Catholic Glossary

Glossary
Abbot - head of a community of monks; equivalent to a bishop.

Alb - long white tunic worn by clergy during liturgies.

Archbishop - principal bishop in a province; addressed as 'The Most Revd ...', 'Archbishop ...', 'His Grace'.

Archdiocese - diocese presided over by an archbishop.

Apostolic succession - all new bishops are ordained by bishops, and so are successors to the Apostles, who were the companions of Jesus Christ and the first bishops.

Auxiliary bishop - assistant to a diocesan bishop.

Benedictine - member of the religious Order of Saint Benedict.

Bishop - successor of the Apostles; recipient of third and final stage of the sacrament of holy orders; normally overseer and pastor of a church territory (diocese); has same powers of any priest to say Mass and administer the sacraments, plus may confirm, ordain priests and consecrate the holy oils used for the sacraments in his diocese; addressed as 'The Rt Revd ...', 'Bishop ...', 'His Lordship'.

Bishops' Conference - assembly of bishops of a country or territory, a permanent institution including various offices and departments representing the church's concerns at a national level: the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales has its offices in London.

Canon (position) - senior priest of a diocese, often resident at the cathedral, involved in running the diocese when vacant.

Canon law - the church's law: the current Code of Canon Law was published in 1983 and replaced the edition of 1917.

Cardinal - bishop, appointed by the Pope, whose main task is to join the conclave in voting for a new Pope when there is a vacancy; addressed as 'Cardinal ...', 'His Eminence' ('cardo' = hinge).

Cassock - full-length garment sometimes worn by clergy - black for priests, purple or black with purple piping and buttons for bishops, red or black with red piping and buttons for cardinals, white for pope.

Cathedral - church of the bishop ('cathedra' = throne).

Catholic - Greek word meaning universal.

Chaplain - a priest or deacon with specific duties to an institution, group or person.

Chapter - group of priests (canons) based at a cathedral, involved in major ceremonies and other functions entrusted to it by the bishop.

Charism - a gift or grace of God, given to an individual or group for the good of others and of the Church.

Chasuble - chief outer garment worn by a priest celebrating Mass.

Clergy - those who have received the sacrament of holy orders; bishops, priests and deacons.

Coadjutor - assistant bishop with a right of succession.

Conciliar - refering to a council, normally the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II), 1962-65.

Conclave - meeting of cardinals to elect who will be pope, upon previous pope's death.

Confessor - someone who 'confesses' or witness to the Christian faith by holiness of life; or a priest who hears the sacrament of reconciliation (confession).

Consecration - ordination to become a bishop. Consistory - meeting of cardinals, normally at the appointment of new cardinals.

Crozier - bishop's staff in the form of a shepherd's crook, showing he is the shepherd of his people.

Deacon - recipient of the first stage of the sacrament of holy orders, helper for bishops and priests; permanent deacons are often married.

Diaconate - first stage of the sacrament of holy orders; deacons are members of the diaconate.

Diocese - territory presided over by a bishop.

Divine Office - prayers said by all clergy at certain times of the day, the chief being Morning Prayer (or Lauds) and Evening Prayer (or Vespers); the arrangement of prayers, psalms and hymns, changes from day to day.

Ecclesiastical - of the church; 'churchy'.

Ecumenism - the movement and process towards Christian unity.

Episcopate - third and final stage of the sacrament of holy orders; bishops are members of the episcopate.

Eucharist - the sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ truly present under the appearances of bread and wine; the Mass is the eucharistic sacrifice; ('eucharist' = thanksgiving).

Hierarchy - often refers to the bishops.

Holy Orders - sacrament of the ministers of the church: bishops, priests and deacons.

Holy See - the Diocese of Rome, presided over by the Pope.

Laity - members of the Church who are not ordained.

Liturgy - the public worship of the Church.

Mass - celebration of the sacrament of the Eucharist, presided over by a priest or bishop.

Metropolitan - the Archbishop; a Metropolitan See is an Archdiocese.

Mitre - double-pointed hat worn by bishops and abbots.

Monsignor - honorary title for priests who hold or have held certain offices, e.g. Vicars General - normally abbreviated as 'Mgr'.

Nuncio - papal ambassador; always an Archbishop - addressed as 'Archbishop ...', 'His Excellency'.

Ordinary - a diocesan bishop is the Ordinary of the Diocese, but an auxiliary or a coadjutor is not.

Ordination - conferring of the sacrament of holy orders.

Pallium - band of white wool marked with six crosses, given by the Pope to archbishops and worn around the neck over robes during services.

Pastor - spiritual guide and leader of a church; in the Catholic church, normally refers to the bishop (pastor = shepherd).

Pastoral - to do with the caring work of the church

Pectoral cross - cross worn by bishops and abbots around the neck.

Pope - leader of the Catholic Church; Bishop of Rome; successor of St Peter; "servant of the servants of God"; sovereign of the state of Vatican City.

Presbyterate - second stage of the sacrament of holy orders; priests are members of the presbyterate.

Priest - recipient of the second stage of the sacrament of holy orders; celebrates the Eucharist and the other sacraments; diocesan (or secular) priests are in a diocese under the authority of a bishop; religious (or regular) priests are members of a religious order or community; addressed as 'Father ...'.

Province - territory comprising a number of dioceses under an archbishop; England and Wales has five provinces (Birmingham, Cardiff, Liverpool, Southwark, Westminster).

Red hat - large, red, brimmed, tassled hat historically given by the Pope to newly-appointed cardinals, never worn but hung over grave; no longer given.

Religious (noun) - refers to members of religious orders: religious priests, religious sisters, etc.

Requiem - Mass for the dead.

Sacrament - ceremony or act regarded as a visible sign of a spiritual grace; in the Catholic Church, there are seven sacraments - baptism, confirmation, the eucharist, reconciliation (confession), anointing of the sick, matrimony, holy orders.

Stole - long scarf worn by clergy when celebrating the sacraments or giving a blessing.

Ternus - list of 3 names of candidates for a vacant diocese (not in any order of preference) submitted by the Nuncio to the Pope.

Vatican - independent state in Rome, with the Pope as head of state; also refers to papal government.

Vatican II/Second Vatican Council - council of Catholic bishops held in Rome, 1962-65; initiated widespread renewal and reforms in Church life, worship and practice.

Vespers - Evening Prayer in the Divine Office.

Vestments - robes worn by clergy during church services.

Vicar General - bishop's deputy for the administration of a diocese.

Zuchetto - small skull-cap worn by bishops.

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