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Item |
Fact(s) |
Abbot |
"An Abbot is one who exercises over a religious community of men
authority similar in many things to that exercised by a bishop
over his diocese. He has also certain privileges usually granted
to bishops." (Baltimore Catechism)
|
Addressing Correspondence to Clergy |
Click
Here for 'Addressing Correspondence to Clergy'
|
'Alter
Christus' |
A Priest acts as an 'Alter Christus' (Latin
for 'Another Christ') when performing his priestly ministry.
Also See: 'Alter
Christus' / 'In Persona Christi' (Reflections) | 'In Persona
Christi'
|
Anchorite |
A hermit.
Also See: Hermits |
Apostolical Succession |
"The authoritative and unbroken
transmission of the mission and powers conferred by Jesus Christ
on St. Peter and the Apostles [and] from them to the present pope and
bishops." (Catholic Dictionary)
Also See: Bishop
| Ordained | Power
of the Keys | Priests
/ Priesthood (Reflections) | Vatican
View Section |
Asceticism |
"Asceticism is self-discipline in all
its forms, particularly those voluntarily undertaken out of love of
God and desire for spiritual improvement; its meaning is sometimes
improperly limited to corporal austerity. It may be internal
discipline applied, to the mind, heart and will by purely internal
effort, and at least a little of this is imposed on every
Christian as a condition of salvation; or external, whether by the
renunciations implied by the vows of poverty, chastity and
obedience...or by the various forms of bodily mortification and
austerity directed to making and keeping the appetites conformed
to right reason and God's law. Asceticism is an integral part of
Christian life, having its sanction in our Lord's life...and
teaching. It is not an end in itself, discomfort of mind or body
for its own sake, but a means towards personal sanctification,
freedom of soul, and approach to God; its higher forms are
entirely voluntary and based on the distinction between precepts
and counsels: it seeks first the Kingdom of God and so attains to
fullness of life." (Catholic Dictionary)
Also
See: Evangelical Counsels
|
Bishop |
"The supreme ecclesiastical ruler of a
diocese. Bishops are the successors of the apostles, as the pope
is the successor of St. Peter. For the affairs of their own
dioceses they are responsible directly to the pope. They govern
their flocks in the name of God as representatives of Christ; they
are not delegates of the Holy See, though they are subject to its
authority, but exercise their own powers by virtue of their
office. They do not enjoy personal infallibility, but collectively
in union with the pope, they are infallible." (Catholic
Dictionary) Note that Bishops may trace their power back directly
to the apostles and must remain in communion with the pope.
Bishops are appointed by the pope in the Western
Church. As stated in the Baltimore Catechism: "The
difference between the powers of a bishop and of a priest with
regard to the administration of the Sacraments is that a bishop
can give all the Sacraments, while a priest cannot give
Confirmation or Holy Orders."
Also See: Bishop
of Rome | Bishopric |
Diocese | Episcopate
| Episcopacy | Bishops
/ Episcopate (Reflections) | Diocese
/ Parish (Reflections) | Vatican
View Section | Papal
Infallibility (Vatican View Section) | U.S.
Dioceses & Archdioceses (Church Talk Section)
|
Bishop of Rome |
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome. For more
information on the Pope / Papacy, click
here (Vatican View Section)
Also See: Pope
|
Bishopric |
Refers to the office of the bishop.
Also See: Bishop
| Episcopate | Episcopacy
| Bishops
/ Episcopate (Reflections)
|
Brother |
The term "brother" may have various
meanings. With regard to the religious life, it may refer to a
member of a religious order who is not a priest.
Also See: Religious
Orders | Religious
Life | Are
You Called to Religious Life?
|
The Calling to Religious Life |
Refers to one's being called by God
to the Religious Life.
Also See: Religious
Life | Are
You Called to Religious Life? | The
Calling to Religious Life (Reflections)
|
Candidates |
'Candidates' may refer to those being
considered for the priesthood.
Also See: Priests
/ Priesthood (Reflections) | Candidates
(Reflections) | Are
You Called to Religious Life?
|
Canon |
"An ecclesiastical person (Lat.
