Confused
about whether that cotta goes in the canon, under a cathedra or over your
cassock? Check it out in this guide to the most common terms used in the
Episcopal Church.U n d e r s t a n d i n g
C h u r c h T e r m s
Confused
about whether that cotta goes in the canon, under a cathedra or over your
cassock? Check it out in this guide to the most common terms used in the
Episcopal Church.
For a quick alphabetical search, click on one of the letters below.
| A-B |
C-D | E-F | G-H |
I-K
| L-M | N-P | Q-R |
S-T | U-Z |
Copyright © 1994 The University of the South & Gerald L. Smith,
Sewanee, Tennessee
815
a short reference to the main office complex of the Episcopal Church in New York: Episcopal Church Center, 815
Second Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10017, (212) 867-8400.
1928 Prayer Book
a version of the Episcopal book of worship in use from 1928 to 1979; some services from this
prayer book have been retained in the current prayer book as "Rite I" services.
Acolyte
originally a minor clerical order but now usually a lay function in the church; the acolyte assists the priest, lights and
carries candles, and performs other ceremonial functions.
Advent Wreath
a special wreath containing five candles used in churches and homes as reminders of the four Sundays before Christmas.
Four of the candles are arranged in a circle, the fifth —
a white candle — is placed in the center. By tradition one additional
candle is lighted each Sunday until on the fourth Sunday all four candles are lighted. On Christmas, the fifth candle is
lighted.
Advent
the season of the church year that begins four Sundays prior to Christmas.
Alb
the white robe worn by the priest when celebrating the Eucharist; generally worn over daily clothes but under other
vestments.
All Saints' Day
a feast day in the church to commemorate all the known and unknown saints.
Falls on
November 1.
Altar Guild
a lay group in a church charged with the maintenance and preparation of the altar and its furnishings in a
church; altar guilds may also supervise church decorations and flowers.
Altar
a table located in the sanctuary on which are placed the bread and wine
used in the Eucharist.
Anglican
simply means "English," a term indicating the origins of the Episcopal Church. Sometimes seen in the expressions
Anglican Church or Anglican Communion.
Anglican Cycle of Prayer
a rotation of prayers designed to pray for every portion of the Anglican
Communion in a year.
Anthem
sacred vocal music using scriptural words; also any vocal music or hymn sung by a choir but not by the
congregation.
Archbishop of Canterbury
the presiding bishop of the Church of England, acknowledged by Episcopalians as the
spiritual head of the entire Anglican communion.
Archbishop
a bishop of a group of dioceses or national church.
Archdeacon
a priest who is on a bishop's staff exercising some administrative supervision over parishes, missions, priests, or
programs for the bishop. Archdeacons are referred to as "The
Venerable."
Ash Wednesday
the day which marks the beginning of the season of Lent. As part of the practice
of this day, a priest or bishop will lightly smear ashes onto the forehead of a person
Baptismal Font
a basin of water used in baptism. The Episcopal Church practices baptism by "sprinkling" rather than by "full
immersion."
Bishop, Assistant
a specially ordained or otherwise specially designated person who has the spiritual and liturgical rank of a bishop and
who usually assists the Bishop of a diocese.
Bishop, Co-adjutor
an ordained person consecrated to become the next bishop of a diocese when the diocesan bishop retires; when the
bishop retires or resigns, the Co-adjutor becomes the Diocesan and the term Co-adjutor is dropped.
Bishop, Diocesan
the primary bishop of a diocese.
Bishop, Suffragan
a working co-bishop in a diocese but without inherent right of succession when the diocesan bishop retires or resigns.
Book Of Common Prayer
the worship book that contains prayers, readings, Psalms, devotions, and services used
in the Episcopal Church.
Canon
the title of a priest who serves on the staff cathedral, except that the head staff priest of the cathedral is the
dean. The term also refers to ecclesiastic or church law.
Cantor
a person who chants or sings.
Cassock
the black robe worn by priests while officiating a daily office. Lay people
serving in any liturgy can wear red or black cassocks, while bishops' cassocks are usually purple.
Cathedra
the special chair in which a bishop sits during a church service.
Cathedral
an Episcopal Church that is the official church of a bishop of a diocese. Cathedrals are usually in the charge of a priest who is referred to as the
Dean of the Cathedral.
Catholic
a term meaning "universal" or "found everywhere." Although the term is
widely used in reference to the Roman Catholic Church, the Episcopal Church is
considered a catholic church according to this definition. Catholic churches generally accept the teachings of tradition as well as scripture and usually accept the validity of
one or more ancient creeds as the summary of the Christian faith.
