The Apostolic Succession
in the Anglican Province of Christ the King
A Template Record of Episcopal Consecrations
from the Apostles through the Scottish Episcopal Church,
Bishop Seabury, the American Episcopal Succession,
Bishop Chambers, the Denver Consecrations of 1978,
and the subsequent Bishops of the Province
Anglican Province of Christ the King
© 2026 · The Reverend P. A. Ternahan, M.A. Hum., Editor
Entries marked in amber require completion by the Province.
Preface
This document records the apostolic succession of the Anglican Province of Christ the King in the form established by the Anglican Catholic Church's Chambers Succession chart — a numbered list of episcopal consecrations, giving for each bishop his name, the date of consecration, and the names of his consecrators. It is offered as a template for completion by the Province, with all confirmed data filled in and fields requiring the Province's own records marked clearly in amber.
The succession is traced in three parts. Part I gives the main line of transmission from the Apostolic period through the Church of England, the Scottish Episcopal Church, and Samuel Seabury to the American Episcopal succession — in summary form, since these records are fully documented elsewhere. Part II gives the Denver consecrations of 28 January 1978 in full, as the founding act of the Continuing Anglican movement. Part III gives the APCK-specific episcopal succession from Archbishop Morse to the present bishops, with all available data confirmed from published sources and placeholders clearly marked.
Sources used: the ACC's Chambers Succession chart (staugustineacc.uk); Bishop Hansen's A History of the Diocese of Christ the King and the Anglican Province of Christ the King (American Church Union, 2018); the APCK website (anglicanpck.org); and standard historical records of the Anglican Communion.
A Note on the Method of this Record
Each bishop is assigned a sequential number in order of consecration. The chief consecrator is identified first; co-consecrators follow, separated by commas. Bishops consecrated in other jurisdictions but subsequently received into the APCK are noted with their original consecration date. The number in bold in the consecrators column identifies the chief consecrator by his own entry number in this list, where that consecrator is himself numbered here.
Confirmed entries are printed in the archive's standard ink colour. Entries requiring completion by the Province — consecration dates, co-consecrators, or other details not available in published sources — are printed in amber and marked [TO BE CONFIRMED BY THE PROVINCE]. The Province is invited to complete these entries from its own canonical records and return a corrected version to the editor.
PART I
The Main Line of Apostolic Transmission
From the Apostles to Bishop Albert Chambers (Springfield, 1952)
The following gives the main line of transmission from the Apostolic period to Bishop Albert Arthur Chambers, the chief consecrator at Denver. Only the primary or most direct line is shown; the full documentation of every link is available in standard histories of Anglican orders, and the entire line from the English Reformation to Seabury has been exhaustively established by scholars including Lyndwood, Bramhall, Dodwell, and Denny & Lacey.
THE PATRISTIC AND MEDIEVAL SUCCESSION
The succession from the Apostles through the early bishops of Rome, Antioch, Alexandria, and Jerusalem to the medieval Western Church is documented in the standard Catholic histories. The English line passes through the bishops of Canterbury from Augustine of Canterbury (consecrated 597 by the authority of Gregory the Great) through the medieval archbishops to the Reformation period.
THE REFORMATION TO THE NON-JURORS
At the Reformation, the English bishops retained the historic succession. Thomas Cranmer was consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury in 1533 in the traditional form. The succession was transmitted continuously through the Elizabethan Settlement and the Stuart period. After 1688, the Non-Juring bishops — those who declined to swear oaths to William III — maintained a separate line of succession in Scotland, which became the Scottish Episcopal Church.