Canonicus), a member of a
chapter or body of clerics living according to rule and presided
over by one of their number." (Catholic Encyclopedia)
|
Cardinal |
"A member of the Sacred College of
Cardinals, the counselors and assistants of the pope in the
government of the Church". (Catholic Dictionary)
Also See: Cardinals
/ Papal Legates (Reflections) | Cardinals
(Vatican View Section Facts) | Pope
|
Cassock |
"[A] close-fitting garment reaching to
the heels, fastened down the front with numerous small buttons;
the ecclesiastical uniform of all clerics except those who, being members
of orders or congregations, have a distinctive habit. The cassock
of the pope is white, of cardinals red, of bishops and other
prelates purple, and everybody else black. For ordinary use
cardinals, bishops and prelates have a black cassock with red or
purple cincture, buttons and piping." (Catholic Dictionary)
Also See: Clerical
Dress | Clerical
Dress / Appearance / Comportment (Reflections)
|
Celibacy / Chastity
Warning:
May contain some graphic language |
Clerical celibacy refers to the vow taken by
the clergy to refrain from
marriage / carnal intercourse. Chastity "excludes all indulgence
of and all voluntary pleasure arising from the sexual appetite in the
case of single persons [and] controls the use of such appetites according to the dictates of right reason in the case of married
persons." (Catholic Dictionary)
Also See: Celibacy
/ Chastity (Reflections) | Why
Priestly Celibacy?
|
Chaplains |
"The title given to the priest appointed
to exercise the sacred ministry in an institution, such as a
convent, orphanage or prison, usually with the cure of souls, or to
minister to a special class of persons, e.g. military and naval
chaplains." (Catholic Dictionary)
Also
See: Chaplains
(Reflections)
|
Church Hierarchy |
In a broad sense, the hierarchy of the Church
may primarily consist of those who have received the sacrament of
Holy Orders (e.g. the pope, bishops, priests, and deacons).
According to the Baltimore Catechism: "The pastors of the Church rank according to
authority as follows: (1) Priests, who govern parishes or
congregations in the name of their bishop; (2) Bishops, who rule
over a number of parishes or a diocese; (3) Archbishops, who have
authority over a number of dioceses or a providence; (4) Primates,
who have authority over the ecclesiastical or Church provinces of
a nation; (5) Patriarchs, who have authority over a whole country,
and, last and highest, the Pope, who rules the Church throughout
the world."
Also See: Bishop
| Holy
Orders | Pope | Priest
| Church
Hierarchy (Reflections)
|
Clergy |
"Persons in the Church legitimately
deputed to exercise the power of holy orders and jurisdiction."
(Catholic Dictionary)
Also See: Holy
Orders
|
Cleric |
Refers to a member of the clergy.
Also See: Clergy
|
Clerical Dress |
Refers to the proper dress worn by clergy.
Also See: Cassock
| Habit | Clerical
Dress / Appearance / Comportment (Reflections)
|
Clerks Regular |
"Bodies of men bound by the religious
vows and living in community under a rule, but engaged primarily
in the active work of the ministry and not bound to office in
choir, as distinct from the monastic and mendicant life."
(Catholic Dictionary)
|
Cloister |
"The English equivalent of the Latin
word 'clasura' (from claudere, 'to shut up')... In modern
ecclesiastical usage, clausura signifies, materially, an enclosed
space for religious retirement" (Catholic Encyclopedia)
Also See: Convent
| Monastery | Religious
Life
|
'Common Priesthood of the Faithful' |
The 'Common Priesthood of the Faithful' refers
to the 'priesthood of the laity' which is referred to in
various passages of Holy Scripture (e.g. 1 Pt 2, Rv. 1, 5, 20).
This 'universal priesthood' should not be confused with the
ministerial priesthood, which confers special powers and duties
upon those ordained. While all the faithful share in the 'common
priesthood', not all the faithful share in the ministerial
priesthood. As in the Old Testament, [e.g. where God spoke to
Moses: "You shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy
nation. That is what you must tell the Israelites" (Ex.
19:6)] different classes of the priesthood exist, including a
'general priesthood' of followers who can offer prayers,
thanksgiving, and other 'spiritual sacrifices' to God.
Also See: Ministerial
Priesthood | Priesthood
| Priests
/ Priesthood (Reflections) | The
Hierarchical Priesthood Vs. the 'Common Priesthood of the
Faithful' (Reflections)
|
Congregation |
This term has various meanings and may refer
to a religious institute established by a bishop, monasteries
united under a common head, and religious institutes in which
members take only simple vows.
Also See: Religious
Institutes | Monastery
| Religious
Life | Simple
Vow |
Consecrated
Life |
"A permanent state of life recognized by
the Church, entered freely in response to the call of Christ to
perfection, and characterized by the profession of the evangelical
counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience." (USCCB)
Also See: Religious
Life | Evangelical
Counsels | Are
You Called to Religious Life? |
Convent |
"A convent is defined as a building
which serves as a fixed dwelling-place where religious live
according to their rule." (Catholic Encyclopedia)
Also See: Cloister
| Friary | Monastery
| Religious Life
|
Cure of Souls |
"The pastoral care of the
faithful." (Catholic Dictionary) The cure of souls generally
includes the celebration of the Mass, the administration of the sacraments,
catechesis, etc.
