History

The “Lord’s family” is a phrase referring to Jesus’ relatives who played a significant role in the formation of the early Church. They are the descendants of Jesus’ brother James, who was the Bishop of Jerusalem. For this reason, some of them held important positions as bishops and leaders of Christian communities in the first couple of centuries after the Crucifixion. According to the New Testament, James was one of the twelve Apostles and was known as “James the Less” or “James the Just” to distinguish him from other individuals named James in the New Testament. He is considered to be one of the pillars of the Church of Jerusalem and was an important figure in the early Christian movement. He is also the author of the epistle in the New Testament by his name. St. James was known for his piety and upright character.

Pope Sylvester I was one of the early popes of the Roman Catholic Church and is remembered for his role in establishing the dictatorship of the papacy and for his involvement in the First Council of Nicaea in 325. It was before Sylvester’s death that representatives of the Lord’s family petitioned him to remove Greek bishops and permit the Lord’s family to serve in their ecclesiastical, historical offices of responsibility. Sylvester refused the request and the Lord’s family was persecuted almost to the point of becoming extinct. Only a few exist in the world today and serve as the principal spiritual leadership (patriarch and bishops) of the Church of Jerusalem.

The Blessed Mother Mary referred to the Lord’s family in her message of January 17, 2023:

“The Church is the property of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, which is the one Godhead ruling from the heavens above. In the early times of the remaining members of the house of the holy family, the Church of Jerusalem was taken from their hands. They were replaced by gentiles who did not know the Father and who did not follow the true Lord, but instead followed men who had been appointed by the false apostle. Those gentiles were never part of the true church, thus it can not be said of them that there is no difference between Jews and gentiles, for the majority of the house of Rome at that time was never grafted into the Blessed Vine.” The Lord’s family is considered to be the rightful heirs to the leadership of the early Church and holds a special place of honour and respect within the community. Our Lady added, “Instead of walking in [Rome’s] path of wickedness, rebuild the walls and restore the faith under the holy family of the Lord.”

Today, the Church of Jerusalem offers the traditional Latin Rite, under the Holy See of St. James, for those of Roman Catholic backgrounds who love the holy Mass in the Latin language, and who have become dissatisfied with the grievous errors of Rome and its current leadership. The Holy See of Jerusalem is not under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church. The term “Holy See” is typically used to refer to the spiritual and administrative authority of the patriarch and the bishops in communion with him over the Church of Jerusalem throughout the world. The Holy See of Jerusalem is one of the oldest sees in the global church, dating back to the time of the apostles.

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