From the Bishop’s Desk

Easter is the church’s great proclamation that life is stronger than death, hope is stronger than fear, and love is stronger than anything that seeks to divide or diminish the human family. The resurrection of Christ is not simply an event remembered once a year. It is the pattern of God’s work in the world. Again and again God brings new life out of what seemed finished, closed, or impossible.

This Easter season, that pattern of resurrection is unfolding in a very tangible way in the life of our community.

As we move to our new worship location at 73 S. Semoran Blvd. in Orlando, we are reminded that the church has never been defined by a particular building. The earliest followers of Jesus gathered in homes, marketplaces, borrowed rooms, and open spaces. What made those places holy was not the architecture but the people who gathered there in faith, hope, and love.

A new location is more than a change of address. It is an invitation to new possibilities.

Throughout the Gospels, the risen Christ is always on the move. On Easter morning the women are told, “He is not here.” The resurrection pushes the disciples outward, beyond locked doors and familiar routines, into the wider world where the Gospel must be lived and shared.

In the same spirit, our new home places us in the heart of a vibrant and diverse part of Central Florida. Around us are families searching for belonging, people carrying quiet burdens, immigrants building new lives, young people wondering whether faith still has a place for them, and neighbors who may never have imagined that a church could truly welcome them as they are.

Easter calls us to meet them with the same radical hospitality that Jesus showed throughout his ministry.

For the Reformed Catholic community, the message is simple and powerful: **all are welcome and all belong**. In Christ there are no outsiders. Every person bears the image of God. Every life is worthy of dignity. Every story matters.

Our presence in this new location is therefore not simply about holding Sunday services. It is about becoming a living witness to God’s love in Central Florida. It means building friendships across lines that too often divide society. It means offering prayer where there is anxiety, compassion where there is pain, and hope where people feel forgotten.

It also means celebrating the joy of community. Shared meals, honest conversations, ministries of care, and laughter that echoes long after worship ends are all signs of resurrection life.

The Gospel reminds us that the risen Christ often appears in unexpected places: along the road, beside the sea, in the breaking of bread among friends. We trust that Christ will also meet us in this new space, guiding our steps and opening doors we cannot yet imagine.

This Easter we give thanks for the journey that brought us here, and we look forward with anticipation to what God is still creating among us.

New life.

New location.

New opportunities to make God’s love known. And the best chapters of that story are still ahead.

