Apostolic Church of the Pleroma

What We Practice

The ACP is sacramental in character. The Master Jesus instituted a number of spiritual practices to help us to attain to the salvific gnosis. He also empowered certain of His followers, called Apostles, to perpetuate these traditions which we call Sacraments. The Sacraments are seven in number; and you will notice that they all relate, in some way, to Spiritual Purification, Regeneration, and Reintegration.

The Sacraments of the ACP are as follows:

Baptism: Although all of the Sacraments of the Church may be traced to pre-Christian Jewish, Egyptian, Greek, and Persian traditions, the Rite of Baptism stands out as having a clear lineage of transmission from the pre-Christian era, as Jesus himself received this Sacrament and perpetuated it among His followers. Baptism is a rite of cleansing and purification. It generally marks the official entrance of an individual into full membership of the Church. This is true almost universally throughout Christendom, whether Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, or Gnostic. The traditional Baptism is of Water, but many Gnostic Churches today also include Earth and Air. Also within the Baptism Rite of the ACP, and some other Gnostic churches, is the Baptism of Fire, also called Chrism.
Chrism: Chrismation (known as Confirmation in the Roman Catholic Church) always follows the Baptism. In the ACP, it is conferred within the same ceremony. Our ancient Gnostic brethen placed a particular significance upon Chrism. The Gospel of Philip asserts the supremacy of Chrism over Baptism, and also associates it with the Element of Fire. The Chrism is an extension of Baptism. Just as the Baptism represents our awaking and rebirth into Pneumatic (Spiritual) truth, the Chrism recalls the Holy Fire of Pentecost that bestows Spiritual gifts. It is truly a completion of the Baptism rite.
Eucharist: The Eucharist is the central rite of the ACP, and of all Apostolic Churches. The Rite of Eucharist, or Communion, is the transubstantiation of the elements of Bread and Wine into the Body and the Blood of Christ, the Logos; and then partaking of that Body and Blood - which effects a regenerative influence upon the human Soul. This is a Sacramental Grace that aids the communicant toward Spiritual Reintegration and the ultimate restoration of the Spiritual Self to the Fullness of God. The ACP practices open Communion. That is, the Sacrament of the Eucharist is open to all who wish to partake of its vivifying grace. The Sacraments of Baptism and Chrism, while encouraged for all regular congregants, are only required if one desires full membership in the Church, or if one intends to petition to receive Holy Orders. An individual who has not received Baptism and Chrism is not automatically barred from receiving Communion.
Bridal Chamber: This Sacrament is mentioned throughout the Gospel of Philip, but we have no details of how it may have been practiced by the ancient Gnostics. The descriptions given by heresiologists of wanton sexual rites are very likely a misunderstanding, or intentional perversion of the Rite of Bridal Chamber. It is generally held that this Sacrament refers to the Mystical Marriage of Spirit and Soul; the Christ and Sophia; the reintegration of the primitive wholeness. In this sense it can be seen as an extension of the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Like Redemption, this Sacrament can only be fully realized Spiritually. Matrimony is sometimes seen as a "substitute" Sacrament, or as a temporal representation of the true Bridal Chamber.
Redemption: In the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches, this Sacrament is preserved as Confession and Absolution. The Scriptures tell us that Jesus gave his Apostles the power to forgive sins. In the Roman Rite, the priest personally offers forgiveness (e.g. "I forgive..." etc.). In the Eastern Orthodox, the priest calls on the Holy Spirit to forgive. The Gnostic view would be more in line with the Eastern Church, though by no means identical; the principal difference, of course, being our understanding of what exactly "sin" is. A group Confession and Absolution is given within the context of the Mass, but an individualized Confession and Absolution is not mandated by the ACP unless it is desired by a member. Public Confession and Absolution is in fact more in line with the ancient Church than the sort of Confessional boxes used by the Church of Rome. True Redemption, however, is something that can only be accomplished in full reintegration and regeneration. It may be thought of as the completion of the Bridal Chamber union.
Holy Unction (or Anointing of the Sick): In the Roman Church, this is called Extreme Unction and has traditionally been reserved for those who are believed to be near death or terminally ill. In the Eastern Church, as in the Gnostic Church, this Sacrament may be conferred at any time. Even if one does not seem to be physically ill, we can seek alleviation from the disease of Spiritual darkness. This Sacrament is a powerful theurgic operation.
Holy Orders: This is the Sacrament that transmits the Apostolic Succession, and confers the powers that Jesus first vested in his Apostles. These Spiritual Powers have been transmitted in unbroken succession - person to person, from the time of Jesus Christ up to the present day. The ACP offers the possibility of ordination to men and women who have received Baptism and Chrismation within the ACP, or within any ecclesiastical body that is in full communion with the ACP.

The ACP is not only Sacramental, but also Initiatic. The Christian Mysteries (which are, in fact, a perpetuation of more anicient traditions) have always maintained an inner, esoteric, initiatic tradition. Throughout history, the exoteric Church has not always embraced this secret doctrine. So, in many ages the inner mystical traditions, communicated by Christ only to the Elect, operated outside the bounds of the Ecclesia. But the Apostolic Church of the Pleroma is the inheritor of both aspects of the ancient and primitive Christian Church.

One of the principal vehicles for the transmission of the Mysteries within the ACP is the Christian Knights of Saint-Martin. The CKSM preserves the teachings of the 18th century Christian mystic, Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin (as well as those of his Master, Martinez de Pasqually); and transmits the Martinist Initiation according to the traditional methods as developed by Papus, Augustin Chaboseau, Robert Ambelain, and other conservators of this venerable tradition.