Celebrant
the main priest in a Eucharist who performs the consecration of the bread and
wine. The celebrant may be assisted by other priests, deacons, lay ministers and acolytes.
Chancel
the portion of a church between the front row of pews and the altar; usually the place the choir
and liturgical leaders are seated.
Chancellor
the legal counsel to the bishop on canon and civil law.
Chant
a musical recitation of words.
Chapel
a small place of worship attached to a larger worship structure. Also a place of worship lacking a parish congregation,
although chapels may have a permanent clergy.
Chaplain
the minister in charge of a chapel, or a minister to a group of people who are not organized as a mission or
church.
Choir
a group of singers who leads the congregation in singing, chants and sings
anthems during a worship service.
Church Annual
The Episcopal Church Annual is the yearbook of the Episcopal Church containing names and addresses of all
Episcopal organizations, dioceses, churches and clergy. Sometimes also called the "Red
Book," it can now be found online at www.redbook.org.
Church of England
the name of the Anglican Church in England.
Church
the smallest social division of the Episcopal Church. The church is part of
a diocese; the diocese is part of a province; and a province is part of the national church. Sometimes
"church" refers to the local building itself; sometimes to the local
congregation. See also parish, congregation, communicants.
Clergy
the group of ordained ministers of a church or denomination. The term includes
bishops, priests and deacons.
Clerical
an adjective referring to ordained persons and their work.
Co-adjutor Bishop
see Bishop, Co-adjutor.
Collar, clerical
a stiff round shirt collar worn by Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Orthodox, and some Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran
and other clergy. It is widely regarded as a sign or identifying mark of clerical status.
Communicants
the members of a local church who do or who are eligible to receive
communion. It identifies the roll of the local church.
Communion
the Christian sacramental meal, equivalent to the Lord's Supper; now more commonly called
'Eucharist' in Episcopal churches; also called the Mass.
Compline
an evening prayer service to end the day. Although the service is an old Christian usage, it has only recently been added to the
Prayer Book of the Episcopal Church.
Congregation
the group of people who attend a particular church; also, the members present for
a given worship service.
Consecration
a service of dedication or ordination in which a person or object is made holy to God's
purposes.
Convent
a disciplined spiritual residential community for women, similar to a
monastery for men.
Convention, General
a gathering every three years of the national Episcopal Church. At General Convention, each diocese is represented by
appointed or elected deputies, and the basic regulations and decisions that govern the church are
made. For voting, the General Convention consists of the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies.
Convention
a meeting of a church body, as in an annual diocesan convention.
Convocation
a grouping of churches in a geographic region within a diocese. It is
generally overseen by a dean, a clergy person appointed by the bishop.
Cotta
a shorter white robe worn over a cassock similar to a surplice but
waist-length.
Crossing
refers to a hand gesture of making a cross pattern on one's body; also a gesture made by a priest or bishop over a congregation or upon a person at death or
baptism.
Crucifer
a person in a liturgical procession who bears the cross and who leads the procession into the church.
Crucifix
a Christian symbol consisting of a cross with a likeness of the body of Christ on
it.
Curate
a recent graduate of seminary who works in a parish under the supervision of a
senior clergy mentor.
Cursillo
an adult Christian renewal weekend retreat.
Deacon
the initial level of ordination in the Episcopal Church when being ordained
a priest, or a permanent ordination that recognizes a specific ministry of
service. Unlike Protestant churches where Deacon is a lay order,
Deacons in the Episcopal Church are considered clergy. Deacons often have special
liturgical duties; by tradition, the Gospel is read
by the Deacon if a Deacon is on the staff of a church or chapel.
Dean
a title used for the resident clergyman of a cathedral, seminary or
convocation.
Deputy
an official church or diocesan delegate to General Convention; a deputy may be clerical or lay.
Diaconate
the ministry of a deacon.
Diocese
a unit of church organization; the spiritual domain under a bishop. A diocese may contain many parishes and churches.
Epiphany
a feast on January 6 celebrating the visit of the Magi to the infant Jesus. It
also marks the end of the Christmas season.
Episcopal
an adjective. Refers to the form of church organization that means "government by an
overseer" as well as the ministry of a bishop.
Episcopal Life
the general newspaper of the Episcopal Church; usually sent to each communicant or family of a
church. Episcopal
Life is also found online.
Episcopalian
a noun. Refers to persons who are members of the Episcopal Church.
Epistle, The
a reading from the New Testament other than from the Gospels; also any reading from the Bible other than the Gospels
or Psalms.
Epistle Side
the right side of a church when facing the altar; this older usage is now no longer accurate in churches reading the gospel
from the right side pulpit. See Gospel Side.
