✠ Salve Maria!

Father Michael Carlson of the Heralds of the Gospel welcomed me to the class, which led to the consecration. During this time, he said that Holy Mary had gently guided me, step by step, toward her.

I served as a Protestant minister and President Bishop of EMMI, part of the Christian Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. However, my shift toward Catholicism began in 2020 when I joined the Ecumenical Third Order of Saint Francis.

A significant milestone was becoming a member of the National Association of Catholic Chaplains, even though I had been a member of the International Federation of Christian Chaplains (Born Again) for several years. I have no explanation for this change.

The final major step came with my consecration by the Heralds of the Gospel. Shortly after, I became a member of The Militia of the Immaculate through Fr. Khobe in Kelowna, BC.

Throughout my life, I found myself defending the Catholic Church in matters of faith, especially during debates with my spouse, Baptist Bishop Right Reverend Marie. She would often refer to me as ‘the Catholic,’ noting my reliance on the Catholic Catechism in arguments.

In 2025, Eric Michel Ministries International’s incorporation was amended to reflect our Catholic Identity and Mission.

To learn more about me, here are three links to visit:

✠ Founder & Servant of Christ. My journey is rooted in faith, family, and vocation. Through these moments, the Lord has guided my life in Christ and shaped my mission in the Church. https://franciscanseucharist.com/founders/

✠ Life and Vocation in Founder’s Chronicle
https://franciscanseucharist.com/founders-chronicle/

✠ In 2025, the Christian Unitarian Universalist Fellowship was amended to reflect our Catholic Identity and Mission. https://franciscanseucharist.com/incorporation/

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✠ How can I claim to be of the Apostolic lineage?

That came from a very long time ago, as an ordained deacon, priest, and bishop, starting in 1978. Ordination by the Most Reverend Timothy T. Williamson (Willy) of the Johannine Tradition Church in New Jersey, USA.

Note on the term Johannic or Johannime

Both Johannic (and the related term Johannine) and Johannite are related to the figure of John (either John the Baptist or John the Apostle), but they are used in completely different contexts.

Johannic (or Johannine) is an adjective used in biblical studies to describe writings, theology, or traditions associated with John. For example, the “Johannine literature” refers to the Gospel of John, the Epistles of John, and the Book of Revelation in the New Testament.

Johannite is a noun or adjective used to describe someone who belongs to a sect or follows a tradition centered around John the Baptist or Gnostic Christian teachings (like the modern Apostolic Johannite Church).

I had no clue in that time what was a Gnostic Church

The ancient Gnostics and modern Gnostics are not the same, though they share core philosophical threads. Modern “neo-Gnosticism” relies heavily on ancient texts like the Nag Hammadi Library (discovered in 1945), but it exists as a more eclectic, individualized movement rather than the organized ancient sects (like Valentinianism or Sethianism) of the 2nd to 4th centuries.

Here is how ancient and modern Gnosticism compare:

Ancient Gnosticism (2nd–4th Centuries) Historical Context: Ancient Gnostics represented a diverse mix of Jewish, Christian, and Hellenistic philosophies who sought gnosis (secret, divine knowledge).

Dualism: They believed the material world was created by a flawed, lower entity (the Demiurge), and that the true, transcendent God was entirely spiritual.

Organized Sects: They were structured into distinct religious schools and communities (such as the Valentinians, Sethians, and Basilians).

Modern Gnosticism (“Neo-Gnosticism”)

The “Da Vinci Code” Era: Modern Gnosticism (often called neo-Gnosticism) experienced a massive resurgence starting in the 20th century, particularly following the publication and popularization of the Nag Hammadi Scriptures.

Eclectic and Individualized: Modern Gnostics tend to blend and adapt ancient Gnostic writings with contemporary esoteric, New Age, or philosophical ideas. It is more of an individualized “cut-and-paste” spirituality than an institutional religion.

Direct Historical Lineage: Very few ancient sects survived into the present day. One notable exception is Mandaeism, an ancient, continuously practicing Gnostic religion found in Iraq, Iran, and global diasporas.

✠ My study had only three books and still have them:

1. The Catholic Catechism
2. The Louis Second Bible

3. The Ecuminical Translation of the Bible

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