Glossary
Anglican: A noun meaning one who is a member of the Anglican Communion. As an adjective it describes the worldwide communion of autonomous national churches in communion with the Church of England. The Episcopal Church is one of those churches.
Apostolic Succession: Anglicans, Roman Catholics, the Orthodox and some other Christian communions believe the same authority for service that Jesus received from God was passed on to the apostles, and they in turn passed it on to the ministers who succeeded them in Apostolic Office. These persons were called in Greek, episkopoi, in English, bishops. Anglican bishops are, by their ordination, in direct, unbroken line of succession to the original apostles.
Bishop: Along with priests and deacons, bishops are in historic Holy Orders, the ordained ministry of the Church. A diocesan bishop is the chief pastor and administrator of his or her diocese. A bishop coadjutor serves under the authority of the diocesan and will succeed the diocesan when a vacancy in the office occurs. A bishop suffragan serves under the authority of and assists the diocesan. A bishop’s ecclesial title is “The Right Reverend John Jones” and is greeted as “Bishop Jones.”
The Book of Common Prayer: In this case common means ordinary or that which is held or done “in common.” Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cramner wrote the first Book of Common Prayer in 1549. It has been revised many times and wording of the Prayer Book may vary from one national church to another in the Anglican Communion. It is, however, a unifying standard of and guide to the people’s worship throughout the Church.
Canons: (1) Refers to a body of church laws (i.e., “canon law”). (2) May refer to a priest or deacon who serves a particular function on the staff of a bishop or the dean of a cathedral. The person should be addressed as “Canon Smith;” their title is “The Reverend Canon John Smith.”
Cathedral: From the Latin for “chair,” it is the church that serves as seat or headquarters of a diocesan bishop. The city in which the cathedral is located is the “See City.”
Cathedra: Seat of a bishop.
Chapel: A small church, or a place to worship. Christ Church Cathedral has one chapel, the Nativity Chapel.
Deacon: An ordained minister who serves both in the church and from the church. From the Greek, deacon means “servant.” In the church, a deacon assists at the Eucharist by preparing the altar for the celebration, reading the Gospel and performing other liturgical actions. He or she may also have teaching and preaching functions. From the church, the deacon represents the church to the world through ministries to the poor, sick and troubled. A deacon may be addressed simply as “Deacon Jones,” or by other appropriate titles (Miss, Mrs., Ms., Mr., Dr., etc.), depending on the deacon’s personal preference. The titles Father or Mother are traditionally reserved for priests and are not usually applied to deacons.
Dean: The head of a theological school or the priest in charge of a cathedral. The person may be addressed as “Dean Jones,” their title is “The Very Reverend John Jones.”
Diocese: A diocese is made up of local congregations, in a given geographic area, with a diocesan bishop as its chief priest and pastor. The legislative arm is called the diocesan convention, composed of clergy and lay delegates from each congregation.
Episcopal and Episcopalian: Episcopal is an adjective, as in the “Episcopal” Church. The noun form is Episcopalian. Episcopalians attend the Episcopal Church.
General Convention: The deliberative and legislative body of the national Church convened triennially. It is bicameral, made up of the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies, the latter composed of an equal number of lay and clergy members elected by their respective diocesan conventions. The General Convention has sole authority to amend the Constitution and Canons of the Church.
Minister: From Latin meaning servant. In baptism all of us become servants of God and all of us are to be ministers of God’s love and reconciliation in the world. Some ministers are set apart through ordination for servanthood as bishops, priests, and deacons.
Parish: A fully self-supporting congregation of the Episcopal Church.
Priest: The root of the word ‘priest’ in English is a contraction of the Greek word for elder (presbuteros) with the clearly implied understanding of sacerdos (L. for the Greek iereus). By the authority of the bishop, a priest is enabled to administer all the sacraments with the exception of Confirmation and Holy Orders which are traditionally and exclusively
Episcopal sacraments (those administered only by a bishop). Courtesy indicates the priest should be addressed by his or her personal preference: Mother, Father, Ms., Mr., first name, etc.
Reverend: “The Reverend” is an appropriate title to precede the full name of a deacon or priest. “The Right Reverend” is appropriate for a bishop. Reverend is an adjective, not a noun. The article “the” should always precede it.
Rood screen A carved wooden (or stone) screen which divides the nave, or the common part of the church, from the choir, high altar, or chapel.
Stained glass window Windows made up of colored glass forming pictures to tell stories and admit beautiful light.
Architectural Terms
Choir or Chancel: In classical Gothic church design, a divided area of pews, seats, stalls, or prayer desks facing each other between the nave and the sanctuary. Also known as the choir since the choristers usually sit in that area.
Gothic: A style of architecture with pointed arches, stained glass windows, ribbed vaulting, and flying buttresses.
Narthex: An entrance hall or foyer. This area may also be referred to as a vestibule.
Nave: The area where the congregation sits, stands, or kneels during public worship.
Sanctuary: The area immediately surrounding the altar, sometimes enclosed by an altar rail. While many Protestants refer to the entire church building as “the sanctuary,” Anglicans do not. The Anglican usage stems from the ancient understanding of the Temple practice of setting the “Holy of Holies” apart from other sacred spaces in the edifice, as well as the ecclesial understanding of the sacredness of the altar area. |