In Christ’s Love,

+William

Pastor

March 29th, 2026
Palm Sunday
To the faithful of the Reformed Catholic Church and to our Christian sisters and brothers across all
traditions:
Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ!
At the very heart of the Christian faith stands the proclamation that Jesus Christ is risen. This is not
a secondary belief or seasonal expression of devotion. It is the foundation upon which Christian
hope rests. In the Resurrection, God decisively overcomes sin and death. Christ’s life and teaching
are vindicated, and a new creation begins.
Across continents and cultures, Christians gather at Easter to proclaim the same truth: Christ is
risen! This confession transcends language, liturgical or worship style, and denominational identity. It
is the shared inheritance of all who identify with the Christian tradition. Yet even as we proclaim this
common Paschal faith, we must acknowledge with humility that Christians remain divided. These
divisions obscure the reconciling power of the Resurrection and weaken the clarity of our witness in
the world.
Easter calls us to break all barriers of division and transcend any fear of past differences. The empty
tomb announces not only personal salvation but restored communion. The Resurrection reveals
God’s desire to reconcile what has been broken. If we truly believe that Christ has conquered death
and hostility, then we must also believe that division among Christians is not the final word.
On the night before his Passion, Jesus prayed “that they may all be one… so that the world may believe that
you have sent me” (John 17:21). The unity of those who follow Christ is directly linked to the
credibility of the Gospel. The Apostle Paul affirms this truth when he proclaims that there is “one
body and one Spirit… one Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Ephesians 4:4–5). Even the Old Testament
prophets taught “Do we all not have the one Father? Has not one God created us? Why then do we break faith
with one another, profaning the covenant of our ancestors?” (Malachi 2:10). Unity is not an optional
aspiration. It belongs to the Church’s very nature because the Church is the Body of the risen Christ.
History teaches us that Christian unity has long faced strain. Even within the earliest communities,
believers struggled with rivalry and factionalism. Over the centuries, cultural tensions, theological
disputes, political ambitions and human frailty deepened into lasting separations. The divisions
between East and West, the upheavals of the Reformation, and the formation of the Union of
Utrecht (aka the Old Catholic Church) have shaped the Christian landscape in enduring ways. Many
of these developments arose from sincere efforts to preserve truth, tradition and/or conscience. Yet
they were also shaped by human limitations and pride.
No Christian communion stands without internal tension. Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox and
Independent communities alike wrestle with questions of authority, interpretation, moral
discernment and faithful discipleship. The growth of non-denominational congregations reflects
both the vitality of faith and the longing for authentic Christian belonging. Scripture in and of itself
is not the cause of division. Rather, our finite and sometimes self-interested interpretations of
scripture contribute to separation. Even so, all who are baptized into Christ inherit the same grace,
the same hope, the same redemption.
In our own time, Christians face challenges that urgently call for shared witness. Many endure
persecution, displacement or marginalization. Others confront social fragmentation, political
polarization, economic injustice and moral confusion. In such a world, a divided Christian voice
struggles to speak convincingly of reconciliation. The progress achieved through ecumenical
dialogue in the past century has borne real fruit. Misunderstandings have been clarified. Trust has
grown. And yet, significant theological and pastoral questions remain, especially concerning worship,
authority, scriptural interpretation and moral teaching. Honest engagement requires patience,
humility and courage.
Easter is a privileged season of renewal! During Holy Week and the fifty days that follow, Christians
across traditions gather around the same Gospel accounts of the Passion and Resurrection. We
recall baptismal promises. We proclaim “Alleluia!” We confess that death does not have the final
word. In these shared acts of worship, we experience the unity that is already present in Christ. The
Resurrection belongs to the whole Body of Christ. It is gift before it is doctrine, grace before it is a
point of contention.
Church leadership carries particular responsibility in nurturing this vision of unity. All ministers of
the gospel are called to model ecumenical charity. Easter preaching should emphasize the shared
confession of the risen Christ rather than denominational, political or sectarian interests. Authentic
fidelity to Jesus is never threatened by generosity of spirit.
Unity also grows from the ground up. When clergy gather in prayer, when lay faithful collaborate in
service, when congregations host shared conversations rooted in scripture, trust can take root.
Interchurch families experience both the challenges caused by division and the hope of communion.
Their lived reality reminds us that unity is not abstract theory but daily pastoral concern. Our care
for one another can reflect the breadth of Christ’s welcome.
The divisions that persist among Christians present a serious challenge to our common witness.
They provide a justification for criticism and, at times, dismissal and marginalization from the larger
secular society. Yet despair has no place in light of the empty tomb. The same Holy Spirit who
raised Jesus from the dead continues to guide the Church into deeper truth. By focusing on our
shared confession of the risen Christ, all Christians can consider deeper communion without
denying conscience, conviction or traditions.
Therefore, during this Holy Week and Easter season, we invite all believers to renew their
commitment to pray for unity, to engage in honest and respectful dialogue, and to seek cooperative
service wherever possible. Let us remain faithful to Christ in scripture and in the living tradition of
the Church. Let us trust that the Spirit can draw gifts from every Christian community for the
strengthening of the whole Body of Christ.
May our prayer echo that of Jesus Christ, that all may be one. May our life together reflect the peace
of the risen Christ. And may the joy of Easter embolden us to make manifest the reconciliation
already accomplished in him.


Sincerely,
The Bishops and Board of Directors of the Reformed Catholic Church