Eucharist
a Greek term meaning "thanksgiving" that refers to Communion, the
Mass and the Lord's Supper.
Eulogy
a homily or sermon preached at a funeral.
Evensong
the sung evening office.
Executive Committee
a type of diocesan government in which a committee advises the bishop.
Folk Mass
a liturgy that often incorporates guitars or other instruments, contemporary
songs and spirituals as part of the
worship service.
Font
see Baptismal Font.
General Convention
the national triennial meeting of the Episcopal Church gathering all
bishops and deputies from each diocese to conduct the business of the national
church.
Gospel, The
any reading from any of the four New Testament books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John.
Gospel Side
an older usage for designating the interior of a church; originally, the Gospel Side was the north side [the left side facing
the altar]. See Epistle Side.
High Church
a designation of a church emphasizing theological or liturgical formality.
Generally refers to a church with several vested assistants and many fine
implements used in the
service, or one that sings or chants its service rather than reading or speaking
it.
Holy Orders
a way of referring to ordination.
Holy Week
the last week of Lent that begins with Palm Sunday and includes Maundy
Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. May include special liturgies like
Stations of the Cross, a foot washing and tenebrae.
Homily
a short sermon, often on a single topic.
House of Bishops
all the bishops of the Episcopal Church sitting as a legislative and judiciary body of the church.
House of Deputies
the lay and presbyter delegates to a General Convention sitting as a legislative body.
Hymn
sacred words set to music.
Incense
a fragrant powder burned in a small dish or pot during special liturgies.
Inclusive Language
the attempt to find forms of religious expression that are not biased in favor of a
particular gender group. Some churches favor an Inclusive Lectionary, and some have altered prayers and hymns so that gender-restrictive images and
pronouns are removed: "Our God who art in heaven..."
Installation
a service in which a priest is made the vicar or rector of a congregation.
Junior Warden
a member of the vestry traditionally responsible for the church buildings and
grounds.
Laity
a noun referring to the non-ordained members of a church. See also Lay.
Lay minister
a person who is not ordained but has a specific ministry in the church.
Lay person
any non-ordained person.
Lay Reader/Lector
any non-ordained person who participates in reading lessons or other parts of a church service.
Lay
an adjective; from laios, a Greek word meaning "the people."
Lectern
a podium used for reading prayers or scripture; usually located at the front of the nave opposite the
pulpit.
Lectionary
the ordered series of designated Biblical readings used in the Episcopal Church throughout the year.
The Sunday lectionary is for the Eucharist and is organized to read the entire
scripture in three years; the daily office lectionary is organized for use in
weekday offices in similar fashion in a two-year cycle.
Lent
the period of fasting, sobriety and meditation following Ash Wednesday. The season
recalls the period of Christ's fasting and meditation in the wilderness, so traditionally is for a period of forty
days — from Ash Wednesday to Palm Sunday. The term is derived from an old word for 'lengthen' which referred to the lengthening
days of early spring.
Lesson and Carols
the popular name of the Festival of Lessons and Carols during the Advent and
Christmas seasons.
Lesson
any reading from the Bible; usually read on the opposite side of the church
from where the Gospel is read.
Liturgy
literally the word means "the work of the people." Generally used to refer to the full text of the words of a worship
service.
Living Church, The
a monthly magazine of the Episcopal Church often discussing current issues in the life of the Church.
Low Church
a church that is less formal — usually one that does not chant or sing its
service.
Mass
the traditionally Roman Catholic name for the Christian sacramental meal but sometimes used by
some Episcopalians to refer to communion or Eucharist.
Maundy Thursday
the Thursday of Holy Week; the name is from Latin mandatum referring to Christ's commandment concerning
foot-washing; also the day on which the first Lord's Supper was celebrated.
Mission
a local Episcopal congregation that has not yet attained the status of a church with a full-time priest; also a church that
has lost its church status and reverted to mission status.
Miter/mitre
the liturgical hat or head dress of a bishop.
Morning Prayer
a said morning worship service of prayers, scriptures and readings. Part of
the Daily Offices with its compliment Evening Prayer.
Narthex
an enclosed space at the entry end of the nave of a church.
Nave
the main part of a church; the place where the congregation sits. Derived from an old word for ship; in older churches the
beams of the roof resembled the beams and timbers in the sides of a ship.
Ordination
a service for making a person a deacon, priest or bishop.
Palm Sunday or Passion Sunday
the Sunday before Easter. The congregation may be given real palms during the
service to commemorate Jesus' triumphant arrival into Jerusalem and the
beginning of his passion. In
some churches, the tradition is that palms from one year are saved, dried and later burned to make the ashes
for the Ash Wednesday service.