Also See: Parish
Priest | Duties
& Responsibilities of Priests (Reflections) | Sacraments
Section
|
Deaconate |
The deaconate is the first order or grade in
ordained ministry. All men to be ordained to the priesthood must
first be ordained as deacons. [Note: Also, since
the Second Vatican Council, a "permanent deaconate" was instituted
to assist priests.]
Also See: Holy
Orders | Minor
/ Major Orders | Ordained |
Diocese |
"The territory governed by a bishop. The
pope alone can erect, alter, divide, unite, or suppress
dioceses" (Catholic Dictionary). Dioceses are divided into
parishes.
Also See: Bishop
| Pope | Diocese
/ Parish (Reflections) | U.S.
Dioceses & Archdioceses
|
Discalced |
Comes from the Latin "without
shoe". May refer to religious congregations whose members go
without shoes (or who wear sandals).
Also See: Religious
Life
|
The Divine Office |
Traditionally, the "Divine Office"
refers to certain prayers said at specified hours of the day
and night which are recited by priests, religious, and other
clerics. May also be called "Canonical Hours",
"Liturgy of the Hours", or "Breviary".
Also See: The
Divine Office (Reflections)
|
Duties / Responsibilities |
Priests have a variety of duties, however, as
St. Thomas Aquinas states, "[T]he principal act of a priest
is to consecrate the Body and Blood of Christ". For more
information on priestly duties / responsibilities, try here
(Reflections: Duties & Responsibilities of Priests)
|
Episcopacy |
"The bishops of the Church as a
body." (Catholic Dictionary)
Also See: Bishop
| Episcopate
|
Episcopate |
Refers to the office of a bishop.
Also See: Bishop
| Episcopacy | Bishops
/ Episcopate (Reflections)
|
Evangelical Counsels |
"[V]oluntary poverty, perpetual chastity
and entire obedience. Their observance is not necessary to
salvation; they are a rule of perfection put forward to be
voluntarily taken up by those who find themselves the vocation to
do so. They are not perfection itself, but instruments for its attainment,
for maintaining and strengthening love of God and one's
neighbor." (Catholic Dictionary)
Also See: Religious
Life | Vows |
Excardination |
"[T]he transfer of a cleric permanently
from the jurisdiction of one bishop to that of another." (Catholic
Dictionary)
Also See: Incardination
| Incardination
/ Excardination (Reflections)
|
Formation |
Refers to the preparation of a person for the
priesthood or religious life.
Also See: Priesthood
| Religious
Life | Seminarian | Seminaries
/ Seminarians / Training / Formation (Reflections) | Are
You Called to Religious Life?
|
Fostering Vocations |
May refer to practices / behaviors to
encourage persons called to religious life to respond to their
calling and to efforts to increase the number of priests /
religious in the Church.
Note for Parents: "Parents and guardians should bear in mind
with regard to their children's vocations: (1) That it is their
duty to aid their children to discover their vocation: (2) That it
is sinful for them to resist the Will of God by endeavoring to
turn their children from their true vocation or prevent them from
following it by placing obstacles in their way, and, worst of all,
to urge them to enter a state of life to which they have not been
divinely called; (3) That in giving their advice they should be
guided only by the future good and happiness of their children and
not by any selfish or worldly motive which may lead to the loss of
souls." (Baltimore Catechism)
Also See: Fostering
Vocations (Reflections) | Are
You Called to Religious Life?
|
Friar |
"A member of one of the so-called
mendicant orders [e.g. Dominicans, Franciscans, Carmelites,
Augustinians]. 'Friar' is not synonymous with 'monk'... the life
of a monk is normally passed within the walls of his monastery; a
friar has his headquarters in a friary but his work is of the
active ministry and may take him to all parts of the earth; a
friar is a member of a highly organized, widespread body with a central
authority to which he is professed; a monk's allegiance is to the
abbot of an autonomous individual monastery." (Catholic
Dictionary)
Also See: Friary
| Mendicant | Religious
Life
|
Friary |
"A community of any one of the orders of
friars and the house in which they live." (Catholic
Dictionary)
Also See: Friar
|
Habit
Related:
"42 Reasons Nuns Should Wear Habits" (User-Submitted Article)
|
"The clothes or uniform proper to a religious
order." (Catholic Dictionary)
Also See: Clerical
Dress | Religious
Orders
|
Hermit |
"One who lives alone and devotes himself
primarily to the exercises of religion in order the better to
know, love and serve God." (Catholic Dictionary)
Also See: Anchorite
| Religious
Life |
Hierarchical Priesthood |
Refers to the ministerial priesthood as
distinct from the 'common priesthood of the faithful'.
Also See: Church
Hierarchy | 'Common
Priesthood of the Faithful' | Ministerial
Priesthood | Priests
/ Priesthood (Reflections) | The
Hierarchical Priesthood Vs. the 'Common Priesthood of the
Faithful' (Reflections)
|
Holy Orders |
"Holy Orders is a sacrament by which bishops,
priests, and other ministers of the Church are ordained and
receive the power and grace to perform their sacred duties."
