Glossary

A liturgical exchange of greeting through word and gesture, initiated by the celebrant with the words, “The peace of the Lord be always with you.” The congregation responds, “And also with you,” or, “And with thy spirit.”

A cross, typically of silver or gold, suspended by a chain around the neck, that rests on the chest. Bishops normally wear a pectoral cross.

A person seeking the church’s ministry of reconciliation by making a confession to a confessor.

A corporate rite of repentance that can precede a Eucharistic liturgy or form the basis of a stand-alone service. It includes an acclamation, confession of sin and absolution.

The biblical books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible.

A principal feast of the church year, on the seventh Sunday after Easter, when the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus’ followers in “tongues of fire.” Also associated with speaking in tongues.

Third-century Christians who were martyred in the arena at Carthage. Feast day: March 7.

A form used by congregations and institutions seeking new leadership providing personal and professional information of Episcopal clergy and lay professionals open to new positions.

The 11 women who were ordained as priests July 29, 1974, before the 1976 General Convention authorized the ordination of women as priests and bishops. Feast day: July 29.

One of the 12 apostles. Feast day: May 1, along with James the Less.

A small sink that empties into the earth instead of into a sewer. Used for the reverent disposal of consecrated wine and water used for sacred purposes.

A simple chant, usually based on the psalms, and also used for canticles and other sung liturgical texts.

A commitment to give one’s time, talents, and money as an expression of faith and a personal response to God’s generosity.

The form of government for an organized church. The Episcopal Church has a unitary form of government in which all temporal authority is vested in the General Convention. Authority is distributed among bishops, clergy, and laity.

A disciple of the Apostle John, who named him bishop of Smyrna. Polycarp was burned at the stake for refusing to burn incense to the Roman emperor. Feast day: Feb. 23.

A person recognized by the bishop as beginning the canonical process leading to ordination as a deacon or priest. Postulancy is followed by candidacy. See Candidate.

See Book of Common Prayer

Communal intercessory prayers offered during the Eucharist and other services. Preferably led by a deacon who is charged with bringing the needs, hopes, and concerns of the world to the church; also led by laypeople.

A piece of music played immediately before a worship service.

In The Episcopal Church, presbyter is a seldom used synonym for a priest.

The chief pastor and chief executive officer of The Episcopal Church, providing leadership, vision, and mission strategy. Elected by the House of Bishops and confirmed by the House of Deputies for a nine-year term.

One of the three orders of ordained ministry, the others being bishop and deacon.

A duly ordained priest serving in a congregation by appointment of the bishop, with the same canonical authority and duties of a rector but without tenure and serving only so long as the bishop directs.

In ecclesiastical terms, primacy is the status of being first, or presiding, among other bishops.

The chief bishop in an Anglican province is called its primate. In most provinces the title used is archbishop, but the title for The Episcopal Church’s primate is presiding bishop.

A church named by a diocesan bishop, typically on a temporary basis, to serve as a cathedral but which remains under the governance of its vestry and dean.

The reverent movement of participants in a liturgy from one place to another.

Variable parts of the Eucharistic liturgy and the Daily Office which are appointed for a particular day according to the season or occasion.

Lying full length and face down on the floor or ground as a gesture of humility and devotion.

1) An autonomous member church of the global Anglican Communion. 2) One of nine geographic divisions of The Episcopal Church, each comprising several dioceses for regional organization and coordination.

Each of the nine provinces of The Episcopal Church elects a synod, which in turn elects one clergy and one layperson to Executive Council. The synod focuses on matters of ministry coordination, mission strategy, and mutual support among dioceses.

A 19th-century British priest, theologian, and leader of the Oxford Movement. Feast day: Sept. 18.

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.

A time when persons are relieved from their duties for study, travel, and spiritual renewal. Many clergy and some lay employees work under letters of agreement that provide periodic sabbaticals.

The Episcopal Church recognizes two sacraments: baptism and the Eucharist, both given by Christ as sure and certain means for receiving God’s grace.

A person who works in the sacristy, the room for storing and working with the various items needed for the liturgies and worship of the church.

A room adjoining a church where vestments, altar hangings and linens, sacred vessels, and liturgical books are kept until needed for use in worship.

A holy person, a faithful Christian, one who shares life in Christ. The term may also indicate one who has been formally canonized or recognized as a saint by church authority.

Liturgical dialogue of mutual greeting: “The Lord be with you”; “And also with you.” (In Rite I, the response is “And with thy spirit.”)