Parish hall
a social gathering place for a local congregation.
Parish
the group of people of a certain area who are organized into a local church;
originally, the word referred to the
geographic region around a church and is still used this way in some places.
Peace, The
also known as Passing the Peace. A ritual in which members of the
congregation, including the
clergy, greet one another. The priest says, "The Peace of the Lord be always with you." The congregation responds,
"And also with you." The congregation generally shake hands or speak or sometimes embrace in the
church signifying greeting one another in the name of the Lord.
Prayer Book
a short way of referring to the Book of Common Prayer. The worship book of the Episcopal Church
contains worship liturgies, psalms, prayers and historical documents.
Presiding Bishop
the elected episcopal head of the Episcopal Church in America. The chief administrator and spiritual head of
the Episcopal Church.
Priest
a term for someone ordained in the Roman Catholic, Episcopal or Orthodox
traditions. See also Deacon, Bishop.
Procession
the line of choir, clergy, acolytes, crucifer, torchbearers and others walking into a church to begin a
worship service.
Province
one of the major organizational divisions of the Episcopal Church. It is a group of dioceses usually under the parliamentary
direction of a diocesan bishop who serves as president of the province.
Pulpit
an ornate podium used for the sermon or homily; generally located to one side
of the front of the
Nave, not in the center as in most Protestant churches.
Quiet Day
a day of prayer and meditation often in conjunction with a retreat.
Reader
anyone who reads a lesson, psalm or prayer in a service. Lay persons may read any lesson but the Gospel
at the Eucharist, which is read by an ordained person.
Recession
a procession out of a church at the end of the worship service.
Rector
the priest or minister of a local church or parish or the head priest of a parish.
Rectory
the residence of a rector.
Red Book
see Church Annual.
Reredos
[rear-re-doss] any decoration behind or above an altar. It may take the form of
wooden ornamentation, screens, or tapestries.
Rite I
a portion of the Book of Common Prayer that contains worship services using the older,
traditional language of the 1928 edition
of the prayer book.
Rite II
a portion of the Book of Common Prayer containing worship services that use more modern,
contemporary language.
Sacristy
the room near the altar where priests vest for the service. Also the area
in which liturgical implements, vessels and vestments generally are stored.
Sanctuary
the portion of a church at the head of the chancel around the altar. Sometimes
used to refer to the whole interior of the church.
Sanctuary Lamp
the candle (usually within a red globe) near the altar to signify reserved
Eucharistic elements in the tabernacle.
See
the ecclesiastical residence of a bishop.
Seminarian
a student in a seminary.
Seminary
a residential academic program for the study of theology.
Senior Warden
the chairman of the vestry; the lay person who heads the governing board of the local church.
Also acts on behalf of the congregation without a rector or vicar.
Smells & Bells
a way of describing a "high" church — a church that frequently uses incense, bells, candles, chimes, vestments all together in
worship services.
Stole
a long, narrow strip of cloth worn around the neck of the priest and allowed to hang down the front of the clerical
vestments. Some stoles are decorated with seasonal colors. Worn over one
shoulder by Deacons and both shoulders by Bishops and Priests.
Suffragan Bishop
see Bishop, Suffragan.
Surplice
a white garment worn over other vestments; somewhat longer and fuller than a
cotta.
Tabernacle
a box-like container near or within the altar or reredos that contains the
blessed elements of the Eucharist, and, occasionally, holy oil.
Torch or Torch Bearer
a person who carries a candle in a religious procession. Often the Crucifer is followed by two
torches — two persons each carrying a candle mounted on a short staff.
Trinity, The
a fundamental symbol of the Christian faith and a very important doctrine in catholic
Christianity. The Trinity refers to the
oneness and essential unity of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Twelve Days of Christmas
the season of Christmas, beginning December 25th and extending to January 6th —
that is from Christmas Day to Epiphany.
Unction
a sacrament of healing, which may
include laying on of hands, praying and anointing with oil.
Very Reverend, The
a form of address for clergy who hold the office of dean in a church,
school or convocation. See also Dean.
Vestments
clothing worn by people who lead the services of a church, including clothing worn by clergy. Colors used in some vestments are changed during the year to indicate the seasons
of the church year. Vestments are usually styled by cut and color to indicate whether a person is a
Deacon, Priest, or Bishop.
Vestry
a governing board of a local Episcopal church consisting of congregationally
elected lay members. This group that usually makes basic decisions about church budget, building
plans and other administrative matters.
Vicar
a priest in charge of a mission.
Wafer
the bread element of the Eucharist. It often an unleavened, thin cracker.
Sometimes the wafer is imprinted with a cross or other design.
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