The Reformed Ethiopian Catholic Church (RECCSA) is a church from the Ethiopian movement in South Africa. The South African Ethiopian movement is a broad movement of black churches who sought independence of worship representative of a Christian reception within a uniquely African cultural environment.

The Ethiopian movement has its genesis in 1883 when black clergy in reaction to racial exclusion and inequality practised within the predominantly missionary churches in South Africa, set up African churches. Although these churches’ liturgical practices were similar to the churches from which the independent churches seceded they are nevertheless owned and administered by blacks.

The Order of Ethiopia church was under the Church of Province of South Africa, an Anglican communion from 1900 to 1983 when it was finally allowed independence from the Anglican church. So, the Order of Ethiopia was the predecessor in title to Church of Umzi wase Tiyopiya in South Africa (CUWTSA).

RECCSA seceded from this aforesaid erstwhile church in 2016 following irreconcilable differences on matters of Canon law, administration and liturgy. This church has a number of parishes around South Africa, it embraces Catholic doctrines and practices old or ‘continuing’ Anglican rites and uses the 1662 book of Common Prayer and Hymnal.

We too recognise the two greater and five lesser sacraments. Greater Sacraments [Holy Baptism and Holy Communion], Lesser Sacraments [Confirmation, Matrimony, Ordination, Unction and Penance].

RECCSA upholds a male-only clergy and demands that its clergy and laypeople affirm sexual lifestyles that are consistent with the traditional interpretation of Holy Scriptures.

RECCSA is incorporated as an entity in terms of section 1(1)(x) of the Non-Profit Organisation Act No 71 of 1997 and is assigned NPO number 211-821 NPO. The RECCSA is a continuing Ethiopian church (Ibandla lama Tiyopiya Ahlaziyiweyo) founded in 2016 by Fr Chris.B. Mente (Diploma, Bth Hons) now the Bishop of RECCSA, who was a Dean of the previous erstwhile Church then, he together with a group of four other members of the clergy left The previous erstwhile Church due to irreconcilable differences on fundamental issues of the liturgy.

The church embraces the values of the founding fathers of the Ethiopian Church of South Africa set out in 1900; viz

• Commitment to a Church with valid Apostolic Succession Orders,
• a Church that embraces Anglo-Catholicism and
• Respects independence of Christian faith as prophetically foretold in Psalm 68

RECCSA has no relations nor affiliations with the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Ethiopia. We are a Church that espouses Anglicanism in liturgical practice but is independent of any Anglican jurisdiction.

The Church Name: Reformed Ethiopian Catholic Church of Southern Africa.

1. The term Reform means the aspiration to retain the form of church as it was originally formed by the Ethiopian movement in 1800. The term does not connote any doctrinal shift from our catholic beliefs neither shall it be imputed to mean embracing protestant ecumenical inclinations. The term has a narrow meaning i.e. an aspiration to reform the negative aberrations in the conduct of clergy within the Ethiopian movement which tended to lure the movement from its original traditions.
2. Ethiopian Catholic, connotes the reception of the Anglican ecumenical way of worship adopted by the Ethiopian movement specifically the erstwhile Umzi Wase Tiyopia in 1900. Ethiopian Catholicism is a doctrine which whilst accepting Catholicism as a way of worship retains the prophetic words in Psalm.68 vs 31 that Ethiopia (Africa) shall hasten also to stretch out her hands to God. Ethiopianism symbolises African humanism. It represents an affirmation of self-consciousness and pride in receiving Christianity as peoples of the African continent.
3. A Church of Southern Africa, If our message is the quest to be communally linked with other churches of similar inclination with us, it is inevitable then that we should be regional in our outreach. This shall mean the church aspires to have a footprint in the rest of Southern Africa and into the Continent.

The church of Christ is a worldwide movement. The real challenge lies not only on how the great commission of the risen Lord manifests itself at a global level but rather on the propriety of the global platform to be adopted for its propagation in our times. Some believed that by a simple adoption of denominational communion at an international level expression is adequately satisfied for the discharge of the great commission.

Others are critical to the impact of modernity to the scriptural interpretation, these call for the sustenance of the doctrinal orthodoxy and practice in the scriptural interpretation devoid of traces of secular rules and norms. This explains why platforms like the Utrecht declaration evolved to guide a proper ecclesiastical import outside the Roman catholicity at the turn of the century, followed by the most recent Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) declaration.

Both declarations seek to correct aberrations from the Orthodoxy teachings of Old Catholics and Anglicanism respectively. To the Anglo-Catholic family, these instruments are of seminal import and are used to frame communions for the propagation of the great commission of the risen Lord. Reformed Ethiopian Catholic Church ascribes to these instruments and encourages all who contemplate fraternal relations with it to apprise themselves of these instruments. (see the links for the attachments).