THE SCOTTISH EPISCOPAL CHURCH TO BISHOP SEABURY
—. ROBERT KILGOUR · Bishop of Aberdeen (elected 1768, consecrated in the Scottish line) [Kilgour was the senior consecrator of Seabury]
Consecrated by: Scottish Episcopal succession from the Non-Jurors
—. ARTHUR PETRIE · Bishop of Moray and Ross (consecrated in the Scottish line) [co-consecrator of Seabury]
Consecrated by: Scottish Episcopal succession
—. JOHN SKINNER · Bishop-Coadjutor of Aberdeen (consecrated in the Scottish line) [co-consecrator of Seabury]
Consecrated by: Scottish Episcopal succession
—. SAMUEL SEABURY · 14 November 1784, Aberdeen, Scotland [First American Anglican bishop; Bishop of Connecticut]
Consecrated by: Kilgour (chief), Petrie, Skinner
THE AMERICAN EPISCOPAL SUCCESSION
From Seabury the American succession was regularised and expanded. William White and Samuel Provoost were consecrated in England in 1787, and James Madison in 1790. These four bishops — Seabury, White, Provoost, and Madison — form the foundation of the American Episcopal episcopate from which all subsequent bishops descend. The line through which Bishop Chambers received his orders passes through the main succession of the Protestant Episcopal Church from Seabury and White forward.
BISHOP ALBERT ARTHUR CHAMBERS
—. ALBERT ARTHUR CHAMBERS · Consecrated Bishop of Springfield, Illinois [Retired Bishop of Springfield; chief consecrator at Denver]
Consecrated by: [Chief consecrator and date: TO BE CONFIRMED — standard Episcopal records]
NOTE: The full documentation of the line from Seabury to Chambers, naming every intervening bishop and date, is available in the standard records of the Protestant Episcopal Church and has been published by the Standing Commission on Ministry and multiple Anglican historians. It is not reproduced here in full. The key link is Chambers, whose own consecration in the PECUSA line is a matter of public record.
PART II
The Denver Consecrations
28 January 1978 · Denver, Colorado · The Feast of St. Thomas Aquinas
On 28 January 1978, in a rented Lutheran church in Denver, Colorado, four men were consecrated bishops for the newly formed Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), the body from which both the Anglican Catholic Church and the Anglican Province of Christ the King descend. The consecrations took place under the direction of Bishop Albert Arthur Chambers as chief consecrator, with Bishop Francisco de Jesús Pagtakhan of the Philippine Independent Catholic Church as co-consecrator. Letters of consent from Bishop Mark Pae of Taejon, Korea, were in hand.
Bishop Doren was consecrated first. He then joined Chambers and Pagtakhan as a third consecrator for the remaining three. The four Denver bishops — with Chambers, Pagtakhan, and their respective episcopal lineages — together transmitted to the new Anglican movement the full breadth of the Catholic apostolic succession, drawn from the Anglican, Philippine, and Korean lines.
The Consecrators
✦ Rt Rev Albert Arthur Chambers — Retired Bishop of Springfield (PECUSA); American Episcopal succession via Seabury/White 1784/1787
✦ Rt Rev Francisco de Jesús Pagtakhan — Bishop of the Philippine Independent Catholic Church; independent Aglipayan succession
✦ Rt Rev Mark Pae — Bishop of Taejon (Korea); Anglican Communion succession; present by letter of consent
✦ Rt Rev Charles Francis Boynton — Sometime Bishop of Puerto Rico, Suffragan of New York (PECUSA); present by letter of consent
The Four Denver Bishops
1. DOREN, CHARLES DALE DAVID · 28 January 1978, Denver, Colorado [First consecrated; Archdeacon of Taejon Diocese (Korea); Diocese of the Mid-West]
Consecrated by: Chambers (chief), Pagtakhan, Mark Pae (by consent)
2. MOTE, JAMES ORIN · 28 January 1978, Denver, Colorado [Diocese of the Holy Trinity]
Consecrated by: Chambers (chief), Pagtakhan, Doren (001)
3. MORSE, ROBERT SHERWOOD · 28 January 1978, Denver, Colorado [Diocese (later Province) of Christ the King; first Archbishop of the APCK]
Consecrated by: Chambers (chief), Pagtakhan, Doren (001)
4. WATTERSON, PETER FRANCIS · 28 January 1978, Denver, Colorado [Diocese of the Southeast; later resigned and received into Roman Catholic Church as layman]
Consecrated by: Chambers (chief), Pagtakhan, Doren (001)
PART III
The Episcopal Succession of the
Anglican Province of Christ the King
From Archbishop Morse (1978) to the present
The following lists every bishop consecrated in or for the Anglican Province of Christ the King (and its predecessor the Diocese of Christ the King) from the Denver consecrations of 1978 to the present. Archbishop Morse (Denver no. 3 in Part II above) is the root of the APCK line. All confirmed data is drawn from published sources. Entries marked in amber require confirmation from the Province's canonical records.
