DICTIONARY OF
EPISCOPAL TERMINOLOGY

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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 prayerbook have been retained in the current prayerbook as "Rite I" services. Preference for the use of the 1928 edition is sometimes associated with "conservative" attitudes in the Episcopal Church.

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 immediately prior to Christmas beginning with the fourth Sunday before Christmas; also the entire Christmas season.

Alb

The white robe worn by the priest when celebrating communion; generally worn over daily clothes but under other vestments, scarves, etc.

All Saints' Day

November 1; a feast day in the church in commemoration of all the known and unknown saints.

Altar Guild

a special, usually 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 or the crossing] on which are placed the vessels for holding the bread, wine, and water used in the eucharist or communion.

American Episcopal Church

a separated group of American Episcopalians who differ with the Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States of America over matters pertaining to liturgy, ordination, and church government; this group has often favored the use of the "1928 Prayerbook", and has generally opposed the ordination of women.

Anglican

simply means English; a term indicating the English origins of the Episcopal Church. Sometimes seen in the expressions Anglican Church or Anglican Communion--both of which terms simply indicate any national church which derives from the Church of England

Anthem

sacred vocal music using scriptural words; now 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; sometimes acknowledged by American Episcopalians as the honorary spiritual head of the entire Anglican communion.

Archbishop

a bishop over a group of dioceses or national church; for instance, the Archbishop of South Africa or New Zealand.

Archdeacon

a priest who is on a bishop's staff and who exercises some administrative supervision over parishes, missions, priests, or programs for the bishop; archdeacons are referred to as "The Venerable" [The Ven.]: The Venerable Hudson Stuck. Salutation in letter: "Dear Archdeacon Stuck" or "Dear Mr. Stuck". The title `Reverend' is not used if Venerable is used. Archdeacons sometimes wear purple instead of black cassocks.

Ash Wednesday

the day which marks the beginning of the season of Lent, a period of spiritual discipline, fasting and moderation in preparation for Holy Week and Easter; one of the most important days of the church year. In the Ash Wednesday service, ashes are lightly smeared onto the forehead of a person by the priest or bishop. On this day in Sewanee, a number of people may be seen who appear to have a black or gray smudge on their forehead.

Baccalaureate Preacher

a minister specially invited to give the sermon to graduating seniors; at Sewanee, the Baccalaureate Preacher traditionally received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree the next day at Commencement.

Baccalaureate

the church service for graduating seniors and their parents; in the past the service was held on Sunday morning with commencement on Sunday afternoon; now the Baccalaureate is on Saturday followed by Commencement on Sunday.

Baptismal Font

see Font.

Bishop and Council

a type of diocesan government; the council is a governing or advisory body usually selected from several sub-divisions of a diocese.

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; some retired diocesan bishops become assistants to other bishops; some assistant bishops are specially ordained for their work. Assistant Bishops can perform most functions performed by other bishops.

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. Suffragan bishops do not automatically become diocesan bishops.

Bishop, Diocesan

the primary bishop of a diocese; sometimes referred to as "The Diocesan": the Diocesan of Mississippi is The Rt. Reverend Duncan M. Gray, Jr, Bishop of Mississippi, but The Rt. Reverend. Alfred C. Marble is the Bishop Co-adjutor of Mississippi. When Bishop Gray retires, Bishop Marble will become the Diocesan.

Bishop, Suffragan

a working co-bishop in a diocese but without inherent right of succession when the diocesan bishop retires or resigns. Suffragan bishops are sometimes called by another diocese to become their Diocesan bishop.

Bishops, Letters to

envelope and inside address; salutation: The Rt. Rev. John F. Marks, D.D., Bishop of Kansas, 413 Purchase Street, Kansas City, KA 12123; Dear Bishop Marks: Or, The Rt. Rev. Joseph H. Curtis, Suffragan Bishop of Maine, ...; Dear Bishop Curtis: Or, The Rt. Rev. William E. Devon, D.D., Bishop Co-adjutor of Kansas...; Dear Bishop Devon:

Book Of Common Prayer

a collection of prayers, readings, Psalms, devotions, and services used by the Episcopal Church; the worship book used by Episcopalians. Nearly all services in any Episcopal Church will be printed in this book.