(Baltimore Catechism) The sacrament of Holy Orders is conferred by bishops.
Like Baptism and Confirmation, this sacrament makes an indelible
(permanent) mark on the soul of the recipient.
Also See: Minor
/ Major Orders | Ordained
| Ordination | Priesthood
| Holy Orders
(Sacraments Section Reflections) | Sacraments
Section | Are
You Called to the Priesthood / Religious Life?
|
'In Persona Christi' |
A priest acts 'In Persona Christi' (Latin
for 'In the Person of Christ') when performing his priestly
ministry.
Also See: 'Alter
Christus' | Priest | Alter
Christus / In Persona Christi (Reflections) | Duties
& Responsibilities of Priests (Reflections)
|
Incardination |
"Incardination is a canonical and perpetual enlistment in the new diocese to which a given person
[e.g. priest] has
been transferred by letters of excardination." (Catholic
Encyclopedia)
Also See: Excardination
| Incardination
/ Excardination (Reflections)
|
Mendicant |
Traditionally applied to orders of friars who
were forbidden to possess property and subsisted by begging.
Also See: Friar
|
Metropolitan |
"In the Western church the title and
rank added to that of an archbishop who presides over a province
and consequently has suffragen sees under him" (Catholic
Dictionary)
Also See: The
Metropolitan (Reflections)
|
Ministerial Priesthood |
Refers to the ordained priesthood which confers
special powers and duties upon the men ordained.
Also See: 'Common
Priesthood of the Faithful' | Hierarchical
Priesthood | Ordained
| Power
of the Keys | Priests
/ Priesthood (Reflections) | The
Hierarchical Priesthood Vs. the 'Common Priesthood of the
Faithful' (Reflections) | Top
Reasons Why Women Can't Be Priests
|
Minor / Major Orders |
"[Traditionally,] Sub-deaconship, deaconship
and priesthood are called major or greater orders, because those
who receive them are bound for life to the service of the altar
and they cannot return to the service of the world to live as
ordinary laymen." (Baltimore Catechism) Traditionally in the Western church, the minor orders refer to the "lower
ranks of the clergy, through which all aspirants to the priesthood
must pass." (Catholic Dictionary). Note that major / minor
orders may still be used by traditional religious orders.
Also See: Holy
Orders | Priesthood
|
Missionary |
Missionary
may refer to one who engages in certain apostolic labors (e.g.
propagating the faith in foreign countries).
|
Monastery |
Generally refers to the "fixed abode of
a community of monks, canons regular or nuns; the name is extended
to include houses of friars [and various] congregations"
(Catholic Dictionary)
Also See: Cloister
| Convent | Religious
Life
|
Monasticism |
"The essence of monasticism, strictly so
called, is the formation of a 'community of monks, bound to live together
until death, under rule, in common life, in the monastery of their
profession, as a religious family, leading a life not of marked
austerity but devoted to the service of God.' It must be
distinguished from the community life of canons regular and the
mendicant life of friars, both of which are monastic only to a
certain extent and incidentally, and still more from the organized
activity of later orders and congregations." (Catholic
Dictionary)
Also See: Monastery
| Monk | Religious
Life
|
Monk |
"One who by taking the vows of religious
binds himself to the monastic life in its integrity." (Catholic
Dictionary)
Also See: Monastery
| Monasticism | Religious
Life | Friar
|
Monsignor |
"A Monsignor is a priest upon whom the Pope
confers this title as a mark of esteem. It gives certain
privileges and the right to wear purple like a bishop."
(Baltimore Catechism)
|
Novice |
"One undergoing a period of
probation...with the object of testing fitness for profession in a
religious order or congregation of men or women." (Catholic
Dictionary)
Also See: Novitiate
| Postulant | Profession
(Religious) | Religious
Life | Religious
Orders | Congregation
| Are
You Called to Religious Life?
|
Novitiate |
"The period or condition of being a
novice" (Catholic Dictionary)
Also See: Novice
|
Obedience |
A vow commonly taken by priests or religious to
"submit to the direction of his superiors according to the
rule and constitutions of the society." (Catholic Dictionary).
[Note: For diocesan priests, obedience may be given to the
bishop.]
Also See: Vows
| Religious | Religious
Life | Obedience
(Reflections)
|
Oblate |
"The name given to members of certain religious
congregations who have offered themselves to the service of
God." (Catholic Dictionary) It is derived from the Latin term
"oblatus" ("offered"). |
Ordained |
Refers to a man who has received the Sacrament
of Holy Orders. It should be noted that "each man validly
ordained was ordained so by someone ordained
in direct line of apostolic succession to Christ Himself."