Key to Symbols
✦ Confirmed — data verified from published sources
◈ Placeholder — date and/or consecrators TO BE CONFIRMED BY THE PROVINCE
† Bishop subsequently departed the APCK
ARCHBISHOP ROBERT SHERWOOD MORSE AND THE FIRST GENERATION
The Most Reverend Robert Sherwood Morse (10 April 1924 – 28 May 2015) was born in San Francisco and trained at Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, Illinois. Ordained Deacon on 8 July 1950 and Priest on 22 February 1951, he served Bay Area parishes and established Episcopal chaplaincies at Stanford University (1952) and the University of California at Berkeley (1957–1961). From 1966 he was Rector of St. Peter's Church in Oakland. Having led the six western parishes that separated from ECUSA at St. Louis in 1977, he was consecrated Bishop of the Diocese of Christ the King at Denver on 28 January 1978. He founded St. Joseph of Arimathea Anglican Theological Seminary, Berkeley, in 1979. When the Diocese became a Province in 1991 he was elected its first Archbishop, retiring on 25 January 2008 — the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. He died in Berkeley on 28 May 2015, age 91, of pancreatic cancer; his funeral was celebrated at St. Peter's Pro-Cathedral, Oakland, on 6 June 2015. His parting words with a friend were nearly always 'All is Grace.'
Archbishop Morse (Denver no. 3) is the root of the APCK succession. He served as Bishop of the Diocese of Christ the King from 1978, and as first Archbishop of the Anglican Province of Christ the King from its formation in 1991 until his retirement on 25 January 2008. All subsequent APCK bishops descend from him.
1. MORSE, ROBERT SHERWOOD · 28 January 1978, Denver, Colorado [✦ The Most Reverend Robert Sherwood Morse. Born 10 April 1924, San Francisco; died 28 May 2015, Berkeley, age 91 (pancreatic cancer). B.A. Pacific College (now University of the Pacific) 1948; Seabury-Western Theological Seminary 1950. Ordained Deacon 8 July 1950, Priest 22 February 1951 (PECUSA). Established Episcopal Chaplaincies at Stanford (1952) and UC Berkeley (1957–1961). Rector, St. Peter's Church, Oakland 1966–1984. Consecrated Bishop of the Diocese of Christ the King, Denver, 28 January 1978. Founded St. Joseph of Arimathea Anglican Theological Seminary, Berkeley, 1979. First Archbishop of the Anglican Province of Christ the King from 1991; retired 25 January 2008 (Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul). Funeral Mass: 6 June 2015, St. Peter's Pro-Cathedral, Oakland. Root of the entire APCK episcopal succession.]
Consecrated by: Chambers (chief), Pagtakhan, Doren
2. CAHOON, JOHN THAYER JR. · 25 January 1986, St. Peter's Church, Oakland, California [† ✦ First Suffragan/Assistant Bishop of the DCK; departed for ACC 1989]
Consecrated by: Morse (chief, no. 1), Mote (Denver no. 2), Alfred Woolcock (Anglican Catholic Church of Canada)
THE 1990 SUFFRAGANS
In 1990, in anticipation of the reorganisation of the Diocese of Christ the King into the Anglican Province of Christ the King, Bishop Morse consecrated two suffragan bishops. Both are confirmed by Hansen's history; their exact consecration dates and full co-consecrators require confirmation from the Province's records.