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 canon is addressed as "The Rev. Canon Jane H. Wilson" Salutation in letter: "Dear Canon Wilson" or "Dear Ms. Wilson".

Cantor

a person who chants or sings; often a solo voice that begins the service. The Festival of Lessons and Carols begins with the solo of the cantor.

Carillon

a set of church bells; generally found only in churches large enough to have a tower or steeple strong enough to support the weight of the many bells; some of the bells may weigh a ton or more.

Cassock

the black robe worn by priests; bishops' cassocks are usually purple.

Cathedra

the special chair that a bishop sits in during a church service: The Bishop's Cathedra. The cathedra is sometimes moved to a prominent place for special occasions--as for the conferring of honorary degrees.

Cathedral

an Episcopal Church which is the official church of a bishop of a diocese; sometimes such churches are indicated by the word Cathedral in their name, but not always. Cathedrals are usually in the charge of a priest who is referred to as the Dean of the Cathedral; such Deans are referred to as "The Very Reverend...". Not all large churches are cathedrals; not all cathedrals are large.

Catholic

literally, "universal" or "found everywhere"; usually, however, a reference to the Roman Catholic Church although the term also includes Anglican, Syrian, Greek, Coptic, Russian and other churches. The Episcopal Church is a catholic church. 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, mass, or communion; the priest who performs the consecration of the bread and wine; the celebrant may be assisted by other priests, deacons, chalice bearers, acolytes, etc.

Chancel

the portion of a church between the front row of pews and the altar; usually the place the choir sits; sometimes also called the "choir".

Chancellor

the spiritual head of a clerical house, order, college, or university; in some dioceses the chancellor is the chief administrative assistant to the bishop; at Sewanee the Chancellor is the bishop of one of the owning dioceses who has special religious oversight of the University and who is the president of the Board of Trustees.

Chant

a musical recitation of words midway between reading and singing; in All Saints' the Psalm in the worship service is often chanted.

Chapel

a place of worship lacking a parish congregation [although chapels may have a permanent clergyman]; chapels may be large or small, private or institutional. A term for a place of Episcopal worship associated with a college, university, or seminary. A small place of worship attached to a larger structure. All Saints' is a chapel; Otey and St. James are churches--because they have parish congregations.

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; the minister of All Saint's is a chaplain. The minister at St. Andrew's-Sewanee School is a chaplain. A minister who holds a service at Emerald Hodgson Hospital would be referred to as a chaplain.

Choir

a special group of singers who chant or sing during a worship service; also, the part of the church where the choir sits: the chancel of All Saints' is sometimes called the choir.

Church Annual

The Episcopal Church Annual: the yearbook of the Episcopal Church containing names and addresses of all Episcopal organizations, dioceses, churches, a list of all clergy, etc. Sometimes also called the "Red Book".

Church of England

the name of the Episcopal Church in England.

Church, local

the smallest social division of the Episcopal Church; above the church is the diocese; above the diocese is the province; above the province is the national church. Sometimes church refers to the local building; sometimes to the local congregation. See also parish, congregation, communicants.

Clergy

the group of ordained ministers of a church or denomination; all ministers together as distinguished from lay persons. When used in distinction from laity, the term includes both bishops and priests; sometimes the term refers to all priests except the bishops: as in the expression, "All bishops and other clergy..."

Clerical Directory

The Episcopal Clerical Directory: a biennial listing of all Episcopal clergy with short biographical paragraphs about each person including schooling, ordination, churches served, family information, address, service to the Episcopal Church.

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; widely regared as a sign or identifying mark of clerical status.

Communicants

the members of a local church; those who do or who are eligible to receive communion; loosely identified with the roll of the local church: "St. Mark's has 300 communicants [=official members]." But, "There were 37 communicants at the Eucharist at the early service [=37 people received the Lord's Supper]."

Communion

the Christian sacramental meal, equivalent to the Lord's Supper; now more commonly called 'eucharist' in Episcopal churches; also called Mass in Roman Catholic churches.

Compline

an evening service to end the day; although the service is an old Christian usage, it has only recently been added to the Prayerbook of the Episcopal Church.

Congregation

the group of people who attend church; the members present for the worship service.

Consecration

a special service of dedication or ordination; a church [without debt] may be consecrated--made holy to God's purposes; a service by which an ordained person becomes a bishop.

