An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church

Glossary of Terms


Rood Screen

The term “rood,” from Old English, means cross. Rood screens were used as early as the twelfth century to separate the chancel or choir from the nave. The rood screen […]

Roosevelt, Franklin Delano

(Jan. 30, 1882-Apr. 12, 1945). Thirty-second President of the United States, 1933-1945. He was the leader of the United States in the face of the Great Depression and World War […]

Rosary

A Marian devotion that leads to Jesus. It combines repetitions of familiar prayers with meditation on fifteen mysteries of faith. Meditation on each mystery is accompanied by recitation of the […]

Rose Gates College, Okolona, Mississippi

This school opened at Okolona, Mississippi, in 1859. Bishop William Mercer Green was president of the board of trustees. It was named after Rose Gates, the daughter of Col. Charles […]

Rose Sunday

See Laetare Sunday; see Gaudete Sunday.

Rose Window

A circular stained glass window with radiating tracery in the form of a rose. The rose window is usually placed on the west façade of the church. This window may […]

Rose, Lawrence

(Nov. 2, 1905-Oct. 17, 1987). Priest and educator. He was born in Monterey, Mexico, and received his B.A. from Harvard in 1923 and his S.T.B. from the General Theological Seminary […]

Rota

A rotating service schedule that identifies who will serve in a particular ministry (such as acolytes or lectors) at scheduled services throughout a given period.

Round (Musical)

See Canon (5).

Routley, Erik

(1917-1982). A British Reformed Church minister, composer, hymn writer, hymnal editor, and teacher. He was born in Brighton, Sussex, England, and educated at Lancing College and Mansfield College, Oxford. He […]

Rowson, Susanna Haswell

(c. 1762-Mar. 2, 1824). Novelist and educator. She was born in Portsmouth, England. When she was seven her family settled in Nantasket, Massachusetts. Her first novel, published in 1786, was […]

Ruach

See Episcopal Women's Caucus.

Rubric

A ceremonial or other direction given in the BCP, now typically printed in italics. Rubrics were printed in red in medieval service books. The term “rubric” is derived from the […]

Rule of Faith

A term designating a summary of orthodox faith (regula fidei) in the first Christian centuries. It was a confession of faith in the three divine Persons that included a confession […]

Rule of Life

1) A set of guidelines and commitments directing one's life. The rule usually includes set times of daily prayer and meditation, study (such as reading the Bible), and acts of […]

Rural Messenger, The

See Rural Workers' Fellowship.

Rusch, Paul. See KEEP

(Kiyosato Educational Experiment Project), American Committee for.

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Glossary definitions provided courtesy of Church Publishing Incorporated, New York, NY,(All Rights reserved) from “An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians,” Don S. Armentrout and Robert Boak Slocum, editors.