Glossary of the Catholic Church


This is a glossary of terms used within the Catholic Church. Some terms used in everyday English have a different meaning in the context of the Catholic faith, including brother, confession, confirmation, exemption, faithful, father, ordinary, religious, sister, venerable, and vow.

A

Abbess – the female head of a community of nuns Abbot – the male head of a community of monks AcolyteActual graceAd limina visits – visit by diocesan bishop to the Holy See, usually every five yearsAlexandrian RiteAltarAltar serverAltarage – the revenue reserved for the chaplain in contradistinction to the income of the parish priest, it came to signify the fees received by a priest from the laity when discharging any function for themAmboAmbryAmovibilityAnnulment – see: Declaration of Nullity Apostolic administratorApostolic Chancery – a former office of the Roman CuriaApostolic life, Society of – see: Society of apostolic life Apostolic nuncio – see: Nuncio Apostolic prefectApostolic successionApostolic vicarApseArchbishop – the bishop of an archdiocese, with limited jurisdiction over his suffragan sees; a titular and largely honorary designation granted to certain bishops, often Nuncios and other members of the Holy See diplomatic corpsArchpriest – see: Vicar Forane

B

BaptismBaptism of JesusBaptismal fontBeatificationBishop – an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith, ruling the Church, and sanctifying her peopleBishop emeritus – the title given to a retired bishop or archbishopBishops' conference – see: Episcopal conference Blessed – see: Beatification Brother – a male lay member of a Catholic religious institute

C

Canon lawCardinalCardinal VicarCatholicism – the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioural characteristics, as well as a religious people as a wholeCatechism – a document containing an approved exposition of Church teachingsChancery, Apostolic – see: Apostolic Chancery Chancery, Diocesan – see: Diocesan chancery Chaplain of His HolinessClergy, Regular – see: Regular clergy Clergy, Secular – see: Secular clergy Coadjutor bishop – an auxiliary bishop with the legal right of succession to the see of which he is coadjutorCode of Canon Law, 1917Code of Canon Law, 1983Code of Canons of the Eastern ChurchesCollege of CardinalsCollege of ConsultorsCommunion – see: Eucharist and Full communion Communion riteCommunion of SaintsConclaveConfession – see: Sacrament of Penance ConfirmationCongregation, ReligiousCongregation (Roman Curia)Congregation, Sacred – see: Congregation Consecrated lifeConsecrated life (Catholic Church)Consecrated life, Institute of – see: Institute of consecrated life Corpus Juris CanoniciCouncil, Pontifical – see: Pontifical Council Counter-Reformation – the period of Catholic revival beginning with the Council of Trent and ending at the close of the Thirty Years' WarCredence tableCrosierCrucifixCuria, Moderator of the – see: Moderator of the Curia CuriaCuria, Roman – ''see: Roman Curia ''

D

DeaconDean – see: Vicar forane Declaration of Nullity – a canonical judicial sentence declaring that the matrimonial covenant was invalid from the beginning due to impediments or defect of consentDefinitorDiaconate – see: Deacon DicasteryDiocesan administratorDiocesan bishopDiocesan chanceryDiocesan curia – see: "Curia " Divine LiturgyDiocesan priestDiocesan tribunal – see: Tribunal DiscalceationDulia – ''see also: Hyperdulia ''

E

East–West Schism – forcibly divided medieval Christianity's Eastern from its Western jurisdiction, which later became known as the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church, respectivelyEastern Catholic ChurchesEast Syriac RiteEcclesiastical judgeEminence – see: His Eminence EncyclicalEparchyEpiscopal conferenceEpiscopal seeEpiscopal vicarEucharist – a Christian sacrament, generally considered to be a commemoration of the Last Supper, in which Jesus Christ shared his Body and Blood with his disciples before his betrayal and crucifixionExarchExcardination – see also: IncardinationExcitator – the excitator in seminaries, monasteries and convents was the person charged with the job of awakening community members each morningExclaustrationExcommunication – a medicinal religious penalty that bars the person from reception of the sacraments, the rights of office, and other privileges in the ChurchExemptionExorcism – the practice of expelling demons from a person, place, or thing which they are believed to possess or inhabit

F

Faithful – the collective members of the church incorporated into it through sacramental baptismFall of Man – the willful transition of the first humans from a state of original holiness, in communion with God, to a state of guilt and perennial disobedienceFamily wageFather – a traditional title of priestsFather, God the – a name for the First Person of the Blessed TrinityFive Ways – see: Quinque Viæ 'Font, Baptismal – see: Baptismal font Font, Holy water – see: Holy water font FriarFull communion'''

