Joseph René Vilatte founded his independent Christian denomination, American Catholic Church (ACC), soon after he was consecrated. According to
The New York Times, Edward Randall Knowles was Vilatte's first ordination. The 1892 article called the two, Vilatte and Knowles, the hierarchy of the . That had a schism when Knowles desired to be consecrated a bishop. Vilatte wrote to
The New York Times, that he had "been pestered with applications from clergymen of other churches for episcopal consecration." He says he "would render [him]self ridiculous," wrote Vilatte, "were I to proceed to consecrate Bishops in a hurry." Vilatte rejected Knowles' request and Knowles resigned. Vilatte explained that three canonical conditions were not met: Vilatte was mocked, in
The Sacred Heart Review, as being the "sole proprietor and General Manager of the new Old Catholic Church in America" confronted by a schism. While the "great 'neatness and despatch of Knowles' ordination was ridiculed and his judgment, for "resigning from his church because he can't be a bishop all at once", was questioned. "Knowles may ask, [what] is the use of having a [...] church of your own if you are going to let the rules stand in your way?". Knowles was a
Baptist convert to the , he graduated from
Princeton University, studied
Christian Science for a time, interviewed
Joseph Leycester Lyne, corresponded with
Antonio Francisco Xavier Alvarez, Pedro Manoel Lisboa Pinto,
Eduard Herzog and others. He was prepared to sail to Europe to consult with
Hyacinthe Loyson, Herzog, and the
Old Catholic Church of the Netherlands (OKKN) about the feasibility or desirability of starting missions in America. He abandoned his trip and waited for Vilatte. They met in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Knowles was ordained in
West Sutton, Massachusetts. The name "American Catholic Church" was also used, from 1894, by a group of Polish parishes, at first associated with Vilatte, which were organized at
Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in
Cleveland, Ohio. On February 11, 1895,
The New York Times reported that Knowles was a guest at
Holland House, London and was "a priest of the Old Catholic or Syrian Church" who will in Egypt "study the Coptic and Greek systems". It further reported that, "There is a feeling among the Old Catholics and others who sympathize with them that the present administration of the Church is not vigorous or progressive enough. Hardly any advance has been made since the consecration of Archbishop Vilatte [...] Negotiations were carried on with disaffected Polish Catholics [...] but they failed [...] through a lack of discretion and tact." It went on to report that the "facts will be laid before the Patriarch by Knowles" and that reforms will be suggested. "In point of fact", Orzell wrote, "most Polish dissidents proved more willing to make use of Vilatte's episcopal services at blessings and confirmations than to accept his leadership and embrace his curious blend of Eastern and Western Christian theology." Margrander wrote that Poles did not accept Vilatte's doctrinal reforms so he withdrew his approval of their movement; he also wrote that Vilatte was convinced that their motive was a "deliberate defiance of the canonical authority" of their bishops, rather than reform, so he "advised them either to accept fully and freely the Old Catholic principles, or to return to the Roman Church." Statistics about Vilatte's Old Catholic Church (OCC) sect showed its tiny size. Henry Carroll's
The Religious Forces of the United States Enumerated, Classified, and Described, summarized United States census data from 1890 to 1910. It showed the had at most three minister, five edifices and 700 members; Moreover, the
1910 United States census data showed that prior to 1910, the disintegrated and ceased to exist; They show two denominations associated with Vilatte were grouped under the name "Old Catholic Churches". Lloyd was associated with this organization. The denomination was formed for the special purpose of bringing Roman Catholics into the Old Catholic movement. It was in close fellowship with the but a distinct organization. This denomination was reported for the first time in 1916. It claimed three organizations, with a membership of 475 with one church edifice. There was one organization reporting a parsonage. English was reported as the only language used in church services in this denomination. The number of ministers identified with the church was seven. According to the
Year Book of the Churches, 1923 edition, Vilatte continued as head of the . A third denomination grouped under the name "Old Catholic Churches" was the Catholic Church of North America (CCoNA). was not under Vilatte's leadership but under Bishop
William Henry Francis Brothers' with an episcopal see in
Waukegan, Illinois. This church was also reported for the first time in 1916. It claimed six organizations; 9,025 members with five church edifices. There were two organizations reporting parsonages. Of the six organizations one, with 725 members, reported the use of English only in church services; one, with 600 members, reported Slavic and English; and four, with 7,700 members, the use of foreign languages only. The principal language reported was
Italian, reported by three organizations, with 7,400 members; Polish by one organization, with 300 members. The number of ministers identified with the church was 12. It was in some type of connection, though not ecclesiastically, with the . This church was reported for the first time in 1916. It claimed seven organizations; 7,343 members with six church edifices. There was one organization reporting a parsonage. The only language reported in the conduct of church services in this denomination was Lithuanian. The number of ministers identified with the church was three. Which also stated "a reorganization since the census of 1916 makes it impossible to identify the whole group with any of the bodies formerly presented," in the 1916 data, under the name "Old Catholic Churches";
Intercollegiate University Lloyd and
John Churchill Sibley together operated a parallel business entity, called the Intercollegiate University (IU), in which Lloyd was president and Sibley was chancellor. According to the 1924
Year Book of the Churches, "in order to establish a legal bond with the American Catholic Church", the College of Church Musicians (CoCM) was reorganized and incorporated as in Illinois. was "the university and seminary of the American Catholic Communion". The Intercollegian was an periodical. ==Council of Oversight==