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Glossary of Terms
A
- abbot
-
The superior of an autonomous community of men religious. He has general and sacramental jurisdiction over his
community. The head of a prominent monastery or a congregation
consisting of several monasteries is called an archabbot.
-
- Administrator of Religious Education (ARE)
-
A certified, non-degree person who is responsible for one aspect of the
parish religious education program.
-
- Apostolic Constitutions
-
A collection of ecclesiastical laws from the fourth century. Their most
important part is the set of 85 canons, attributed to the Apostles, dealing with
ordinations, official responsibilities, and the moral behavior of bishops and
priests. They eventually became the basis for canon law in the West.
-
- Apostolic See
-
see Holy
See
-
- archbishop
-
A bishop
of a main or metropolitan diocese in an ecclesiastical province.
-
- archdiocesan
mission statement
-
A concise expression of the fundamental purpose of the Archdiocese.
Click here to
read the Mission Statement of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
-
- auxiliary bishop
-
A bishop
assigned to aid the diocesan
bishop in governing his diocese, when the pastoral needs of the
diocese warrant. An auxiliary bishop is assigned when the diocesan
bishop needs assistance in carrying out his duties because of ill health,
advanced age, or amount of work. An auxiliary bishop does not have the
right of succession within his diocese.
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B
- bishop
-
A bishop, by divine institution, carries on the
work of the apostles. By reason of episcopal consecration, he shares
in the three-fold apostolic function of teacher of doctrine, priest of
sacred worship, and minister of church government. Bishops are
responsible for the pastoral care of their dioceses. In addition,
bishops have a responsibility to act in council to guide the Church.
-
- brother
-
A man who is a member of a religious order, but is
not ordained or studying for the priesthood.
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C
- canon law
-
The body of law constituted by legitimate ecclesiastical authority for proper
organization and government of the Church as a visible society.
-
- clergy
-
Those who have received the sacrament of holy
orders; namely, deacons (both permanent deacons and transitional deacons),
priests (known also as presbyters) and bishops.
-
- cluster pastoral planning
-
A planning process through prayerful dialogue in which parishes located in
the same geographic area plan together to carry out the mission of the Church in
their area.
-
- coadjutor bishop
-
A bishop appointed in special circumstances, such
as the advanced age or ill health of a diocesan
bishop, to assist the
principal bishop of a diocese. Coadjutor bishops have the right of
succession in the diocese of their appointment from the time the diocese
becomes vacant upon the death or retirement of its bishop.
-
- consensus
-
A process of arriving at a decision after a time of prayer and study;
characterized by general agreement rather than by voting; results in a
recommendation that all, or nearly all, the members of the group agree to accept
and support.
-
- Coordinator of Religious Education (CRE)
-
A person responsible for part of the parish religious education
program. Has a Bachelor's degree in religious education, religious
studies, theology, or an equivalent.
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D
- deacon
-
Deacons form the first order or grade in ordained
ministry. Their origins are in early apostolic times, when deacons
preached and baptized under the direction of the presbyters or
bishops. Any man who is to be ordained to the priesthood must first be
ordained as a transitional deacon. Deacons serve in the
ministry of liturgy, of the word, and of charity.
-
see also permanent
deacons
-
- diocesan bishop
-
The bishop to whom a particular or local church is
entrusted. All other bishops receive titular sees over which
they exercise no pastoral authority.
-
- Director of Religious Education (DRE)
-
A person responsible for total parish religious education. Has a
Master's degree in religious education, religious studies, theology, or an
equivalent.
-
- diocese
-
The standard term for a territorial division of
the Church, entrusted to a bishop
who rules in his own name as local ordinary, and not as a delegate of
another. The chief diocese of a province is an archdiocese,
which is headed by an archbishop. A diocese is usually limited
to a definite territory so that it comprises all the faithful who inhabit
that territory.
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E
- ecclesial
-
Pertaining to the Church as the community of believers, with stress on their
faith and union through love, and on the invisible operations of divine grace
among the faithful.
-
- ecclesiastical
-
Pertaining to the Church as an organized body, with stress on its juridical
and institutional structure.
-
- evangelization
-
Zealous proclamation of the Gospel in order to bring others to Christ and his
Church. It includes three distinctive elements: 1.) Interior conversion to
Christ and his Church; 2.) Affecting not only the individual person but the
whole culture; 3.) As a result, changing this culture and its institutions to
make them Christian and Catholic.
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F
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G
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H
- Holy See
-
Synonymous with Apostolic See, designating Rome. The official residence
of the pope; the power of the Supreme Pontiff; various Roman offices, especially
the tribunals and congregations assisting the Pope in the government of the
Church.
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I
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J
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K
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L
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M
- major superior
-
The superior general or provincial superior of a
religious institute or of a
society of apostolic life.
-
- metropolitan
-
The archbishop
of an archdiocese in a province. He has limited supervisory
powers and influence over the other dioceses and bishops in the
province.
-
- monastery
-
An autonomous community house of a religious
order, which may or may not be a monastic order. The term
is used more specifically to refer to a community house of men religious or
women religious in which they lead a contemplative life separate from the
world.
-
- monsignor
-
An honorary ecclesiastical
title granted by the Pope to some diocesan priests. In Europe, the
title is also given to bishops.
