Glossary of Terms
Meade, William
(Nov. 11, 1789-Mar. 14, 1862). Presiding Bishop of the Confederate Church during the Civil War. Born in Frederick County, Virginia, Meade entered the junior class of the College of New […]
Mealy, Norman Carleton
(June 22, 1923-Mar. 12, 1987). Church musician, editor, and educator. Born in Troy, New York, Mealy received his B.S. in 1946 from the State University of New York at Potsdam. […]
Meditation
The practice, usually in silence, of fixing attention on a specific word, phrase, image, sound, or text. Some meditative practices produce an emptying of thoughts and emotions. Meditation may lead […]
Melisma
A series of notes in plainchant assigned to one syllable of the text.
Memorial Acclamations
An acclamation of the people after the institution narrative in the eucharist. For example, in Prayer B, the memorial acclamation is “We remember his death/ We proclaim his resurrection/ We […]
Mendicant, Mendicant Friar
See Friar.
Mensa
A flat stone inlay or other solid material that forms the top of an altar. The term is from the Latin for “table.”
Merbecke or Marbeck, John
(c. 1510-c. 1585). English composer and theologian. He is best known as the composer of The booke of Common praier noted (1550) in which he set Prayer Book services to […]
Mercer, George, School of Theology
See George Mercer, Jr., Memorial School of Theology.
Mercer, Samuel Alfred Browne
(May 10, 1880-Jan. 10, 1969). Scholar of the OT and co-founder of the Anglican Theological Review (ATR). He was born in Bristol, England. Mercer received his B.Sc. from Bishop Field […]
Merton, Thomas
(Brother Louis) (Jan. 31, 1915-Dec. 10, 1968). Spiritual writer and Trappist monk. He was born in Prades, France. Merton studied at Cambridge University, 1933-1934. He received his B.A. in 1938 […]
Messiah
From the Hebrew, “anointed” or “anointed one,” indicating a person who has been anointed with oil. Messiah is translated in Greek as christos, and the title “Christ” is derived from […]
Methodists, Methodism
A group of Protestant churches founded in England in the eighteenth century on the principles and practices of John Wesley, a priest of the Church of England. Methodism spread from […]
Methodius
(See Cyril and Methodius.)
Metrical Index of Tunes
The Hymnal 1982 Accompaniment Edition, Vol. 2 (pp. 1039-1044) contains a Metrical Index to hymns in The Hymnal 1982. This tool enables use of texts which otherwise might not be […]
Metrical Psalter
A publication in which the psalms are written in regular poetic meters and intended for singing to musical settings in stanzas. The earliest important metrical psalter in English is the […]
Mexico, Diocese of
Henry Chauncey Riley (1835-1904) was consecrated the Bishop of the Valley of Mexico on June 24, 1879. He served in that position until he resigned on Apr. 24, 1884. The […]
Michael
(12:7-9) describes Michael as the leader of the angels in victory over the dragon (identified with Satan) and the dragon's angels. Michael is often portrayed with a sword fighting or […]
Michigan City, Diocese of
The Diocese of Northern Indiana was known as the Diocese of Michigan City from Apr. 25, 1899, until May 20, 1919. See Northern Indiana, Diocese of.
Michigan, Diocese of
The primary convention of the Diocese of Michigan met at St. Paul's Church, Detroit, on Sept. 8-10, 1832. The diocese was divided by the General Conventions of 1874, 1892, and […]
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.