Convent

a disciplined spiritual residential community for women; similar to a monastery. Near Sewanee, St. Mary's is a convent for the Sisters of the Community of St. Mary.

Convention, General

a gathering every three years of the national Episcopal Church; at General Convention each diocese is represented by appointed or elected deputies. At General Convention 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 a diocesan convention: "Tennessee is having its convention this weekend at St. Marks." =The Diocese of Tennessee is gathering as a dicocese at St. Marks church.

Convocation

a special gathering of a religious or academic group, usually marked by use of special vestments, ceremony, procession, etc. Also the name of a special group of ordained persons. Sewanee holds a convocation at the beginning of each semester, on Founders's Day, and for Baccalaureate and Commencement. Some dioceses meet as a convocation. Sometimes the meeting of all the clergy of a diocese is called a convocation.

Cotta

a short robe often worn by choir members.

Council/Diocesan Council

a group for diocesan government; and appointed or elective group that advises the bishop; at the diocesan level similar to the vestry at the parish level; sometimes referred to as "Bishop-and-Council".

Crossing

in church architecture, the main intersection of aisles at the front of the church; if viewed from above, these aisles form a large cross. Sometimes the altar is located at the crossing. In a service, 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. At Sewanee the term Crossing also refers to the presentation of St. Luke's Crosses to the School of Theology seniors: "The School of Theology Crossing is Friday afternoon."

Crucifer

a person in a religious procession who bears the cross and who leads the procession into the church.

Crucifix

a kind of Christian symbol which is a cross with a likeness of the body of Christ on it; usually thought of as a "very Catholic symbol" by some protestants. Otey Church has a crucifix in it.

Curate

a deacon or other person not fully ordained who receives a fee for working in a small parish; the parish a curate works with is his 'cure'; sometimes a curate is the newest assistant to a senior minister at a large parish. Curates generally work under the supervision of a senior minister and do not have full responsibility for their parish. Equivalent to a vicar.

Cursillo

a contemporary, popular movement of Christian renewal in the Episcopal Church; usually involves a very close=knit group of people in an intense retreat for a weekend, followed by spiritual disciplines and gatherings.

D. Min.

Doctor of Ministry; a special graduate program for clergy offered by many seminaries; courses are often scheduled in the summer so that parish clergy may attend.

D.D.

common abbreviation of the honorary degree Doctor of Divinity; an honorary degree reserved exclusively for ordained persons, especially bishops. The abbreviation is used after the bishop's full name: The Rt. Rev. Duncan M. Gray, Jr., D.D.

De-consecration

a ritual or service for returning a former sacred building or site to a non-sacred status; church buildings no longer in use as churches are de-consecrated before being sold or destroyed.

Deacon

the initial level of ordination in the Episcopal Church. Unlike protestant churches where Deacon is a lay order, in the Episcopal Church Deacon is a clerical order. Deacons often have special clerical duties; by tradition the Gospel is read by the deacon if a deacon is on the staff of a church or chapel.

Dean

title used for the resident clergyman of a cathedral; also used for the chief academic officer of a college or seminary. If the dean is ordained, the title "The Very Reverend" is appropriate; if the dean is a lay person, this title is not used: the Dean of the School of Theology is the Very Reverend Guy Lytle; the Dean of the College is Prof. Robert Keele.

Deputy

an official church or diocesan delegate to a meeting; a deputy may be clerical or lay.

Diaconate

the state of being a deacon; also, the life of deacon-like service in the church.

Diocesan Seals

heraldic insignia of a diocese; the painted plaques above the bishop's chairs in the sanctuary of All Saints' chapel. Diocesan Seals are sometimes cut into rings or dies for impressing wax on official diocesan documents.

Diocesan Seats

in All Saints', the chairs for bishops under the Diocesan Seals: the Bishop of Mississippi when visiting Sewanee would sit in the Mississippi chair under the Diocesan Seal for Mississippi.

Diocese

a unit of church organization; the spiritual domain under a bishop. A diocese may contain many parishes and churches.

DOCC

Disciples of Christ in Community; an extension program of the School of Theology.

Dubose Conference Center

an Episcopal conference and retreat center sponsored by the dioceses of Tennessee located in Monteagle; sometimes used for meetings, parties, retreats by the School of Theology; "The Dean and the VC are at Dubose."