Glossary of Terms
Kingdom, the Power and the Glory, The
A collection of services and prayers for devotional occasions. It was first published in 1933 by Oxford University Press. It was subtitled “Services of Praise and Prayer for occasional Use […]
Kiosk, The
“A Newsletter of The Anglican Academy, The Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio.” A kiosk is used as a place to post items of interest about activities, events, and ideas.
Kip, William Ingraham
(Oct. 3, 1811-Apr. 7, 1893). First Bishop of California. Born in New York City, Kip began his education at Rutgers and received his B.A. from Yale in 1831. He studied […]
Kirk, Kenneth Escott
(Feb. 21, 1866-June 8, 1954). A moral philosopher, he became Bishop of Oxford in 1937. The study of moral theology, which had been neglected after the seventeenth century in England, […]
Kiss of Peace
A sign of peace which the people offer in the midst of the eucharistic liturgy. The practice of saluting one another with a kiss dates from ancient times and is […]
Klein, Walter Conrad
(May 28, 1904-Mar. 1, 1980). Bishop and OT scholar. Klein was born in Brooklyn, New York. He graduated from Lehigh University in 1924 and from the General Theological Seminary in […]
Knapp, Susan Trevor
(Aug. 10, 1862-Nov. 21, 1941). A key architect of the deaconess movement in the United States, she graduated from the New York Training School for Deaconesses in 1894, worked for […]
Kneel
A traditional posture of prayer in which one’s weight rests on the knees. The pews of many churches have “kneelers” or cushions to protect the knees of those who kneel […]
Koinonia
The common life and fellowship of love shared by Christians with Christ and with each other in Christ. It is a Greek term for “communion” or “participation.” A rich theology […]
Kontakion
In Orthodox worship, a short hymn in honor of a saint or the departed. A Kontakion, “Give rest, O Christ, to your servant,” is used in the Burial Office of […]
Kyoto, Missionary District of
The 1898 General Convention voted to divide the Missionary District of Tokyo and erect the Missionary District of Kyoto. This missionary district existed until 1941, when it was transferred to […]
Kyrie eleison
In the early church, in the east, the Greek supplication Kyrie eleison (“Lord, have mercy”) was the common response to intercessory biddings addressed to the people. It is now used […]
Kyrie Pantokrator
The canticle Kyrie Pantokrator or “A Song of Penitence” appears as Canticle 14 in Morning Prayer, Rite 2, of the BCP (pp. 90-91). It is compiled from several verses of […]
Labarum
Military standard of the imperial Roman legions from the time of Constantine I (c. 285-337). It featured the Christian monogram of the Greek letters Chi (X) and Rho (P), which […]
Ladd, William Palmer
(May 13, 1870-July 1, 1941). Church historian and seminary dean. Ladd was born in Lancaster, New Hampshire. He received his B.A. from Dartmouth in 1891 and his B.D. from the […]
Lady Chapel
A side chapel dedicated to “Our Lady,” the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was often an addition that was constructed directly behind (east of) the high altar of the larger church […]
Laetare Sunday
The fourth Sunday of Lent in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar. The term is derived from the opening words of the Latin Mass, “Rejoice (Laetare) Jerusalem” (Is 66:10). The church […]
Laity
The people of God. The term is from the Greek laos, “the people.” The laity has been defined negatively to indicate Christians who have not been ordained. However, all baptized […]
Lambeth College, Kittanning, Pennsylvania
This school, first known as Kittanning Collegiate School, was granted a charter on Sept. 7, 1868. The nine trustees were Episcopalians and the Bishop of Pittsburgh was ex officio chancellor […]
Lambeth Conference
The first Lambeth Conference met in 1867, marking the occasion when the various churches of the Anglican Communion began to be conscious of themselves as a single family of churches. […]
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.