Altar
The structure, also known as the Lord’s Table, where offerings are presented and the elements of bread and wine are consecrated in the Eucharist.
The Episcopal Church
815 Second Avenue
New York, NY
212-716-6000
800-334-7626
Glossary
An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church
Glossary definitions adapted from An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians, edited by Don S. Armentrout and Robert Boak Slocum, provided courtesy of Church Publishing Incorporated, New York, NY.
Altar Guild
A group whose ministry is to care for the altar, vestments, vessels, and altar linens of the congregation.
Altar of Repose
An altar other than the main altar upon which the consecrated bread and wine from the Maundy Thursday Eucharist are reserved for communion on Good Friday.
Ambrose of Milan
A fourth-century bishop, theologian and hymnwriter, considered one of the four fathers of the Western Church. Feast day: Dec. 7.
Anathema
Term derived from the Greek word for suspended; refers to the official separation from the church of members guilty of persistent heresy or grave moral offenses.
Andrew the Apostle
One of the twelve Apostles, brother of Simon Peter, and patron saint of Scotland. Feast day: Nov. 30.
Andrewes, Lancelot
A 17th-century English bishop and spiritual writer. Feast day: Sept. 26.
Angels and Archangels
Spiritual beings serving as agents and messengers of God. Archangels are seen as leaders and protectors.
Anglican Communion
A global fellowship of autonomous yet interrelated regional and national churches rooted in historic ties to the Church of England, and marked by being in communion with the archbishop of Canterbury.
Anglicanism
A Christian tradition shaped by the Church of England that is relational, missionary, and contextual, holding together unity and diversity through shared worship, faith, and participation in God’s mission rather than through centralized authority.