Also See: Holy
Orders | Ministerial
Priesthood | Ordination
| Priesthood | Priests
/ Priesthood (Reflections) |
Orders |
See
"Holy Orders"
|
Ordinary |
"A cleric with ordinary jurisdiction in
the external forum over a specified territory." (Catholic
Dictionary)
Also See: Cleric
|
Ordination |
Refers to the reception of the sacrament of Holy
Orders
Also See: Holy
Orders | Ministerial
Priesthood | Minor
/ Major Orders | Ordained
| Sacraments
Section | Are
You Called to the Priesthood / Religious Life? |
Parish |
"A defined territorial district,
within a church and congregation, in charge of a priest who has
cure of souls therein. Every diocese must be parceled out into
parishes; its boundaries, etc., may be altered for a canonical
reason at the discretion of the bishop... Parishes are the
ordinary charge of the secular clergy" (Catholic Dictionary)
Also See: Diocese
| Parish
Priest | Diocese
/ Parish (Reflections)
|
Parish Priest |
"A priest having cure of souls in a
parish or quasi-parish under the authority of the local
ordinary." (Catholic Dictionary)
Also See: Parish
|
Pastor |
The term 'pastor' is
Latin for 'shepherd'. "A priest who has cure of souls,
whatever the canonical position of his parish or district may
be." (Catholic Dictionary).
|
Patron Saints |
Altar
Boys: St. John Berchmans
Bishops:
St. Ambrose, St. Charles Borromeo
Bishops
(Missionary): St. Paul
Catechists:
St. Charles Borromeo, St. Robert Bellarmine, St. Viator
Clerics:
St. Gabriel of the Sorrowful Mother
Confessors:
St. Alphonsus de Liguori
Deacons:
St. Laurence, St. Stephen, St. Marinus
Hermits:
St. Antony, St. Giles, St. Hilarion
Lay
Brothers: St. Gerard Majella
Lay
Sisters: St. Martha
Missionaries:
St. Francis Xavier, St. Theresa of Lisieux, St. Leonard of
Port Maurice
Monks:
St. John the Baptist, St. Antony, St. Benedict of Nursia
Nuns:
The Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Bridget, St. Scholastica
Papacy:
St. Peter
Parish
Priests: St. John Vianney
Priests:
St. John Vianney, St. John of Avila
Pope:
Pope St. Gregory the Great
Preachers:
St. John Chrysostom, St. Bernardino of Siena
Seminarians: St. Charles
Borromeo
Tertiaries:
St. Elizabeth of Hungary, St. Margaret of Cortona, St. Louis
IX
Those
Rejected by Religious Orders: St. Benedict Joseph Labre, St.
Joseph Moscati, St. Rose of Viterbo
Virgins:
The Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Agnes
Vocations:
St. Alphonsus Liguori
Also
See: Saints Section
|
Pope |
"The pope, as bishop of Rome, is the
successor of St. Peter, and therefore the visible head of the
Church on earth, the vicegerent of Christ, and the supreme ruler
of all Christians. Christ commanded Peter to 'feed my lambs, feed
my sheep' (John xxi, 16, 17), which meant that he was to rule and
govern the faithful and their pastors. He is therefore the supreme
judge in all matters of faith and morals, in pronouncing upon
which he may exercise infallibility. He also exercises supreme
jurisdiction and may legislate for the whole Church and dispense
from canonical law. He alone can erect, suppress, or otherwise
modify dioceses and mission territories; confirm the election of
bishops or translate or depose them; and fully approve new
religious institutes. He reserves to himself the beatification and
canonization of saints and the absolution of certain sins, and
judges appeals from all lower authorities. But he cannot alter the
faith once delivered to the saints or suppress or modify any
essential rites or dispense from the divine law. Much of the papal
power may be and is delegated, e.g., to the Roman congregations,
delegates apostolic, and others." (Catholic Dictionary)
The pope is Christ's Vicar, the earthly
leader of the Catholic Church, and the successor of St. Peter. He
also has jurisdiction over the Vatican City State and the Holy
See. He is the Bishop of Rome and the Supreme Pontiff of the
Catholic Church. His office is called the pontificate (or papacy).
As possessor of the keys to the kingdom of heaven and gifted with infallibility, the pope keeps the doctrine of the faith pure and
acts as a center of unity in the Church. His office is a royal
one, as represented by the triple tiara commonly worn by the
popes. The pope also has his own Papal Coat of Arms and military
force (the Swiss Guards). The pope presently resides in the
Vatican palace and his official seat is the Basilica of St. John
Lateran.
Note: The term 'pope' is derived from the
Greek 'papa', or father. The term originally enjoyed a broader use
(e.g. it was applied to bishops and priests), but after a few
centuries, it was used exclusively to denote the Bishop of Rome.