3. CLARK, JAMES POLLARD · 1990 [exact date: TO BE CONFIRMED] [◈ Suffragan Bishop; Diocese of [TO BE CONFIRMED]; elected at DCK Synod 1990]
Consecrated by: Morse (chief, no. 1) + [co-consecrators: TO BE CONFIRMED]
4. STENHOUSE, GEORGE · 1990 [exact date: TO BE CONFIRMED] [◈ Suffragan Bishop; Diocese of [TO BE CONFIRMED]; elected at DCK Synod 1990]
Consecrated by: Morse (chief, no. 1) + [co-consecrators: TO BE CONFIRMED]
THE 1993 CONSECRATION
Edward LaCour was consecrated on 23 October 1993 with Archbishop Morse as chief consecrator. He subsequently joined the Anglican Catholic Church in 2006 and is listed as ACC no. 036 in the Chambers Succession chart.
5. LACOUR, EDWARD ETHAN · 23 October 1993 [† ✦ Bishop in the APCK; received into ACC March 2006]
Consecrated by: Morse (chief, no. 1), James P. Clark (no. 3), Harold L. Nutter (Anglican Church of Canada, by consent)
ARCHBISHOP MORRISON — DIOCESE OF THE SOUTHWESTERN STATES
The Most Reverend Frederick G. Morrison, Archbishop Emeritus of the Anglican Province of Christ the King, is a Church of England priest who joined the Diocese of Christ the King in late 1984 at the invitation of Archbishop Robert S. Morse. He received his priestly formation at Lichfield Theological Seminary and was ordained Deacon in 1961 and Priest in June 1962, beginning his ministry in a well-known Anglo-Catholic parish in the south of England. From June 1966 he served in the Royal Air Force Chaplain's Branch, with postings to Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, Gibraltar, Germany, and the United Kingdom, and on the Staff of the Royal Air Force Chaplain's College. On completing his commission he became Rector of the thirteenth-century St. Martin's Parish Church and the eleventh-century St. Bartholomew's Parish Church, both in Huntingdonshire (near Cambridge). He subsequently served as Senior Area Chaplain for NHS hospital networks in Sussex, and held a Fellowship of the Clinical Theology Association, graduate certification in Hospice and Bereavement counselling, membership of the Marriage Guidance Council, and served as External Confessor to the Anglican Community of St. Mary the Virgin, Oxford. Postgraduate work through the Universities of Oxford and London. On arrival in the USA in May 1985 he went to Tulsa, Oklahoma and built the parish of All Saints, consecrated in 1988. He was appointed Administrator for the Southwestern Diocese, served on the Provincial Standing Committee and the Board of Saint Joseph of Arimathea Seminary. Elected and consecrated second Bishop Ordinary of the Diocese of the Southwestern States in May 2002. Elected and installed as the third Archbishop of the Anglican Province of Christ the King in July 2015. Retired as Archbishop Emeritus on 1 January 2020, succeeded by Archbishop Upham. He was chief consecrator of Archbishop Schultz (21 September 2017) and co-consecrated Bishop Ashman (15 August 2012).
6. MORRISON, FREDERICK G. · May 2002 [exact date to be confirmed] [◈ ✦ Consecrated second Bishop Ordinary, Diocese of the Southwestern States, May 2002. Elected 3rd Archbishop of the APCK, July 2015. Retired Archbishop Emeritus, 1 January 2020. Church of England priest; joined Diocese of Christ the King late 1984. Lichfield Theological Seminary. Ordained Deacon 1961; Ordained Priest June 1962 (C of E). RAF Chaplain 1966 onward: Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, Gibraltar, Germany, UK. Rector, St. Martin's and St. Bartholomew's, Huntingdonshire (near Cambridge). Senior Area Chaplain, NHS hospital networks, Sussex. Arrived USA May 1985; built All Saints, Tulsa, OK (consecrated 1988). Provincial Standing Committee; Board, Saint Joseph of Arimathea Seminary. Chief consecrator: Archbishop Schultz (21 Sep 2017). Co-consecrator: Bishop Ashman (15 Aug 2012).]
Consecrated by: Morse, Robert S. (chief, no. 1) + [co-consecrators: to be confirmed from Province records]
THE 2003 CONSECRATION
Rocco Aldo Florenza was consecrated on 6 June 2003 with Archbishop Morse as chief consecrator. He subsequently joined the Anglican Catholic Church in 2009 and is listed as ACC no. 041.
