Simply Catholic and Welcoming You

About Us
St. Brigit's Community Catholic Church Clergy

l-r: Fr. Plib Bradley, Vicar General. Right Rev'd Joel Dooley and Amma Charlene Bradley, Episcopal Vicar.

St. Brigit's Community Catholic Church clergy receive our Holy Orders, Apostolic Succession and authorities from our Episcopate via our College of Bishops. 

Our mission, at St. Brigit's Community Catholic Church, is to serve the spiritual needs of our online and in person congregations via sacramental catholic and interfaith ministries.

Our goal to accomplish the mission of St. Brigit’s Community Catholic Church  is to prepare, ordain, and support qualified persons from all states of life who are committed to an inclusive model of Church, and who are called by the Holy Spirit and their communities to minister to the People of God.  

Our Vision is a new model of ordained ministry in a renewed Community Catholic Church 

Our Values include;

1. Equality

2. Justice

3. Accountability

4. Collegiality

5. Prophetic obedience 

6. Following the Guidance of the Holy Spirit in all we  do.

Charism of St. Brigit's Community Catholic Church

First off, what is a charism? A charism is a gift from God for the church and the world, given as different ways of living out the Gospel. The source of all charisms is the same – the Holy Spirit. What differs is the way it is expressed. The Gospel message is too full, too rich to be contained in any one charism.

Like a painting or artistic landscaping, each of which requires many diverse pieces to create a beautiful, unified image; so the Church needs many ways of expressing the Gospel.

Charism may also be described as the spirit of the community. It does not define what they do, rather it defines why and how they do it. So, how does a community name or articulate its charism?

Charisms are partially defined by the founding of the community, but also the on-going deep story of community – how the charism plays out through time, in particular places and circumstances, is also an important part of defining the charism. 

The charism helps guide how the community responds to the ‘signs of the times’. There are many charisms in catholic religious life – Charity, Marianist, Vincentian, Franciscan, Dominican and others.

You can learn a lot about a person or a group simply by being with them. Experience their life – pray with them, talk with them, visit their website, their social media, ask them questions and so on.

Essentially – build relationships of trust with them. It is often said that charism is “caught” rather than “taught”. So while studying the facts and history can be helpful in learning about the charism, your best information will come from actually immersing yourself in the lives of those who are living it out. 

There is no such thing as a “perfect” charism or community. There will probably be pieces of every catholic charism that attracts you, because, after all, every charism, at its core, is rooted in the Gospel and in the Holy Spirit. 

At St. Brigit's Community Catholic Church we prefer to focus on the concept of charism rather than denominations. While it is true that denominations define different groups more broadly and exclusively than charisms and we are not Latin/Roman Rite Catholics nor Orthodox Catholics nor even Old Catholics yet we pray for the day when such definitions no longer separate branches of the "One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church".

Still we are Catholics. Defined now as Community Catholics by denomination. We see ourselves as being simply, basic, inclusive, "cut all the red tape of rules and my way or the highway attitudes", Christ serving, Christ following Catholics. These ideals and how we apply them are our charism.

Christ called out the Pharisees and the Sadducees for putting too many rules and restrictions between people and His Father, thereby keeping people from God (Matthew 23). We do not want to repeat this error. Our emphasis is on Christ's teachings of love, non-judgement, service and devotion with grace through the sacraments and salvation through Christ.

For a more detailed coverage of St. Brigit's Community Catholic Church Charism please click here.

To view our expectations for Clergy Ethical Standards please click here.

For information on human resources considerations please click here.

Here we are, your St. Brigit's Community Catholic priests!

Fr. Plib and Rev. Charlene

Rev. Charlene

I am blessed indeed to have this wonderful woman as my wife, mother of our three children and helper in all I/we do or attempt to do. Rev. Char/Amma Char is my partner on our little mini farm where we focus on raising our kids and self sufficiency. She is also a substitute teacher in the local schools. Best way we know to 'not be a burden to our congregation'.

Char is every bit as much my partner in our church endeavors. Most days we co-celebrate mass, alternating on who is 'lead' priest. I actually now feel lonely when I do mass solo.

Rev. Char brings her efficiency, business degree, (specializing in Human Resources Management), organisational skills and her amazing compassion to her priesthood. I don't know anyone more loving or with a bigger heart than this wonderful woman. I am Blessed indeed to have her at my side in all that we do and especially in our priesthood journey together.

For a quick look into the history of women and women clergy in the church please click here.

Fr. Plib

I, of course am Fr. Plib or Philip to non-churchgoers and non-Gaelic speakers.  I am a retired combatives master instructor, use of force master instructor and holder of multiple black belts including some 5th and 6th degree belts in various disciplines.

As a correctional officer I 'specialised' in working with sexual offenders and as a chaplain I worked with the survivors of sexual and ritual abuse. I am all too well acquainted with the darker side of humanity, personally and professionally.

Yet my background grew a real love of all people, a refusal to judge others and a love of Jesus Christ as my Saviour and Exemplar. Any of us can get lost in this life and too many of us do.

When we put our faith in the Lord and not 'the arm of flesh', not people or systems, just in God, Love, redemption and salvation amazing things happen. We can all come back to the love of Christ and live as He calls us to. 

There is no need or reason to complicate the process of faith nor the miracles it can produce. Love God, love our neighbour and love ourselves. Simply catholic!

When speaking about being "simply catholic" I'd like to address the topic of the symbols of the bishops office, other symbols used in the church and St. Brigit's Community Catholic Church stance on these things. Yep, we keep that all simple too. Check the details here.

Hint, we're committed to "not being a burden to our congregations".

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