Bishop Karl Pruter and the Cathedral of the Prince of Peace (cropped)

Karl Hugo Prüter, commonly referred to as Karl Pruter (July 3, 1920 – November 18, 2007), was an

Old Catholic The terms Old Catholic Church, Old Catholics, Old-Catholic churches or Old Catholic movement designate "any of the groups of Western Christians who believe themselves to maintain in complete loyalty the doctrine and traditions of the Great Chu ...

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. He founded the Christ Catholic Church. Pruter was raised in a Lutheran church and served as a Congregationalist minister under the name of Hugo Rehling Pruter, Sr., from 1945 to 1958. In the

Congregationalist Church Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

, he was one of the leaders of the

liturgical movement The Liturgical Movement was a 19th-century and 20th-century movement of scholarship for the reform of worship. It began in the Catholic Church and spread to many other Christian churches including the Anglican Communion, Lutheran and some other Pro ...

in the church during the late 1940s and early 1950s. He was also an opponent of the merger of the

Congregational Christian Churches The Congregational Christian Churches were a Protestant Christian denomination that operated in the U.S. from 1931 through 1957. On the latter date, most of its churches joined the Evangelical and Reformed Church in a merger to become the United ...

with the

Evangelical and Reformed Church The Evangelical and Reformed Church (E&R) was a Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. It was formed in 1934 by the merger of the Reformed Church in the United States (RCUS) with the Evangelical Synod of North America (ESNA). A ...

to form the

United Church of Christ The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States, with historical and confessional roots in the Congregational, Calvinist, Lutheran, and Anabaptist traditions, and with approximatel ...

, begun in 1957 and concluded in 1961. As a continuing Congregationalist, he led his church and several other Midwest Congregational churches to reject the merger and form a new body, the Central Association of Congregational Christian Churches. In the late 1960s, Pruter became involved in the Free Catholic Movement, an association that lasted until his death. Pruter's introduction to the Free Catholic Movement and

Old Catholicism The terms Old Catholic Church, Old Catholics, Old-Catholic churches or Old Catholic movement designate "any of the groups of Western Christians who believe themselves to maintain in complete loyalty the doctrine and traditions of the undivide ...

came in 1963, when he traveled to Europe, where he met several leaders of the

tradition. When he returned to the United States, he settled in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

hoping to find an available church or bishop. Not finding any, he arranged with Archbishop Peter A. Zurawetsky to start a new church in the

Back Bay Back Bay is an officially recognized neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, built on reclaimed land in the Charles River basin. Construction began in 1859, as the demand for luxury housing exceeded the availability in the city at the time, and t ...

area of

, which stressed the contemplative life,

mysticism Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in ...

, and a faith based on personal experience. Pruter was consecrated as

of the Diocese of Boston by archbishops Peter A. Zurawetsky and Uladyslau Ryzy-Ryski in 1967. The following year, Pruter designated his diocese an independent communion. After a meeting the following year, the new Christ Catholic Church was recognized when its constitution and canons were given to it by Archbishop Zurawetsky. Pruter was a vigorous publisher and distributor of literature in his fields of interest. The press he founded, St. Willibrord Press, was a major distributor of literature about Old Catholicism. He wrote a number of tracts and pamphlets, as well as books such as ''The Teachings of the Great Mystics'' and ''A History of the Old Catholic Church''. He also operated the Tsali Bookstore, specializing in Native American literature, and Cathedral Books which emphasizes literature about the topic of peace. In his later years Pruter made his home in Highlandville, Missouri. He gained notice for Christ Catholic Church when he converted a small wash-house near the east site of his home there into a chapel. Since the official chapel of a bishop is technically designated as a "cathedral" the structure was featured for decades in the '' Guinness Book of World Records'' as "The World's Smallest Cathedral". The structure in later years featured a small blue copola, small stained glass window, and three rows of pews about five feet across. Pruter died on 18 November 2007.

Books by Pruter

*Pruter, Karl. (1987) Jewish Christians in the United States: A bibliography New York: Garland Pub.. Book ) *Pruter, Karl. (1985) The theology of Congregationalism San Bernardino, Calif.: Borgo Press. *Pruter, Karl. (1985) The teachings of the great mystics San Bernardino, Calif.: Borgo Press. *Pruter, Karl. (1985) Neo-congregationalism San Bernardino, Calif.: Borgo Press. *Pruter, Karl. (1985) A history of the Old Catholic Church San Bernardino, Calif.: Borgo Press. *Pruter, Karl. (1985) The people of God San Bernardino, Calif.: Borgo Press. * Pruter, Karl. (1986) Bishops extraordinary San Bernardino, Calif.: Borgo Press. Book ) * Pruter, Karl. (1986) The strange partnership of George Alexander McGuire and Marcus Garvey San Bernardino, Calif.: Borgo Press. *Pruter, Karl. (1995) A directory of autocephalous bishops of the Churches of the Apostolic succession 7th, rev. and expanded. edition. San Bernardino, Calif.: St. Willibrord's Press. *Pruter, Karl. (1996) The priest's handbook 2nd, rev. and expanded edition. San Bernardino, Calif.: St. Willibrord's Press. Book, Vol. 4 in a series/set ) *Pruter, Karl. (1996) The directory of autocephalous bishops of the churches of the Apostolic succession 8th, rev. and expanded. edition. San Bernardino, Calif.: St. Willibrord's Press. Book, Vol. 1 in a series/set ) *Pruter, Karl. (1996) The Old Catholic Church: A history and chronology 2nd, rev. and expanded. edition. San Bernardino, Calif.: St. Willibrord's Press. *Pruter, Karl. (1997) The mystic path San Bernardino, Calif.: St. Willibrord's Press. Book, Vol. 5 in a series/set ) *Pruter, Karl; Melton, J. Gordon. (1983) The Old Catholic sourcebook New York: Garland Pub.

References

External links

Cathedral of the Prince of Peace, Christ Catholic Church official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pruter, Karl 1920 births 2008 deaths American Old Catholic bishops Former Lutherans Former Congregationalists 20th-century American clergy