Aquarian Tabernacle Church
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The Aquarian Tabernacle Church (ATC) is "the first Wiccan church with full legal status and recognition by the governments of three nations" (the USA, Canada, and Australia) and was founded as a coven by Pete "Pathfinder" Davis, the current archpriest, in 1979. The current Archpriestes is Deborah K. Hudson. Rev. Barbara Lauderdale is the Director of Institutional Pastoral Care Services.
The church is based on English Traditional Wicca but the purpose is to provide services to the larger Pagan (or Neopagan) community such as open worship, festivals, and a lending library. The policy of open attendance assists this goal. Festivals include Hekatee's Sickle Festival (Samhain) and Spring Mysteries (a recreation of the Eleusinian Mysteries). Raymond Buckland (2002) wrote that "the ATC has grown by leaps and bounds to become one of the most respected Wiccan institutions in the country, if not the world."
Their world headquarters are located in Index, Washington.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Buckland, Raymond (2002). The Witch Book: The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft, Wicca and Neo-Paganism. ISBN 1-57859-114-7. Cited on the ATC website.