Also See: Bishop
of Rome | Vatican
View Section
|
Postulant |
"One preparing to be clothed as a novice
in a religious house by means of a preliminary experience of the
life." (Catholic Dictionary)
Also See: Novice
| Religious
Life
|
Poverty |
A vow often taken by religious to renounce
personal property.
Also See: Vows
| Poverty
(Reflections)
|
Power of the Keys |
"An expression, derived from Matt. xvi,
19, denoting the complete ecclesiastical authority of orders,
jurisdiction and doctrine conferred by our Lord in the first place
on St. Peter and his successors and then on the other members of the
hierarchy in their degree. Popularly and in the writings of many
of the Fathers and other theologians it refers only to the power
of binding and loosing exercised in the sacrament of
Penance." (Catholic Dictionary)
Also See: Priesthood
| Priests
& The Sacrament of Penance (Reflections)
|
Prayers for Priests |
Click
Here for 'Prayers For Priests & Vocations'
|
Preacher |
One designated by proper Church authorities to
preach Catholic doctrine.
Also See: Preaching
|
Preachers
/ Preaching (Reflections)
|
Preaching |
"The object of preaching is to instruct
people in the Christian faith in order that they may know and love
God and his revelation and lead a virtuous and charitable life; it
is addressed both to the understanding and to the heart. The
Council of Trent confirmed the doctrine that preaching is a principal
office of bishops and ordered that their duties, the priests of
parishes, should preach at least on Sundays and holidays. This
sermon is usually a discourse on the gospel of the day at the
parochial Mass. Secular priests from outside the diocese and any religious
may not preach in a public church without the bishop's
permission. A deacon may be deputed to preach, but never a layman
or a woman, even if a religious." (Catholic Dictionary)
Also See: Preacher
|
Preachers
/ Preaching (Reflections)
|
Prelate |
"A dignitary having jurisdiction in the
external forum by right of his office. The principal prelates are
the bishops; others are vicars and prefects apostolic, abbots and
other major superiors of religious orders, and the higher
officials of the Roman curia." (Catholic Dictionary)
|
Presbyter |
Generally, in early usage of
the term, presbyter may refer to a bishop, whereas in later usage,
the term presbyter may refer to a priest.
Also See: Bishop
| Priest
|
Priest |
"The minister of divine worship, especially
in its highest act, [the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass]." (Catholic Dictionary) The power of their office is conferred by
the reception of Holy Orders and may be traced back directly to
apostolic times. Priests receive a threefold power to preach,
forgive sins, and to consecrate the Holy Eucharist. Priests are
called by God (a "vocation"), not elected, and
have an awesome power - "they have powers not given even
to the angels!" A priest confers the sacraments, acting
"In Persona Christi" and as an "Alter Christus". One may say that he acts
"as an instrument employed by God for the salvation of souls."
Also See: 'Alter
Christus' | Cure
of Souls | Holy
Orders | 'In
Persona Christi' | Ministerial
Priesthood | Minor
/ Major Orders | Ordained
| Ordination | Parish
Priest | Pastor | Power
of the Keys | Priesthood
| Religious
Priest | Sacerdos | Duties
& Responsibilities of Priests (Reflections) | Priests
/ Priesthood (Reflections) | Prayers
for Priests / Vocations | Why
Priestly Celibacy? | Top
Reasons Why Women Can't Be Priests
|
Priesthood |
The term priesthood may have various
meanings, including: "i. The priestly office, character or
dignity. ii. The character imprinted on the soul by the valid
reception of the sacrament of Holy Order. iii. The aggregate of
those priestly rank [e.g. the bishops and priests with the pope as
their head.]." (Catholic Dictionary). The priesthood in the
Catholic Church was instituted by Christ. It surpasses the
priesthood of the Old Testament in dignity and power. The
ministerial priesthood established by Christ confers special powers
"not even granted to the angels" - e.g. the power of
forgiving sins and the power of consecrating the Holy Eucharist.
It is a true ministerial priesthood and is distinguished from the 'common
priesthood of the faithful' (in which no special priestly powers
are granted).
Also See: Holy
Orders | Ministerial
Priesthood | Power
of the Keys | Priest | Priests
/ Priesthood (Reflections)
|
Primate |
"A bishop who, without the rank of
patriarch, exercises jurisdiction over all the metropolitans and bishops
of a given district or country, himself being subject only to the
Holy See." (Catholic Dictionary) Note that this title may be
principally of historical importance. |
Prior |
"A monastic superior or sub-superior,
usually holding office temporarily for a fixed period. The
superiors of colleges of secular canons are sometimes called
prior." (Catholic Dictionary) |
Procurator |
"i. The representative of a religious
order permanently residing in Rome. ii. The official in a
monastery (or convent, seminary or similar establishment) who has
charge of...[certain] affairs of the house... iii. Any person
lawfully appointed to act for another, e.g. a proxy for a sponsor
at baptism." (Catholic Dictionary) |
Profession
(Religious) |
"A contract whereby a novice freely
gives himself, by the taking of vows, to the religious life in a
community approved by the Church. It may be solemn or simple, and
this latter temporary or perpetual." (Catholic Dictionary) Also
See: Novice | Religious
Life | Vows |
Provincial |
"The superior of a province of a
religious
order." (Catholic Dictionary) |
Rector |
"A priest legitimately appointed as the
ruling head of a church (parish or otherwise), college (e.g.