7. FLORENZA, ROCCO ALDO · 6 June 2003 [† ✦ Bishop in the APCK; received into ACC October 2009]
Consecrated by: Morse (chief, no. 1), James Provence, Frederick Morrison (no. 6)
BISHOP WIYGUL
The Right Reverend Dr. William C. Wiygul was consecrated Bishop of the Diocese of the Southern States in 2004. The chief consecrator was Archbishop Robert S. Morse. Born in Natchez, Mississippi; graduate of the University of Mississippi. Ph.D. in medical clinical microbiology, University of Tennessee. Later attended Saint Joseph of Arimathea Anglican Theological College, Berkeley, California. Longtime resident of Montevallo; Rector of the Church of the Holy Comforter. Prior to his election to the episcopate, served as administrator of the Diocese of the Southern States and secretary of the College of Bishops. Retired as Diocesan Ordinary of the Diocese of the Southern States in May 2011. Wife: Beth.
8. WIYGUL, WILLIAM C., PH.D. · 2004 [exact date to be confirmed] [◈ ✦ Bishop of the Diocese of the Southern States, 2004–2011 (retired May 2011). Born Natchez, MS. B.A., University of Mississippi. Ph.D. medical clinical microbiology, University of Tennessee. Attended Saint Joseph of Arimathea Anglican Theological College, Berkeley, CA. Rector, Church of the Holy Comforter, Montevallo. Served as diocesan administrator and secretary of the College of Bishops before election. Co-consecrated Bishop Ashman (no. 11) on 15 August 2012.]
Consecrated by: Morse, Robert S. (chief, no. 1) + [co-consecrators: to be confirmed from Christus Rex V:3]
CURRENT AND RECENT BISHOPS — TO BE COMPLETED BY THE PROVINCE
The following entries are placeholders for the current and recent bishops of the APCK. The Province is invited to supply the consecration date, chief consecrator, co-consecrators, and diocese for each. Names are drawn from the APCK website bishops page.
9. UPHAM, JOHN EXLEY · [Date of consecration: TO BE CONFIRMED] [◈ ✦ 4th Archbishop of the APCK (deceased); full name confirmed; was co-consecrator of Archbishop Schultz (21 Sep 2017) as then-Bishop of the Diocese of the Atlantic States; succeeded Archbishop Morrison; died in office]
Consecrated by: [Chief consecrator and co-consecrators: TO BE CONFIRMED BY THE PROVINCE]
10. SCHULTZ, BLAIR W. · 21 September 2017, Tulsa, Oklahoma (Feast of St. Matthew) [✦ 5th Archbishop of the APCK; consecrated Bishop Suffragan of the Diocese of the Atlantic States; elected Bishop Coadjutor 2021; became Bishop Ordinary upon passing of Archbishop Upham; elected Archbishop on the Feast of St. Basil, 14 June 2023]
Consecrated by: Morrison (chief, no. 6), Donald M. Ashman, John E. Upham (no. 9), Frank W. Brulc
11. ASHMAN, DONALD M. · 15 August 2012 [◈ ✦ Consecrated Suffragan Bishop, 15 August 2012, Saint Peter's Pro-Cathedral, Oakland, CA. Elected Diocesan Bishop, Diocese of the Western States, 22 April 2016; enthroned 23 April 2016 by Most Rev. Frederick G. Morrison. Born Los Angeles; raised Burbank, CA. Glendale College; B.A. History, Cal State Long Beach 1970; graduate work Classics (Latin and Greek), UCLA. Teaching credential UCLA. Taught Latin, Greek, and AP History 1973–2018. Received into the Episcopal Church, 14 April 1974, by Rt. Rev. Robert B. Gooden, Church of the Holy Apostles, Glendale, CA. Ordained Deacon: Ember Wednesday in Advent 1980, by Rt. Rev. Robert S. Morse. Ordained Priest: Feast of the Most Precious Blood, 1 July 1983, by Rt. Rev. Robert S. Morse. Elected Rector, Church of Our Saviour and the Holy Apostles (Los Angeles and Glendale): 1 May 1985; instituted 3 July 1985. Chaplain, Hollenbeck Retirement Home, Boyle Heights: 1985–2018 (33 years). Founded Church of Our Saviour, Santa Barbara: 1987. Served: Board of Examining Chaplains; Standing Committee. Currently: Provost, Saint Joseph of Arimathea College (teaches Ecclesiastical Latin, Theology, Biblical Greek); Vice President, Board of Saint Joseph of Arimathea Foundation; Rector, Church of Our Saviour and the Holy Apostles; Rector, Church of Our Saviour, Santa Barbara.]
