Glossary

A vest or shirtfront worn by clergy.

The belief that Eucharistic bread and wine are not mere symbols, but are infused with the real presence of Christ’s body and blood. Anglican liturgical theology affirms that Christ is really present in the Eucharist and allows for differing views on how that occurs.

1) Reception occurs when a bishop formally receives a person as a member of The Episcopal Church by acknowledging their baptism in another church. 2) The church’s recognition and affirmation of the validity of ordination already conferred elsewhere. 3) The church’s recognition and incorporation of a new belief, practice, or theological understanding.

A sacramental rite in the BCP in which a person confesses sins to a priest and receives absolution, counsel, and God’s forgiveness, restoring the penitent to full communion with God and the church.

A priest elected by the vestry and approved by the bishop to lead a congregation, serving with tenure.

A house owned by the congregation and provided for the rector’s home. Called a vicarage when the priest is a vicar.

A colloquial term referring to major feasts of the church year, typically printed in red on church calendars.

The material remains of the body of a saint or martyr after death, such as bones, teeth, or hair.

A canonically recognized group of Christians committed to a shared rule of life for a term of years or for life, dispersed or living in community, for spiritual, charitable, or educational purposes.

A canonically recognized community of men or women with episcopal oversight who dedicate themselves to prayerful communal living according to a rule of life including vows, typically obedience, celibacy, and poverty.

A container for religious relics.

A bishop of the fifth and sixth centuries known as the Apostle of the Franks, who baptized King Clovis of the Franks and 3,000 of his followers on Christmas Day, 496. Feast day: Oct. 2.

Forgiveness and absolution.

If not subject to disciplinary proceedings, a member of the clergy may renounce his or her orders and be removed from the active exercise of the ordained ministry.

Mass or Eucharist offered on behalf of the dead.

Decorations behind or above the altar, typically a wooden screen.

A raised shelf or ledge behind the altar, which may hold a cross, candles and flowers.

A 13th-century British scholar, bishop and clerical reformer known for his piety, humility, and serving the poor. Feast day: April 3.

A 16th-century British bishop and Protestant martyr, burned at the stake by order of Queen Mary I. Feast day: Oct. 16, along with Thomas Cranmer and Hugh Latimer.

Originating in medieval English ecclesiastical usage, an honorific for a bishop, commonly abbreviated as the Rt. Rev. From the Latin reverendus meaning “worthy of respect” with the addition of right as an intensifier meaning “very” or “properly.”

The 1979 BCP provides services in both traditional language (Rite I) and contemporary language (Rite II). “,Rochet,Vestment of white linen or similar material which replaced the alb and which in time came to be used only by bishops.”

Traditionally, these are the three days before Ascension Day on which the litany is sung in procession as an act of intercession.

A circular stained-glass window with radiating tracery in the form of a rose, usually on the west façade of the church.

Rotating service schedule that identifies who will serve in a particular ministry at scheduled services throughout a given period.

Ceremonial or other direction given in the BCP, typically printed in italics.