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The Old Catholic bishops, convinced that substantial numbers of disgruntled English Catholics were eager to give allegiance to Utrecht, consecrated [[Arnold Harris Mathew]] as bishop in charge of their new English branch. Mathew, an urbane, cultivated and deeply devotional Englishman who had served for a long time as a legitimately ordained priest in the Catholic church, and for a shorter time in the Anglican Church, was full of hope for the new English venture. However, the Old Catholic bishops and their new English colleague were all disappointed, for their expectation of a flow of eager new members was not realized. When numbers did begin to grow, a few years later, almost all of those entering were those Anglican theosophists who had been unwelcome in their churches, who were seeking to continue their participation in the sacramental life of the Church without having to conceal their theosophical convictions. Mathew made them welcome. First came the young James Wedgwood, soon to followed by increasing numbers of his theosophical colleagues, including Charles Leadbeater. But Mathew's maturing plan to return to Rome, bringing his congregation with him, led him to realize how unacceptable his theosophically tainted flock would be. He was given an ultimatum to withdraw from the Theosophical Society or from the Old Catholic Church, left him stranded, without popular support.  

The Old Catholic bishops, convinced that substantial numbers of disgruntled English Catholics were eager to give allegiance to Utrecht, consecrated [[Arnold Harris Mathew]] as bishop in charge of their new English branch. Mathew, an urbane, cultivated and deeply devotional Englishman who had served for a long time as a legitimately ordained priest in the Catholic church, and for a shorter time in the Anglican Church, was full of hope for the new English venture. However, the Old Catholic bishops and their new English colleague were all disappointed, for their expectation of a flow of eager new members was not realized. When numbers did begin to grow, a few years later, almost all of those entering were those Anglican theosophists who had been unwelcome in their churches, who were seeking to continue their participation in the sacramental life of the Church without having to conceal their theosophical convictions. Mathew made them welcome. First came the young James Wedgwood, soon to followed by increasing numbers of his theosophical colleagues, including Charles Leadbeater. But Mathew's maturing plan to return to Rome, bringing his congregation with him, led him to realize how unacceptable his theosophically tainted flock would be. He was given an ultimatum to withdraw from the Theosophical Society or from the Old Catholic Church, left him stranded, without popular support.  

===James Wedgewood===

===James Wedgewood===

The vast majority of Mathew's people at once gathered separately, and they chose James Wedgwood as their leader. Some time later a retired Old Catholic bishop, hearing of Mathew’s reversal, offered to regularize the separated group’s position by consecrating their elected leader. The consecration of James Wedgwood on February 13, 1916 is regarded as the foundation date of the new Church, later in September 1918 to be known as the Liberal Catholic Church.  

The vast majority of Mathew's people at once gathered separately, and they chose James Wedgwood as their leader. Some time later a retired Old Catholic bishop, hearing of Mathew’s reversal, offered to regularize the separated group’s position by consecrating their elected leader. The consecration of James Wedgwood on February 13, 1916 is regarded as the foundation date of the new Church, to be known later in September 1918 as the Liberal Catholic Church.  

Wedgwood prepared some foundational documents (Constitution and Rules for Clergy, Statement of Principles), secured approval for them from his English colleagues, and set off for Australia to enlist Charles Webster Leadbeater’s help in devising a new liturgy, building congregations, and finding suitable candidates for Holy Orders. Having already in 1915 interested Leadbeater in the potential for good of the Old Catholic Church, both men were convinced that the blessing of Christ Himself rested upon their work. Leadbeater lamented the absence of his collegue Annie Besant In a letter to her, saying, “Your splendid gift of language, your wonderful power of putting things poetically, would be invaluable to us.”

Wedgwood prepared some foundational documents (Constitution and Rules for Clergy, Statement of Principles), secured approval for them from his English colleagues, and set off for Australia to enlist Charles Webster Leadbeater’s help in devising a new liturgy, building congregations, and finding suitable candidates for Holy Orders. Having already in 1915 interested Leadbeater in the potential for good of the Old Catholic Church, both men were convinced that the blessing of Christ Himself rested upon their work. Leadbeater lamented the absence of his collegue Annie Besant In a letter to her, saying, “Your splendid gift of language, your wonderful power of putting things poetically, would be invaluable to us.”

