Long white garment worn for liturgical celebrations.
Table on which Mass is offered.
The altar where the hosts, consecrated in the Mass on Holy Thursday, are reserved for Holy Communion on the following day, which is Good Friday.
Spiritual being, intermediary between God and human beings, minister of God’s will.
A device used sprinkling holy water during religious ceremonies.
Sacrament by which a person is welcomed into the Church.
Solemn act through which the Pope declares a deceased person as blessed. This is the final step toward canonization of a saint.
Priest responsible for a diocese.
The Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Christ.
Action the priest makes to bless the faithful or to consecrate objects for worship. The blessing can be made with a Sign of the Cross or with sprinkling of holy water.
A student who lives at the school he/she attends.
School, private teaching institution where the students have room and board.
Candleholder.
Solemn proclamation by the Pope and ceremony through which a person is officially admitted to the Canon of Saints.
Long robe buttoned down the front that from the beginning of the XVIIIth century was the non liturgical garment worn by clerics; usually black for priests, purple for bishops and other prelates, red for cardinals, white for the Pope.
A large cup used at Mass to hold wine.
A small place of worship in an institution or private house or a church that is not a parish.
Beads strung together on which prayers are counted as they are recited. The five decade rosary is the best known.
General Assembly of elected members and the main governing body of a religious community.
The vow by which a person freely gives up the right to marriage, and adds the obligation of the virtue of religion to the duty of abstaining from all voluntary indulgence of sexual pleasure.
A sleeveless outer garment that the priest wears over the alb and stole to celebrate mass.
Jesus Christ. Recognized by Christians as the Messiah, Son of God and Redeemer.
A person who believes in Jesus Christ.
1- The whole body of Christians.
2- A building for Christian worship.
Sacred vessel for holding the consecrated bread for the communion of the faithful.
The ordained ministers of a religion.
Secluded from the world; confined in a monastery or convent.
A person who receives Communion.
Distribution of the bread and wine consecrated at Mass (Eucharist).
Religious society subject to a common rule.
Sacrament by which a baptized Christian becomes a full member in the Church.
Head of a religious community.
Boarding school for young girls administered by nuns, also a residence for members of a religious community.
A headpiece made of a large white piece of starched linen.
Body of Christ; religious feast in honour of the Eucharist, during which the Eucharist is carried in procession for adoration by the people.
A small bottle that holds water or wine used at Mass.
Religious territory for which a bishop is responsible.
Fundamental and incontestable beliefs of a religion.
Pertaining to the Church and its clergy.
The common name for the Eucharistic liturgy of the Catholic Church. Synonyms: Eucharist, Celebration of the Liturgy, Eucharistic celebration, Sacrifice of the Mass, Lord's Supper.
A religious service honouring the Eucharist by exposing the Blessed Sacrament, with proper solemnity, to the view of the faithful. The service includes private or public adoration, prescribed hymns, and a blessing of the people.
Former name of the Sacrament of the Sick administered during times of serious or chronic illness; also referred to in the past as “Last Rites.”
To believe in God.
Believer, people who are members of a Church, religion.
Service responsible for the financial management of a religious organization.
A receptacle for holding holy water.
Highest administrative body of the religious community.
Communion wafer.
A sacred image often painted on a wood surface.
Recognized by Christians as the Messiah, Son of God and Redeemer.
A person who is not a member of the clergy.
Special garments worn by the clergy during liturgical and church services, according to Church regulations.
Public and official worship of the Church.
A person who chooses death rather than denounce his/her religious beliefs.
An official list or catalogue of martyrs.
The common name for the Eucharistic liturgy of the Catholic Church. Synonyms: Eucharist, Celebration of the Liturgy, Eucharistic celebration, Sacrifice of the Mass, Lord's Supper.
A form of mental prayer, to practice long deep reflection.
In the Christian religion, Jesus Christ.
Extraordinary event caused by what is believed to be benevolent divine intervention that is given a spiritual significance.
Place where the work of a religious community is carried out.
A person who is sent to particular place or region to preach the Gospel and extend the Kingdom of God by various means of catechesis and evangelization.
Building in which members of a religious community live.
Main house of a religious community; the headquarters of a religious community.
List of those who died on a certain date or during a specific period.
A person formally admitted to a religious community to prepare for religious profession.
Period of probation and formation for a novice which ends with the pronouncing of vows.
Official prayer of the Church; also known as the Liturgy of the Hours.
Prayer; also a formal speech given on a ceremonial occasion.
Place for prayer, small chapel.
A title loosely applied to all religious groups of men and women such as a religious congregation bound together by common rules.
A specific community of the Christian Faithful within a diocese, which has its own church building and pastor. Most parishes are formed on a geographic basis, but they may be formed along national or ethnic lines.
Room where visitors are received.
The priest who is in charge of a parish or congregation.
Individual or group journey to a sacred place for religious purposes as an act of devotion.
Period before the novitiate in which a person acquires some knowledge of religious life and a particular religious community through personal experience.
The raising of the mind and heart to God in adoration, thanksgiving, reparation and petition.
Person responsible for supervising the academic program.
An ordained minister authorized to offer Mass, perform certain rites and administer the sacraments.
A walk through the streets in a large group during which the participants sing and pray.
Act by which a novice makes vows.
A person who lives in seclusion.
To gather one’s thoughts through meditation, prayer.
A period of time when one stops usual activity and goes to a quiet place for prayer and recollection.
Object of devotion made of a string of beads divided into sets of ten that you slide between your fingers as one recites the Our Father followed by ten Hail Marys (prayer addressed to the Blessed Virgin).
A body of regulations, a code of practice and discipline, prescribed for a religious community.
One year leave for study and /or research.
Rite instituted by Jesus Christ to confer grace. There are seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Matrimony, Orders, Anointing of the Sick and Reconciliation.
Not religious, not connected with spiritual or religious matters.
Talk on a moral or religious subject given as part of a church service.
Period of six years.
A small piece of land used for farming.
Of or relating to sacred matters, religion or religious belief.
A long narrow strip of cloth worn around the neck by all ordained ministers.
Head of a religious community; also known as the Congregation Leader.
Mandate of the community superior.
Small locked cabinet that contains the consecrated hosts.
Institution for training teachers to teach in public schools.
The study of God and religious beliefs.
A promise made freely to God. Obedience, poverty and chastity are the three vows pronounced by a man or a woman when they enter a religious order.
Religious practice by which God is praised.