Consecrated by: Provence, James E. (chief, no. 5) + Morse, Robert S. (no. 1) + Morrison, Frederick G. (no. 6) + Wiygul, William C. (no. 8)
12. BRULC, FRANK W. · [Date of consecration: TO BE CONFIRMED] [◈ ✦ Bishop, APCK; full name confirmed as co-consecrator of Archbishop Schultz (21 Sep 2017)]
Consecrated by: [Chief consecrator and co-consecrators: TO BE CONFIRMED BY THE PROVINCE]
13. HANSEN, PETER F. · [Date of consecration: TO BE CONFIRMED] [◈ ✦ Bishop Suffragan, Diocese of the Western States; author of A History of the APCK (American Church Union, 2018)]
Consecrated by: [TO BE CONFIRMED BY THE PROVINCE]
14. JONES, BENTON E., JR. · 18 September 2021 [◈ ✦ Consecrated to the Episcopate on Ember Saturday, 18 September 2021, at All Saints Anglican Church, Bolingbrook, IL. Chief Consecrator: Most Rev. John E. Upham, Jr.; assisted by the Council of Bishops. Ordained Deacon: 15 December 2007, by Rt. Rev. William C. Wiygul (no. 8), Bishop Ordinary of the Diocese of the South, APCK. Ordained Priest: Feast of St. James, 25 July 2009, at St. George's Anglican Church, Raleigh, NC, by Rt. Rev. William C. Wiygul.]
Consecrated by: Upham, John E., Jr. (chief, no. 9) + Council of Bishops (co-consecrators)
15. MITCHELL, [FULL NAME: TO BE CONFIRMED] · [Date of consecration: TO BE CONFIRMED] [◈ Bishop, APCK — full name and consecration details needed from Province]
Consecrated by: [TO BE CONFIRMED BY THE PROVINCE]
Appendix
A Note on the Validity of the Denver Consecrations
The validity of the Denver consecrations has been questioned on the grounds that Doren was the only fully consecrated bishop present in person (other than Chambers and Pagtakhan) at the time the latter three bishops were consecrated. The Catholic tradition requires three bishops for a valid consecration; at Denver, when Mote, Morse, and Watterson were consecrated, the three consecrators were Chambers, Pagtakhan, and the newly consecrated Doren.
The standard Anglican and Catholic response is twofold. First, a single bishop is canonically sufficient for a valid consecration — the requirement of three is a canon of order, not of sacramental validity, and is designed to ensure adequate witness and prevent unilateral action, not to define the minimum for sacramental effect. Second, Doren's own consecration had been completed earlier the same day, and he was therefore a fully consecrated bishop when he joined Chambers and Pagtakhan as a co-consecrator. His subsequent participation in over forty years of ACC consecrations has been universally accepted by the Continuing Anglican bodies.
Bishop Mark Pae's subsequent physical participation in ACC episcopal consecrations in 1988 (having been present only by letter of consent in 1978) confirmed retrospectively his approval of and consent to the Denver succession. Bishop Charles Boynton's later accession to the ACC similarly confirmed his consent.
The Anglican Province of Christ the King has always maintained that its episcopal succession is complete, valid, and Catholic, transmitted without interruption from the Apostolic foundation through the Scottish Episcopal Church and the American Episcopal succession to the present day.