ABOUT US

We are the Portland, Oregon parish of the Ecclesia Gnostica (Gnostic Church), which has its headquarters in Los Angeles, California and is under the direction of the regionary bishop, the Right Reverend Stephan A. Hoeller. As a community of Gnostics, we represent a wide range of religious backgrounds and interests both exoteric and esoteric. What we share in common is a Gnostic Sacramental practice that has been practiced for over the past 60 years and that has its roots going back to antiquity.

As a group and as individuals, we honor both unity and diversity. As an old church adage says, "In the essentials, unity, in the non-essentials, liberty, and in all things, charity." We celebrate diversity and individuality, yet recognize that wholeness must come from a higher and divine source that transcends the individual ego. We welcome all into our community of seekers and knowers regardless of religious background, race, ethnicity, or other worldly characteristics. We support the ordination of women to Holy Orders.

As a group and as individuals, we exemplify the paradox that is commonly found in Gnosticism. We glory in the peak experiences that can be inspired by the beauty of nature, yet are keenly aware of the cruelty and suffering that is part of the natural order of earthly existence. Like the Laughing Savior of the Gnostic scriptures, we have a sense of humor that allows us to laugh at the world and at ourselves, yet we acknowledge that we live in a world of sorrows and a vale of tears. We acknowledge the Light of the Source within us, yet, in this earthly embodiment, we know the alienation of how very far away we are from that Source.