G

H

HierarchyHis EminenceHis Holiness Holy Communion – see: Eucharist Holy OrdersHoly See – the episcopal jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, and is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the ChurchHoly water font Holy water stoup – see: Home stoup Home stoupHonorary PrelateHorarium – the schedule of daily prayers for those living in a religious community or seminary See also Liturgy of the HoursHyperdulia – veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary see also: duliaHypostasis – in Jesus Christ, the union of two natures, divine and human, in the one divine person of the Son of God

I

Immaculate Conception – the dogma that Mary was conceived without original sin Incardination – see also: excardination Incarnation – the Word of God taking on a human nature and becoming true man, Jesus Christ Institute of consecrated lifeInstitute, Religious – see: Religious institute Institute, Secular – ''see: Secular institute ''

J

Judicial vicar

L

LaityLapsed Catholic – a Catholic who has ceased practising the Catholic faithLatin ChurchLatin liturgical ritesLaw, canon – see: Canon law Lay communion – the status of a cleric who is in communion with the Church, but only with the standing of a lay personLay ecclesial ministryLectio DivinaLectionaryLector – see: Reader Limbo – an idea of speculative theology about the afterlife condition of those unbaptized who die in Original Sin rather than assigning them to the Hell of the damned. Limbo is not a formally defined doctrine of the Catholic ChurchLatria – worship and prayer owed to God aloneLiturgy – public worship

M

Mass – the usual English-language name for the Eucharistic celebration in the Latin liturgical rites of the Catholic ChurchMariology – the theology concerned with the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus ChristMediatrix – the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary as a mediator in the salvation processMetropolitan archbishopMilitary ordinariateMissalMissal, Roman – see: Roman Missal Mission sui jurisMitreMonkMonsignorMost Holy Trinity – ''see:Trinity ''

N

NarthexNaveNovitiateNun – see also: Sister

O

Officialis – see: Judicial vicar Order, Religious – see: Religious order Ordinariate, Military – see: Military ordinariate Ordinariate, Personal – see: Personal ordinariate Ordinary – ''see: Local ordinary ''

P

Papal courtParishParishioner – churchgoerPastorPatriarchPatriarchatePenance – see: Sacrament of Penance Permanent deacon – see: Deacon Personal ordinariatePersonal prelaturePewPontiffPontifical CouncilPopePrefect apostolic – see: Apostolic prefect PrelatePrelate, Honorary – see: Honorary Prelate Prelature, Personal – see: Personal prelature Prelature, Territorial – see: Territorial prelature PriestPriest, Diocesan – see: Diocesan priest Priest, Religious – see: Regular clergy PriorPrioressProtonotary apostolicPulpit – ''see: Ambo ''

Q

Quinque Viæ – Aquinas' famous philosophical proofs for the existence of God found in his ''Summa Theologiæ''

R

Ratum sed non consummatumReaderReconciliation – see: Sacrament of Penance Rector Regular clergyReligiousReligious brother – see: Brother Religious congregation – see: Congregation, Religious Religious institute (Catholic)Religious orderReligious priest – see: Regular clergy Rite to Being – the rite of being left alone to pray to Jesus ChristReligious sister – see: Sister Right of Option – a way of obtaining a benefice or a title, by the choice of the new titularyRoman Catholic – the Roman rite of the Catholic ChurchRoman Curia – "the complex of dicasteries and institutes that help the Roman Pontiff in the exercise of his supreme pastoral function for the good and service of the whole Church and of the particular Churches"

S

Sacrament of Penance – commonly called Confession, Reconciliation or Penance, becoming free of sin by confession and repentanceSacred congregation – see: Congregation Sacred TraditionSaints, Communion of – see: Communion of Saints Sanctifying grace – see: Grace SanctuarySecular clergySecular instituteSede vacanteSee, Episcopal – see: Episcopal see SeminarianServer – see: Altar server Side altarSimple vow – any vow which is not a solemn vowSisterSociety of apostolic lifeSolemn vowStoup, Holy water – see: Holy water font and Home stoup Summa Theologiæ – a theological work by Thomas AquinasSupreme Pontiff – ''see: Pontiff ''

T

Territorial prelatureTitular bishopTitular churchTradition, Sacred – see: Sacred Tradition TranseptTransitional deaconsee: Deacon TransubstantiationTribunal – an ecclesiastical court

U

Universal Church – title that refers to the Catholic Church. From Greek 'katholikos 'universal' from kata 'in respect of' + holos 'whole'

V

Vacant see – see: Sede vacante Venerable Vatican (disambiguation)Vicar apostolic – see: Apostolic vicar Vicar forane – also known as "dean" or, in the Latin Church, "archpriest"Vicar generalVicar, judicial – see: Judicial vicar Vicar of ChristVow – ''see: Simple vow or Solemn vow ''

W

Wage, Family – see: Family wage War, just – see: Just war Ways, Five – see: Quinque Viæ

Works cited

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