Site Glossary

Male infants slaughtered by King Herod the Great in Bethlehem in an unsuccessful attempt to kill the king of the Jews. Feast day: Dec. 28.

A major feast observed on Sept. 14 in honor of Christ’s self-offering on the cross for our salvation.

A fourth-century French bishop and theologian who was an early champion of the concept of the Trinity. Feast day: Jan 13.

An ecclesial philosophy that stresses the ministry and sacraments of the church as the primary means of grace. Often associated with formal liturgical practices such as the use of incense.

The act of placing ashes on the foreheads of participants on Ash Wednesday as a sign of mortality and penitence. Ashes are imposed with the words, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Mode of baptism in which the candidate’s entire body is submerged in water.

A 16th-century Spanish priest who founded the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits, and known for his “Spiritual Exercises,” a method of spiritual discernment. Feast day: July 31.

A prayer for worthy reception of communion that begins with the statement, “We do not presume to come to this thy Table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness.”

Along with the House of Bishops, a legislative body of the General Convention. The HoD consists of clergy and laypeople elected from every diocese.

A 19th-century American bishop, high church leader, author, and a founder of General Theological Seminary. Feast day: Sept. 12.

After the death of Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus and buried it in a tomb newly hewn out of a rock. Feast day: Aug. 1

An 18th-century abolitionist, born into slavery in Delaware, who became the first African-American priest. Feast day: Feb. 13.