An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church

Glossary of Terms


Torch Bearer

An acolyte or server who carries a torch in procession, including the gospel procession. See Torches.

Torches

Candles mounted on poles for use in the liturgy. Lighted torches may be carried by acolytes or servers in procession, including the gospel procession. Torches may be placed near the […]

Tory

See Loyalists.

Total Ministry

A model of pastoral oversight based on the development of the ministry of the whole church, lay and ordained. This model seeks to provide a comprehensive program for the education […]

Tract

1) (Liturgical) Psalm verses that were sung or recited without antiphon or refrain before the gospel. Historically, the Tract took the place of the Alleluia during the penitential seasons of […]

Tractarian Movement

See Oxford Movement; see Tracts for the Times.

Tracts for the Times

Ninety publications issued by the leaders of the Oxford Movement in England. The first tract, Thoughts on the Ministerial Commission, Respectfully Addressed to the Clergy, was written by John Henry […]

Tradition

In Christian theology, tradition originally referred simply to that which had been handed down to the church from the prophets and the apostles concerning belief in God and God's redemptive […]

Transept

In a cruciform or cross-shaped church building, the parts of the building which are the two lateral arms of the cross. The transepts extend from the nave and chancel.

Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ, The

Feast that celebrates Jesus’ radical change of appearance while in the presence of Peter, James, and John, on a high mountain (Mt 17:1-8; Mk 9:2-8; Lk 9:28-36). The Gospel of […]

Transubstantiation

The belief that the substance (essence) of Christ's body and blood replaces the substance of the eucharistic bread and wine, although the appearances (known as “accidents” or “species”) of the […]

Trial Use

The process of Prayer Book revision has been ongoing since the sixteenth century. The first Episcopal Prayer Book began with a process of trial use. The 1786 Proposed Prayer Book […]

Tridentine

Concerning the Council of Trent. This general council was called by Paul III to give a Catholic answer to the Reformation. It met intermittently from 1545 to 1563. In twenty-five […]

Triduum

A period of three days of preparation for a feast day. The term is most frequently used for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday, the three days prior to […]

Triennial, The

A national meeting of Episcopal Church Women which occurs at the time of General Convention, sometimes called the “Women's Triennial,” because it meets every three years. The 1871 General Convention […]

Trinity

The Trinity is one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (BCP, p. 852). The term is from the Latin tri, “three,” and unitas, “unity.” The term was devised by Tertullian […]

Trinity Church, Boston, Massachusetts

The third Episcopal parish in Boston, it was founded on Oct. 17, 1733, by a group of fourteen men who met in a tavern. In 1829 a stone Gothic Revival […]

Trinity Church, New Orleans

In Apr. 1835 the Rev. James Angell Fox established an Episcopal congregation in New Orleans with the name Trinity Church. It was the second Episcopal church in New Orleans. It […]

Trinity Church, New York

Sometimes called Trinity Church, Wall Street. In 1696 Governor Benjamin Fletcher of New York granted his approval for the Anglicans in Manhattan to purchase land for a new church. On […]

Trinity College of Quezon City, Philippines

Trinity College was founded in 1963 by the Philippine Episcopal Church and the Philippine Independent Church. It was named after Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut, where Remsen Brinckerhoff Ogilby served as […]

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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.