===Charles Webster Leadbeater===

===Charles Webster Leadbeater===

Leadbeater himself, like Mathew, had much earlier been an Anglican priest. James Wedgwood then re-ordained Leadbeater “conditionally” through all steps up to the priesthood, then consecrated him as Regionary Bishop for Australasia. During the formative years of their church Leadbeater built a firm base in Sydney, while Wedgwood traveled at intervals in New Zealand, the United States and the United Kingdom, in each of these countries establishing new centers, and ordaining suitable candidates for Holy Orders. Wedgwood was seen as an inspiring ceremonialist and speaker, and as an effective organizer. Wedgwood and Leadbeater then prepared an entire liturgy of services, with frequent recourse to their self-proclaimed capacities of extra-sensory perception in order to evaluate their intuitive sense of the effects of their liturgical innovations in the “inner worlds.” Possibly Wedgewood's most lasting contribution, however, is in the liturgy to which he was the primary contributor, revealing a gift for language of a very high order. To Leadbeater, Wedgwood accorded the credit for the careful “supersensory observations” which guided their joint efforts. However, their actual principal models were current Roman Catholic rituals of worship in the ''[[Rituale Romanum]]'', but they wrote in English, and in a style almost identical to the Anglican ''[[Book of Common Prayer]]''. Copies of parts of their revisions of liturgical forms, and especially of the Holy Eucharist, had been circulating in the growing Liberal Catholic community from as early as 1917. The Liberal Catholic Church liturgy was officially published in 1919. In this respect it must be pointed out that although Wedgwood may not have had “the extraordinary powers of his colleague”, his own observations were by no means commonplace. He is now known to be the principal author of what have long been referred to as “the Kollerstrom Notes” in Leadbeater’s 1929 edition of his 1920 publication, ''The Science of the Sacraments''. It is firmly held by most Liberal Catholics that the founding bishops were inspired and guided in their building of the new Liturgy by Christ Himself. This is essentially the definition of divinely-inspired scripture. It is also widely acknowledged by them that these founders' use of capabilities of supersensory observation enabled them to arrange the various services to maximize the flow of spiritual power or grace, by the precisely exacting, [[Alchemy|spiritual alchemical]] forms of the “proper performance” of the rites of worship.  

Leadbeater himself, like Mathew, had much earlier been an Anglican priest. James Wedgwood then re-ordained Leadbeater “conditionally” through all steps up to the priesthood, then consecrated him as Regionary Bishop for Australasia. During the formative years of their church Leadbeater built a firm base in Sydney, while Wedgwood traveled at intervals in New Zealand, the United States and the United Kingdom, in each of these countries establishing new centers, and ordaining suitable candidates for Holy Orders. Wedgwood was seen as an inspiring ceremonialist and speaker, and as an effective organizer. Wedgwood and Leadbeater then prepared an entire liturgy of services, with frequent recourse to their self-proclaimed capacities of extra-sensory perception in order to evaluate their intuitive sense of the effects of their liturgical innovations in the “inner worlds.” Possibly Wedgewood's most lasting contribution, however, is in the liturgy to which he was the primary contributor, revealing a gift for language of a very high order. To Leadbeater, Wedgwood accorded the credit for the careful “supersensory observations” which guided their joint efforts. However, their actual principal models were current Roman Catholic rituals of worship in the ''[[Rituale Romanum]]'', but they wrote in English, and in a style almost identical to the Anglican ''[[Book of Common Prayer]]''. Copies of parts of their revisions of liturgical forms, and especially of the Holy Eucharist, had been circulating in the growing Liberal Catholic community from as early as 1917. The Liberal Catholic Church liturgy was officially published in 1919. In this respect it must be pointed out that although Wedgwood may not have had “the extraordinary powers of his colleague”, his own observations were by no means commonplace. He is now known to be the principal author of what have long been referred to as “the Kollerstrom Notes” in Leadbeater’s 1929 edition of his 1920 publication, ''The Science of the Sacraments''. It is firmly held by most Liberal Catholics that the founding bishops were inspired and guided in their building of the new Liturgy by Christ Himself. This is essentially the definition of divinely-inspired scripture. It is also widely acknowledged by them that these founders' use of capabilities of supersensory observation enabled them to arrange the various services to maximize the flow of spiritual power or grace, by the precisely exacting, [[Alchemy|spiritual alchemical]] forms of the “proper performance” of the rites of worship.