Nurturing Inner Divinity Through
Sacred Wisdom & Mystical Praxis

Born in the Netherlands with early exposure to the Old Catholic tradition before his family embraced Methodism, Patriarch Spruit emigrated to the United States in 1927. After fruitful years in Methodist ministry in California, his spiritual quest led him toward deeper experiential realms, serving in leadership within Ernest Holmes' Religious Science movement where he mastered principles of spiritual mind healing and consciousness.

Through Charles Leadbeater's The Science of the Sacraments and encounters with Bishop John Hampton and Archbishop Lowell Wadle, he re-discovered the sacramental altar. Consecrated to the episcopate in 1957 in lineages tracing to Archbishop Joseph René Vilatte, he founded the Catholic Apostolic Church of Antioch in 1959. Patriarch Spruit consolidated 17 distinct historic apostolic lineages, viewing multiple consecrations sub conditione as an operative act of embodying Christian unity.

He pioneered "sacramental justice"—offering open communion without dogma and courageously extending holy orders to women, including the 1974 consecration of Jennie Maiereder as one of the first female Catholic bishops in the modern independent movement. In sacred partnership with Matriarch +++Meri Spruit, he established a co-equal leadership model balancing masculine and feminine spiritual principles. In 1987, during their historic visit to Australia, Patriarch Herman and Matriarch Meri received the ancient Druidic and Celtic lines of succession from Archdruid Cluthin, entrusting them to Archbishop Frank and Chearle Bugge.

Archbishop Frank Bugge's spiritual life is marked by profound synthesis, bridging practical secular mastery as an electrician, motor mechanic, engineer, and truck driver with innate clairvoyant sensitivity from childhood. Drawn to church liturgy as a teenage organist, he continuously sought deeper spiritual realities beyond rigid exoteric dogma.

In the early 1970s, he connected with Rev. Father John King of the Liberal Catholic Church, who introduced him to pure numerology. Over the next three decades, expanded through advanced tutelage under Druid Archmage Cluthin, Archbishop Bugge refined this esoteric system into a transformative pastoral counseling tool. His path culminated in extensive, intimate study directly under Patriarch Herman Adrian Spruit and Matriarch Meri Spruit.

In 1987, Archbishop Frank and Archbishop Chearle Bugge were consecrated by Patriarch Herman and Matriarch Meri, officially establishing the Australian jurisdiction with the 17 Antiochian apostolic lines, alongside the distinct Celtic and Druidic Christian lines. As longtime Presiding Archbishop and Primate Emeritus, he authored numerous foundational textbooks for St. Michael's Divinity School (SMDS), anchoring the Australian church in radical hospitality: refusing to judge any soul by marital status, orientation, or past life circumstances.

Her Grace, Archbishop Leonie Newman (July 30, 1951 – October 1, 2024) was a prominent Australian spiritual leader within the Australian Church of Antioch whose scholarly devotion to primordial esoteric spirituality left an indelible mark on independent sacramental communities across Australia and internationally.

Her steady progression in holy orders commenced with her ordination to the Priesthood in March 2009, advancement to Archpriest in July 2013, consecration to the Episcopate on September 28, 2014, and ultimate elevation to Archbishop on January 20, 2019. Throughout her tenure, she held significant synodical responsibilities, including Archbishop for the S.E. Peninsula Region, Secretary to the Synod, Assistant to the Dean of SMDS, Webmaster for ACoA, Head of the Parish/Order of St. Bernadette of Antioch in Bonbeach, Victoria, and Registered Marriage Celebrant.

Central to her enduring legacy was her leadership as Primate of The Temple of Ancient Wisdom (TAW), an Order functioning under the protectorate and constitution of the ACoA. Under her direction, the Temple documented and disseminated ancient teachings not previously in the public domain. Her pastoral ministry specialized in spiritual counseling based on birthdates and numbers, energetic spiritual healings, the traditional rite of exorcism, and meticulous archival documentation for the church.