experience I had on the Texas/Mexico border back in 2010.

In this episode, I tell the sad story of Christ the King Monastery and Father Abbot Leonard Giardina, Order of Saint Benedict. The monastery was a part of the traditionalist movement, a fringe movement within the Independent Sacramental Movement. Traditionalists believe the Roman Catholic Church went into error after the Second Vatican Council and they strive to keep Catholic tradition alive. Traditionalists are fringe members within the Independent Sacramental Movement because they believe they have the true faith and all non-Traditionalists are heretics, apostates, or schismatics.

In this episode, I look at the question of "how to improve the Independent Sacramental Movement," by looking at our ability to adapt to the changing religious and spiritual landscape of our time.

If you're a first-time listener you might be asking yourself, "What is the Independent Sacramental Movement?" The quick and simple definition is Non-Roman Catholicism, or Catholic without subscribing to the authority of the Vatican. The movement also includes independent Eastern Orthodox and independent Anglicans. In episodes 2 through 5 I go more in depth in describing the independent sacramental movement.