Eternal life in the fullness of God’s love.

Formally, the area of a church around the altar. In common usage, the entire worship space. See Nave.

From the Latin for holy, a hymn of adoration and praise which begins, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Hosts.”

Sleeveless garment that hangs from the shoulders to the ankles.

A 19th-century Russian American who became missionary bishop to Shanghai and devoted much of his life to translating Christian writing for the Chinese people. Feast day: Oct. 14.

A formal and willful separation from the unity of the church. The earliest major schism from The Episcopal Church was the Reformed Episcopal Church in 1873, and the most recent was the establishment of the Anglican Church in North America in 2009.

An Episcopal seminary, The School of Theology at the University of the South is located in Sewanee, Tennessee. By 1878, the theological department of the university was formally organized as an Episcopal seminary. Education for Ministry (EfM) was developed at Sewanee.

See Bexley Hall Seminary

The first bishop, and later the second presiding bishop, of The Episcopal Church in the 18th century. A slaveholder and former loyalist to the British Crown, he was ordained and consecrated in Scotland after the American Revolution because he would not take an oath of allegiance to the king. Feast day: Nov. 14.

A group charged to identify candidates for the position of bishop, rector, or other ministry in the life of the church. The search often begins by clarifying the job description and qualifications.

Literally, the seat of a bishop; normally refers to the geographic area of a bishop’s ecclesiastical authority.

The city where the diocesan cathedral is located. A “see” generally refers to the geographic area of a bishop’s ecclesiastical authority.

The 19th-century first Church of England bishop of New Zealand, he encouraged churches in the English colonies to be independent of the Church of England. Feast day: April 11.

An educational institution for the formation and training of people for ordained and lay ministry.

An Episcopal seminary in Austin, Texas, established in 1952 by Bishop John Hines, and one of only two seminaries west of the Mississippi River.

A hymn sung after the second lesson and before the Gospel acclamation at the Eucharist.

A 14th-century abbot, mystic, and a patron saint of Russia. Feast day: Sept. 25.

A leading 18th-century English evangelical who was an acclaimed preacher and one of the founders of the Church Missionary Society. Feast day: Nov. 12.

Two of the 12 apostles, Simon and Jude were an evangelizing team, and tradition holds they were martyred together in 65. Feast day: Oct. 28.

A form of address for a woman who is a member of a religious order or community.

Colloquial term for the use of incense and sanctus bells in Anglo-Catholic worship intended to evoke an atmosphere of mystery and transcendence.

A canonically required body, composed of clergy and lay members elected by diocesan convention, that advises the bishop, acts on governance matters as required by the Canons, and serves as the ecclesiastical authority in the absence of a bishop.

A 20th-century American women’s rights leader and abolitionist, and organizer of the famed 1848 women’s conference in Seneca Falls, New York. Feast day: July 20, along with Amelia Bloomer and Sojourner Truth.

A devotion to the Passion of Christ marking a series of events at the end of the life of Jesus. Usually 14 stations, beginning with Jesus condemned to death and ending with being laid in the tomb.

The first Christian martyr, Stephen, a deacon, prayed for his enemies as he was being stoned to death, as recounted in Acts of the Apostles. Feast day: Dec. 26.

Our personal response to God’s generosity in the way we share our resources of time, talent, and treasure.

A long band of fabric placed behind the neck, draped over the shoulders, and hanging down the front of the body for a priest, and diagonally across the torso for a deacon, to signify the wearer’s particular order and authority.

See Bishop Suffragan

The person who has been designated as the head or presider of a religious order or community.

A 19th-century American who lost his hearing to scarlet fever, Syle was the first deaf person ordained in The Episcopal Church. Feast day: Aug. 27, along with Thomas Gallaudet.

A formal assembly or council of church leaders convened to deliberate and make decisions on matters of doctrine, discipline, governance, or policy.

A 17th-century scholar and bishop, Taylor is one of the leading devotional writers in English history. Feast day: Aug. 13.

Pronounced “teck,” an acronym for The Episcopal Church. To be avoided in formal communications.

A service typically held on Wednesday of Holy Week, featuring candles and structured around psalms, readings, and responsories.

A 16th-century Spanish mystic and monastic reformer. Feast day: Oct. 15.

A seventh-century monk, scholar and reformer who served as the seventh archbishop of Canterbury. Feast day: Sept. 19.

A 15th-century German monastic, priest, and spiritual writer, who stressed the importance of imitating Christ by loving one’s neighbor as oneself. Feast day: July 24.