Archbishop Michael - Holy Spirit OCCNA
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Archbishop Mike
Nesmith Episcopal Coat of Arms
Biography
Bishop Michael Nesmith, DD is the Archbishop of the OCCNA and the Ordinary of the Province of the East AKA The Archdiocese of the Holy Spirit. Most of the clergy of the archdiocese provide their service pro-bono and as such are bi-vocational.
Bishop Michael was raised Roman Catholic and later as an adult joined the Episcopal Church where he served in multiple lay ministries. He began to explore a call to Holy Orders and was led to western orthodoxy where after extensive study and prayer he embraced Old Catholicism. He was ordained to the Transitional Diaconate in May of 1999 and then to the Priesthood in September of 1999. In that same year he and his wife Kathy worked to establish All Saints Parish in Clarksville, TN. Fr. Michael was consecrated a bishop on the 7th of June, 2003 at the Cathedral of Jesus of Nazareth of the Philippine Independent Catholic Church in Orlando, Fl, by Bishop Paul H. Combs, DD, Bishop Joseph D. Dolence, and Bishop Orlando Hyppolitus Lima, OSM.
Being secularly employed in a management position has provided Bishop Michael the opportunity to establish Old Catholic missions and parishes in Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee. In addition he has served as a Priest in Charge of St. Peters Anglican Church (APA) while residing in Waynesville, NC.
Bishop Michael and his wife Kathy have been happily married since 1972 and are parents of three grown children.
Education
Bishop Michael holds an ASM and BSBA, from Thomas Edison State College of Trenton NJ, a Master in Sacred Theology from Agape Seminary, and was awarded a Doctorate of Divinity by St. Michaels College.
Publications
History and Beliefs of the Old Catholic Church and OCCNA – 2003
Old Catholic Missal / Service Book - 2012