seminary) or institution (e.g. university)."
|
Rectory |
Refers to a priest's residence. |
Regular Clergy |
"In its strict sense, the priests and
other professed members...of any religious institute having solemn
vows. In its common sense, those clerics who are bound by vows and
live in community according to a rule, as opposed to those,
seculars, who do not so live, i.e., the ordinary parochial
clergy." (Catholic Dictionary) As stated in the Baltimore
Catechism: "There are many religious communities of priests, who,
besides living according to the general laws of the Church, as all
priests do, follow certain rules laid down for their community.
Such priests are called the regular clergy, because living by
rules to distinguish them from the secular clergy who live in
their parishes under no special rule. The chief work of the
regular clergy is to teach in colleges and give missions and
retreats." |
Religious |
"Any person, clerical or lay, male or
female, who is a member of a religious institute." (Catholic
Dictionary)
Also See: Religious
Institutes | Religious
Life | Are
You Called to Religious Life?
|
Religious Institutes |
"Canon law calls a 'religion' or
religious institute in general a society of men or women approved
by ecclesiastical superiors, in which the members in conformity
with the special laws of their association take vows, perpetual or
temporary but to be renewed when they expire, and by this means
tend to evangelical perfection. It must be a society in the strict
juridical sense... To become a religious institute in the full
canonical sense it must receive positive and formal approval from
the legitimate authority, that is, the Holy See or the bishop. As
a condition for such approval each institute must have its rule or
constitution determining its mode of government, the rights and duties
of the members. Each member must take the vows of religion publicly,
that is, in the hands of the legitimate superior, who receives
them in the name of the Church. Institutes are principally divided
into orders and congregations and are clerical or lay."
(Catholic Dictionary)
Also See: Religious
| Religious
Life | Congregation
| Religious
Orders | Religious
Order Initials For Men | Religious
Order Initials for Women | Religious
Institutes For Men | Are
You Called to Religious Life?
|
Religious Life |
"[A] life directed to personal perfection...a
life seeking union with God" (Catholic Encyclopedia)
"'A stable mode of life in a community,
whereby the faithful undertake to observe, not only the general
precepts, but also the evangelical counsels by means of the vows
of obedience, chastity and poverty' (Code of Canon Law, canon
487). Religious...are bound to tend to perfection by practicing
the counsels and submitting to the rules and constitutions of
their order or congregation." (Catholic Dictionary)
Note that religious life may vary depending
upon the community, order, etc.
Also See: Consecrated
Life | Religious | Religious
Institutes | Vows | Religious
/ Religious Life / Religious Institutes (Reflections) | Are
You Called to Religious Life?
|
Religious Order Initials |
Click here
for Religious Order Initials For Men
Click here
for Religious Order Initials For Women
|
Religious Orders |
"i. Canon law reserves this name to the religious
institutes in which the members take solemn vows... ii.
Historically a society of persons united for religious ends, bound
by vows, and organized ultimately under the authority of a
'superior general'... iii. in common speech, any of the societies
which canon law calls religious institutes." (Catholic
Dictionary) Note: Some well-known religious orders may include:
Augustinians, Benedictines, Carmelites, Cistercians, Dominicans,
Franciscans, Jesuits, Redemptorists, Salesians, etc.
Also See: Religious
Institutes | Religious
Life | Religious
Order Initials | Are
You Called to Religious Life?
|
Religious Priest |
Unlike a diocesan priest (who serves the
church in his diocese), a religious priest is not ordained for a
specific diocese, but may serve his own religious community and
also beyond the limits of a diocese.
|
Role of Women |
Click
Here For "Proper
Role & Behavior of Women" Reflections
Also See: The
Religious Life For Women | Top
Reasons Why Women Can't Be Priests
|
Rule |
"The regulations of life and daily discipline
under which a religious lives. These vary in every order and
congregation" (Catholic Dictionary)
Also
See: Religious
Life |
Sacerdos |
Latin for priest. Note: Click here
for more Latin definitions. |
Sacraments |
See Sacraments
Section
|
Secular Clergy |
"The ordinary clergy who pursue their
work, principally parochial, living independently in the world, as
opposed to the regular clergy who are bound by a rule and usually
live in monasteries. The secular priest is the normal Christian
cleric" (Catholic Dictionary)
|
Secular Priest |
See "Secular
Clergy"
|
Seminarian |
Refers to a man who is training for the
priesthood.
