St. Barachiel Old Catholic Church, Richmond VA

St. Barachiel old catholic church

St. Barachiel Chapel is the tiny, private chapel of Father Robert “Mitch” Mitchell, an Old Catholic priest in Richmond, VA. This is the location from which live worship services are broadcast on the Heritage Arts YouTube channel. It is presently open by appointment only.

right now we’re virtual — but Could we become something more?

Father Mitch’s dream is that someday there will be sufficient interest and funding to support a larger, public building. There isn’t nearly enough interest yet, and at present the Chapel Fund contains a paltry $2,700 (as of April 2023). “But with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)

Who is St. Barachiel?

St. Barachiel is an Archangel recognized in the Orthodox tradition. Barachiel is Hebrew for “Blessings of God.” Old Catholics style themselves as “Orthodox but not Eastern, Catholic but not Roman” and as such there is a great deal more freedom and variety in the saints they recognize. St. Barachiel was instrumental in Father Mitch’s conversion, and he is writing a book about St. Barachiel that he hopes will be released in 2024.

What and Who are the Archangels?

An archangel is a chief angel, the leader of a group or subgroup of angels. Arch comes from the Greek arkhos meaning “chief” or “leader” and angel comes from the Greek ángelos which means “messenger.” Angels are celestial messengers, possessed of power and intelligence superior to humans, who bring special knowledge and information to humanity from God.

Broadly speaking, the Orthodox and Catholic churches (and some Anglican and Lutheran denominations) recognize that archangels are Saints – thus the designation “St.” before the name of archangels in sacramental Christianity.

Which angels are archangels varies by denomination. At St. Barachiel Chapel we have icons representing the 13 archangels represented in the Orthodox, Roman Catholic (prior to 572 AD), and Anglican traditions: St. Michael, St. Gabriel, St. Raphael, St. Uriel, St. Selaphiel, St. Jehudiel, St. Barachiel, St. Remiel, St. Raguel, St. Saraqael, St. Camael, St. Jophiel, and St. Zadkiel.

Join the Blessed Company of the Faithful

Click here to sign up for the church bulletin and to receive reminders about church events.

we are an open communion

At St. Barachiel’s, all baptized Christians are welcome to take part in Mass and receive the Host and Wine.

Unbaptized? We can help with that.

Lapsed from some other denomination? You’re welcome here.

What is an Old Catholic?

Old Catholics split from the Roman Catholic Church in 1871 after a long dispute involving the valid appointment of bishops, papal infallibility, the Immaculate Conception of Mary, and other issues. Some Old Catholics have modernized a since then, others have not. Father Mitch is mostly on the old-fashioned end of the spectrum.

what are your Doctrines?

To quote St. Vincent of Lerins (434 AD), “We believe what has been believed everywhere and always by all, for this is truly and properly catholic.”

In a nutshell, we believe in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist (John 6:52-71), we celebrate the seven sacraments (Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony), we defend the sanctity of human life, and believe in the traditional definition of marriage as being the union of one man and one woman.

That said, the Church is a hospital for sinners. Just as a hospital does not deny treatment to the sick, we exclude no one who is genuinely engaging in the struggle against sin.

For a full and complete outline of Old Catholic Doctrine click here.