REVERED BISHOP AND FOUNDER OF THE ACC DIES.

Of your charity, please pray for the happy repose of the soul of the Right Reverend James Orin Mote who entered into the larger life on the Feast Day of St. Paul of the Cross, April 28, 2006 after many weeks of illness.  Bishop Mote was born in 1922.  He received a Bachelor of Arts from Canterbury College in 1948 and a Master of Arts from Nashotah House in 1951.  In 1951, he was ordained a Deacon and priested in 1952 in the Episcopal Church.  Bishop Mote served many years as Curate at St. Mary's church in Denver, Colorado under Fr. Lehman, the founder of the parish, and later succeeded him as Rector.  In 1976, on the heels of the Episcopal Church's General Convention which voted to approve the ordination of women, the newly formed Diocese of the Holy Trinity elected then-Father Mote to be their bishop.  He was consecrated in January of 1978 in Denver by Episcopal Bishop Albert Chambers, and Bishop Francisco Pagtagkhan of the Philippine Independent Catholic Church, with letters of suffrage from Korean Bishop Mark Pae and Episcopal Bishop Charles Boynton of New York.  He heroically presided over the first Synod of the newly formed Anglican Catholic Church later that same year in Dallas, Texas.

He was a gentle and kind pastor (although he could be a fiery opponent of abortion--opposition for which he was jailed several times) and a well beloved leader in the Church. He served as Bishop Ordinary of the Diocese of the Holy Trinity from1978 until his retirement in 1994. Following his retirement he lived in Florida and served as Episcopal Visitor to the Diocese of the Holy Trinity and served at the pleasure of the Metropolitan and Bishop of the Diocese of the South. His last years were spent in Indianapolis where he said mass and regularly attended the Cathedral Church of St. Edward the Confessor with his family. One of his last official acts was to visit Christ Church Cathedral in Metairie, Louisiana for ordinations and a confirmation in conjunction with the Synod in 2000. His Funeral and a Requiem Mass was celebrated on the Feast of St. Monica, May 4, at St. Edward the Confessor. The Right Reverend Rommie Starks was celebrant for the mass.

He will long survive on this earth in the memories of those who knew and worked with him. "I heard a voice from heaven, saying unto me, Write, from henceforth blessed are the dead who die in the Lord: even so saith the Spirit; for they rest from their labours." May he rest in peace and may the Angels welcome him into Paradise.

The following appeared in the January/February, 2002, edition of The Mandate, the publication of the Prayer Book Society. 
Brother John-Charles has since resigned as Metropolitan of the ACC, and has chosen to spend his remaining time in this life in his beloved Australian homeland.

DOWN UNDER ARCHBISHOP STRIDES ON TOP

Exuding charm and friendship, The Most Rev’d John Charles Vockler now moves through airport terminals from one American coast to another. Known by his brown Franciscan habit (and stockings that bespeak the violet purple of his bishop’s office!),Archbishop Vockler is warmly greeted by baggage handlers, security personnel and airline employees,from the ticket counter to the cockpit.  Already this energetic Franciscan monk provides a modern and timeless understanding of his spiritual father, Saint Francis of Assisi,the founder of the Franciscan Order.

John Charles joins the ACC

Formerly serving as a Bishop and Franciscan in the Anglican Church in Australia and England, and in the Episcopal Church in the United States (Diocese of Quincy), he entered the Anglican Catholic Church (ACC) in 1997. After being Dean of its Holy Rood Seminary in Liberty, New York, he retired to Sydney in his native Australia.

When asked to expound on his reasons for entering the ACC, the Archbishop stated that the church of his youth and one in which he had been consecrated as bishop in 1959 had ceased to exist throughout the world. Archbishop Vockler said that liturgical changes had revealed a great shift in doctrinal beliefs and that adherence to modernity in liturgy and theology caused him to seek a church wherein the faith in which he had been nurtured still existed. The extensive use of the 1928 American Book of Common Prayerin the ACC helped assure him in his choice of a church home.

He was born in Sydney, Australia, the eldest of three brothers and one sister, all of whom are still alive in the “land down under.” Now at age 77, he was recalled to America last April to be Bishop Ordinary of the ACC Diocese of New Orleans.

After a tour of his new diocese, he pronounced that Christ Church in New Orleans would be the Pro-Cathedral and that he would personally administer his diocese while living in Natchitoches,Louisiana, because of its central location and friendly small town atmosphere, where he could walk to the post office and shops. Following the untimely death of the late Metropolitan and Archbishop John Thayer Cahoon last October, Bishop Vockler, was elected Metropolitan and Archbishop to head the ACC for the United States.