Also See: Seminary
| Candidates | Seminaries
/ Seminarians / Training / Formation (Reflections)
|
Seminary |
"A college exclusively devoted to the
training of candidates of the priesthood." (Catholic Dictionary)
Also See: Seminarian
| Candidates | Seminaries
/ Seminarians / Training / Formation (Reflections)
|
Simple Vow |
"Public vows not recognized by the
Church as solemn. Usually they render contrary acts unlawful but
not invalid. Thus religious in simple vows retain ownership of property,
and their marriages are valid, though illicit; but some simple
vows render contrary acts invalid. They cannot be taken before
[completing a certain age]... A religious society of simple vows
is called a congregation, and religious women in simple vows are
technically called sisters, as distinct from nuns in solemn
vows." (Catholic Dictionary)
Also See: Vows
| Solemn
Vow | Congregation
| Religious | Religious
Life | Are
You Called to Religious Life? |
Sister / Nun |
"[N]uns and sisters...devote themselves
in various religious orders to the practice of a life of
perfection" (Catholic Encyclopedia). Note that, strictly
speaking, a female belonging to a religious institute having solemn
vows is a 'nun', whereas one who takes only simple vows is a 'sister'.
Also See: Religious
Life | Simple
Vow | Solemn
Vow | The
Religious Life For Women | Are
You Considering the Religious Life?
|
Solemn Vow |
"Those recognized as such by the Church.
They render contrary acts not only illicit but invalid: thus religious
in solemn vows cannot own property or contract valid marriage... A
religious society of solemn vows is called an order, and its
members are regulars; religious women in solemn vows are technically
termed moniales, i.e. nuns." (Catholic Dictionary)
Also See: Vows
| Simple
Vow | Religious
Orders | Religious | Religious
Life | Are
You Called to Religious Life? |
Sub-Deacon |
In the Western Church, subdeacon traditionally
refers to the lowest of the major orders.
Also See: Minor
/ Major Orders
|
Superior |
"Any one having authority over others by
virtue of his ecclesiastical rank either in the Church or in some
unit thereof, e.g. a seminary or monastery." (Catholic
Dictionary) |
Temporary Vows |
Temporary vows may refer to religious vows
which automatically lapse at the end of a certain period unless
they are renewed or made perpetual.
Also See: Vows
| Religious
Life |
Tertiary |
"A member of a third order. A secular
tertiary is a lay person living in the world; a regular
tertiary is a religious living in a community and bound by
vows." (Catholic Dictionary)
Also See: Vows
| Religious
Life
|
Tonsure |
"A complete shaving of part of the hair
[on a man's] head" - it may be required for clerics and may be
considered "the visible sign of the clerical state and
symbolizes Christ's crown of thorns" (Catholic Dictionary).
The actual pattern of the shaving may vary.
|
Vestments |
"The special garments worn by
ecclesiastics in the exercise of divine worship and administering
the sacraments." (Catholic Dictionary) Such garments may be traced back even to the Old Testament
(cf. Ex. 28).
Also See: Clerical
Dress
|
Vocation |
"A call given by God to a soul"
(Catholic Dictionary). This term is often associated with those called to the
religious life or priesthood, but, strictly speaking, it applies
to other "callings" as well (e.g. marriage).
Also See: The
Calling to Religious Life | Are
You Called to Religious Life?
|
Vows |
"A solemn promise made to God freely and
deliberately to perform some good work or to embrace a higher
state of life. The fulfillment of a vow is an obligation of the
virtue of religion. Vows are public (e.g. the vows of monks and
nuns) or private, solemn or simple, personal or real. A vow binds
no one but the vower, but the obligations of real vows, whereby property
is dedicated to God, pass to heirs. Ordinaries can dispense or
commute vows for a just cause, except those reserved to the
pope." (Catholic Dictionary) Also See:
Simple
Vow | Solemn
Vow | Temporary
Vows | Evangelical
Counsels | Celibacy
/ Chastity | Obedience | Poverty
| Religious
Life |
Why Women
Can't Be Priests |
Click
Here For "Top
Reasons Why Women Can't Be Priests"
Also See: Role
of Women
|
Also See... |
Priests
& Vocations Reflections
Holy
Orders (Sacraments Reflections)
Vatican
View Section
Sacraments
Section
Latin
Mass & Catholic Tradition Section
Church
Talk
Catholic
Basics
Selections
From the Baltimore Catechism
Non-Catholics
(apologetics)
Priests
(Topical Scripture)
Holy
Orders (Topical Scripture)
Sacraments
(Topical Scripture)
|
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