Herman Adrian Spruit was born in a suburb of Berlin, Germany, on January 26, 1911. He was of Dutch ancestry, his family being of Dutch Old Catholic extraction although his father, a tailor, had converted to Methodism while in Germany.

At age seventeen, Spruit immigrated to the United States; settling in Los Angeles, California.

Later, Spruit became a Methodist pastor and served the Methodist Church for over twenty years, but he longed for the Catholic ritual he remembered from the Old Catholic Church of his childhood.

He resigned his pastorate and began a process of several years of independent study of spiritual traditions. During this time, he found that much of Theosophy and esoteric Christianity resonated within his spirit.

When he was again ready for ministry, he approached Bishop Hampton of the Liberal Catholic Church, and Bishop Hampton consecrated him to the episcopate on June 22, 1957. Within a year, Archbishop Spruit founded the Catholic Apostolic Church of Antioch. Archbishop Spruit was the Patriarch of the Catholic Apostolic Church of Antioch from its founding until his retirement.

Meri Louise Spruit, (Reynolds) considered by many, the person who was responsible for making both Herman Spruit and the church successful, was enthroned Matriarch on February 27, 1986. She continued in that position until her retirement in 2005.

Following Herman and Meri:

Richard Alston Gundrey, Presiding Bishop 2005-2009.

Richard Gundrey

Mark Elliott Newman, Presiding Bishop, September 11, 2009- present.

Mark Newman