Evangelism & personal holiness

With Franciscan verve for life and as a mendicant friar on the move, the new Metropolitan has begun his campaign for an increasing development of sanctity of the church he now leads. Stressing that “personal holiness is the weapon of evangelism, par excellence” Brother John-Charles, the Archbishop's Franciscan name, hopes to promote an increasing evangelism amongst the church’s members. Likewise, he hopes to help his members to reach out to thousands of Episcopalians who believe that “their church has left them with no place to go.”

Emphasizing that the clergy are to train the lay members of their churches for evangelism, Brother John-Charles conducts clergy spiritual retreats as one of the underpinnings to more fruitful production in the Kingdom of God. Returning from holding a retreat, in conjunction with a meeting with The Rt. Rev’d Mark Haverland, Bishop Ordinary of the ACC Diocese of the South, Archbishop Vockler stated, upon landing at the Shreveport, Louisiana airport on December 2nd, that “The promotion of unity between the continuing Anglican churches is a goal concomitant with evangelism, which results from the seeking of personal holiness by submission to God’s Grace.” He was interviewed while lunching on the run to his residence in Natchitoches, Louisiana, where his library from Australia awaited unpacking.

Uniting the Continuing Churches

Promoting the goal of unity and increased cooperation between the Anglican churches not in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury, this Franciscan prelate met at the end of last November near Los Angeles, California, with the head of the Anglican Province of Christ The King (APCK), Archbishop Robert S. Morse. Brother John-Charles was candid in his assessment of their discussions. Because of a previous separation between the ACC and the APCK, he stated that there are problems, best described as family issues, that have left wounded brothers and sisters in both our churches.  But “we are not like armies on opposing sides,”added Archbishop Vockler.

“We in the ACC consider that there is a full communion between our church and the APCK, and hope for increasing contact and cooperation,”the Australian native added. He went on to say that, “In my opinion, the Province of Christ the King and the Anglican Catholic Church are the real inheritors of the 1977 Congress of St. Louis,”referring to the watershed meeting held in the St. Louis, Missouri, from which the Anglican Catholic Church was formed by former members of the Episcopal Church in the United States.

When asked how he would establish more contact and cooperation with the ACPK, Brother John-Charles stated that already priests in each church were assisting congregations of the other jurisdiction. He went on to say that “although we are not looking to merge our churches, we ought to work together in the consecrations of bishops, in situations where there could be an exchange of clergy, in the establishment of joint programs, and in the mutual use the APCK seminary.” 

“We are at the beginning of a process, and have discussed possible problems that might result from increased cooperation,”said the Franciscan Bishop. “I was warmly received by Archbishop Morse,” stated Archbishop Vockler,who continued,“In light of our churches previous separation,Archbishop Morse was not only kind, but generous in his comments and most helpful, and I have issued an invitation for a future meeting.” Without commenting directly, the reference to “previous separation”covered the transfer by the late Archbishop Cahoon from the APCK into the ACC prior to his becoming the ACC Archbishop.

Upon being questioned about the mutual participation in consecrations of different church jurisdictions, Brother John-Charles stated that both the ACC and the APCK are uniquely situated and have mutually acceptable orders. He declined to discuss the orders of any other continuing Anglican churches, because there were no current discussions with such other churches.

John Charles in Texas & Louisiana

Archbishop John-Charles, as he is sometimes called, stated that he intended to begin a round of meetings with the clergy and congregations within his own diocese of New Orleans. He hoped to spend at least two weekends with each congregation and engage not only in worship services but also light suppers, lunches and retreat like forums where he could put into practice the experience of his ministry of many seasons.

This he said would enable him to teach the essence of the learning he had published in his three books: “Seven Deadly Sins and Seven Mystical Gifts,” “Two Paths to Holiness,”and “School of Prayer.” Already four volunteers have driven him on his wanderings as a friar,traveling by motor vehicle to Indianapolis,Indiana,Nashville, Tennessee and New Orleans, Louisiana for his retreats and episcopal visitations.

When asked why he was using four drivers,the seemingly indefatigable friar simply said,“I don’t want to unduly tire my friends who are offering me and the church their support that is so vitally needed, and for which I am most grateful.” “With their help, I will be better able to help others to understand that all of us must constantly remember the gifts that God has given us and what our Lord is doing daily in our lives,” he continued. “Furthermore,” Brother John-Charles said, “For these things we must express our thanks to God,in worship,and to others as well.”

At this point he paused and said with intensity,“If those to whom we minister do not publicly witness to what God has done in their lives, they will not be able to evangelize.” Continuing in this vein, the Archbishop added, “And if they have not recognized what God has done and is doing for them,it is our task to do our best to help them by stating what God has done and is doing for us. That will encourage them to do the same; and this will be the wellspring from which evangelism will flow, yielding personal holiness and unity.”

(The Rev'd Dewitt Fooks Truitt of the ACC conducted the interview in late 2001 and wrote this piece.)