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N
- National
Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB)
-
The episcopal conference of U.S. bishops.
The membership comprises diocesan
bishops and their auxiliary
bishops. The conference decides matters of ecclesiastical
law and issues policy statements on political and social issues.
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O
- Ordinary
-
Diocesan
bishops, religious superiors, and certain other diocesan
authorities with jurisdiction over the clergy
in a specific geographical area, or over the members of a religious
order.
-
- ordination
- The sacramental rite by which the sacrament of holy orders is conferred on
a deacon, priest or bishop.
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P
- parish
-
A specific community of the Christian faithful
within a diocese, which has its own church building, under the authority of
a pastor who is responsible for providing them with ministerial
service. Most parishes are formed on a geographic basis, but they may
be formed along national or ethnic lines.
-
- parish analysis
-
A detailed diagnosis of the strengths and weaknesses of the parish. It
generally includes consideration of the number and gifts of the parishioners, parish
staff and clergy, the kind and quality of worship provided, the
opportunities for and quality of religious education, opportunities to serve,
the recognition of the parish as an evangelizing presence in the community, the
availability and use of land, buildings, and other temporal resources of the
parish, its financial resources, the quality and quantity of information
available about the parishioners and the people in the community and their
spiritual needs.
-
- parish mission statement
-
A concise expression of a parish's fundamental purpose.
-
- parish pastoral council
-
A consultative body within the parish with the role of advising and assisting
the pastor in areas of pastoral concerns. Develops and recommends parish
pastoral plans through a process of consensus
and prayerful reflection.
-
- parish pastoral planning
-
A prayerful, reflective process of setting goals, gathering and analyzing
information, prayerfully evaluating the information, making decisions and
acting; occurs through the parish
pastoral council.
-
- parish self-study
-
A planning process used by parishes to involve the parish
pastoral council in conducting a parish analysis to answer several
questions: What do we believe as Catholics? How do we live in light of
what we believe? Who do we hope to become by imitating Christ more
thoroughly as we look toward the future.
-
- parish social worker
-
(Formerly known as parish social minister) Engages in social service at
the direct parish level; involved provided intake, information and referral,
brief services, material assistance, and ongoing case management services; also
involves collaboration with the local Catholic Social Services center to direct
referrals for specialized services and programs; can vary depending on parish
community needs and priorities.
-
- parish staff
-
Full- and part-time, paid and volunteer, workers in the parish who work at
the direction of the pastor or other members of the parish staff who has
supervisory responsibility.
-
- parochial vicar
-
A priest who serves in pastoral ministry as co-worker with the
pastor, in
common counsel and endeavor with him, and also under his authority.
-
- pastor
-
A priest in charge of a parish.
He is responsible for administering the sacraments, instructing the
congregation in the doctrine of the Church, and other services to the people
of the parish.
-
- permanent deacon
-
In 1967, Pope Paul VI reinstituted the permanent
diaconate for men who do not intend to become ordained priests. The
permanent diaconate is open to both married and unmarried men, with the
understanding that after ordination, they may not marry, even after the
death of a spouse. Under the authority of the diocesan
bishop, they perform the same functions as transitional deacons
while, at the same time, retaining their roles in society, in the workplace,
and in their families.
-
- province
-
A defined geographic area containing an
archdiocese, or metropolitan see, and at least one diocese,
or suffragan see. The archbishop of the archdiocese is the metropolitan
of the province.
-
- provincial
-
The superior of the communities of a religious
order that constitute a province.
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Q
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R
- regional vicar
-
A priest appointed by the archbishop to assist him in the exercise of his
pastoral office. The regional vicar shares the archbishop's
responsibilities (teacher of doctrine, priest of sacred worship, minister of
governance for the archdiocese) with reference to the parishes and institutions
to which he is assigned. The regional vicar represents the archbishop to
the clergy, religious and lay faithful of the vicariate. The regional
vicar brings the archbishop into more immediate contact with each parish and
institution in the vicariate.
-
- religious order
Religious, or regular, priests, brothers, or
sisters are those who are professed members of a religious order or
institute. Religious live according to the Rule of their Order.
They profess the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience to their
superiors.
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S
- See
A word taken from the Latin sedes
("seat") and used to denote a diocese
or ecclesiastical
district. The term Holy See is
reserved to the diocese of Rome, whose bishop is the Pope.
-
- Sister
-
A woman who has professed vows in a religious
order.
-
- Superior
-
The head of a religious order or
congregation. He or she may be the head of the entire order (known as superior
general), of a province (provincial superior) or of an individual
house.
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T
titular see
A former diocese
which no longer physically or geographically exists. Titular sees are
given as an honorary title to any bishop not serving as a diocesan bishop; e.g.,
auxiliary bishops,
papal representatives, and bishops of the Roman Curia.
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U
United
States Catholic Conference (USCC)
The civil coporation and executive agency of the National
Conference of Catholic Bishops. The USCC acts as the national
public policy organization of the NCCB. Its purpose is to organize and promote
Catholic activity in the U.S. and abroad, and to carry out the religious and
social action of the Catholic Church in the U.S.
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V
Vicar for Religious
A priest appointed by a diocesan
bishop to act as his representative in dealing with the religious
communities in his diocese.
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W
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X
Y
Z
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