Christianity

See also: The Bible (Index), The Clergy, Patron Saints.

For details of days in the Christian calendar, see Dates or Moveable Feasts.

Sanctification (in the Roman Catholic Church)

Step 1: begins at least 5 years after the subject's death (unless waived by the Pope, as John Paul II did for Mother Teresa, or Benedict XVI did for John Paul himself). Evidence of the individual's virtues is gathered, and eventually presented to the Papal Court. During this investigation, the individual is referred to as		Servant of God
Step 2: granting of permission for the Servant of God to be exhumed; certification is made that no improper cult has grown up around the individual or their tomb, and relics are taken		Declaration "non cultus"
Step 3: the Pope proclaims the individual's "heroic virtue", and the Servant of God is referred to as		Venerable
Step 4 – Beatification: the church states that it is "worthy of belief" that the individual is in heaven; requires either martyrdom, or a miracle to have occurred as a result of prayers to the Venerable Servant of God after his or her death (in the latter case, the individual is referred to as a "confessor" – i.e. they confessed their faith by the way they lived); the individual is referred to as		Blessed
Step 5 – after which the individual is referred to as a Saint: requires at least two miracles to have occurred as a result of prayers after their death		Canonisation

Orders

The first three of these (the Black, White and Grey Friars – but not necessarily in that order) are always coming up, and I for one can never remember which is which. Does anyone know a good way to remember them?

White Friars belong to the order of		Carmelites
Sometimes known as the Black Friars; formally known as the Order of Preachers		Dominicans
Sometimes known as the Grey friars		Franciscans
The only order of English origin (founded in Lincolnshire 1130; ended with the dissolution of the monasteries, 1536–41)		Gilbertines
Common name for monks of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance – after the Cistercian abbey in France where they originated in 1664		Trappists
Famous for their "vow of silence", and for their beers, which have CTO status; as of 2023, twelve monasteries – six of which, producing around 2/3 of the beer, are in Belgium – meet the necessary criteria

Other

Latest time of day that Anglican marriages can be celebrated		3pm
The Sunday nearest to 30 November: marks the start of the liturgical year		Advent Sunday
Seat of the head of the Coptic Church		Alexandria
Bell rung in Roman Catholic countries at morning, noon and sunset		Angelus
Thirty–nine Articles: define the doctrine of the		Anglican church
Next in rank to a bishop		Archdeacon
Public announcement of a couple's plan to marry, to ensure that the marriage is legal; required to be read three times (normally read on three Sundays prior to the ceremony). Commonly associated with the Church of England – abolished by the Roman Catholic church in 1983		Banns
Philistine deity: name, meaning Lord of the flies, used in Christian and Biblical sources for one of the seven princes of Hell; cited in the lyrics of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody		Beelzebub
Governing body of the Roman Catholic Church in England & Wales		Bishops' Conference
Supreme Governor of the Church of England is a title held by the		British monarch
Word used for a papal decree or edict – after the seal (bulla) attached to it		Bull
The Bishop of the Arctic lives in		Canada
Primate of All England: Archbishop of		Canterbury
Next in rank to the Pope		Cardinals
Christian manual given to confirmees		Catechism
Cross mounted on three steps symbolising faith, hope and charity		Cavalry cross
Established churches in Britain: Church of England and		Church of Scotland
Popes are elected by the		College of Cardinals
Egypt's largest Christian church (after the local language, a modern form of Egyptian)		Coptic Church
Register of Anglican clergy		Crockford's
Emblem of the Pope		Crossed keys
Governing body of the Roman Catholic Church		The Curia
The extent of a bishop's jurisdiction (often, some say wrongly, called a See)		Diocese
Short hymn of praise added to the end of a psalm, prayer or hymn (from the Greek for "glory" and "speaking")		Doxology
The idea or belief that there should be one Christian faith and one Christian church		Ecumenism
Letter sent by the Pope to his bishops (or some of them)		Encyclical
US church of the Anglican communion		Episcopal Church
Sacrament (ceremony) of the Lord's Supper (Last Supper)		Eucharist
Evening service in the Anglican church		Evensong
Ritual that ends in a curse by bell, book and candle		Excommunication
Symbol adopted by early Christians (2nd century AD) because the initials of the Greek words for 'Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour' spell out the Greek word for it		Fish
Part of the Pope's official regalia, symbolising that he is the successor of St. Peter; a new one is cast for each Pope; kissed by followers		Fisherman's Ring
Governing body of the Anglican Church – set up 1970 to give the laity more say		General Synod
Prayer based on the words used by the angel Gabriel (according to St. Luke's gospel) to greet the Virgin Mary at the Annunciation		Hail Mary, or Ave Maria
Derived from the Greek for Jesus		IHS
Most popular name for Popes (XXIII, 1958–63)		John
10–yearly assembly of bishops of worldwide Anglican communion		Lambeth Conference
Congregation makes fixed responses to the petitions of the priest		Litany
Principal church of all the Scandinavian countries		Lutheran
The Virgin Mary's hymn of praise, giving thanks for being chosen to become the Mother of God – known by the first word of the Latin version; also known as the Canticle of Mary; has been set to music by Monteverdi, J. S. Bach, Bruckner, Rachmaninoff and John Rutter (among others)		Magnificat
Sunday morning worship in the Anglican church		Matins
More familiar name for the Song (or Canticle) of Simeon – taken from a text in Luke's gospel – opening words "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace"		Nunc Dimittis
Official title of a Papal ambassador		Nuncio
Annual collection (formerly a tax) for the upkeep of the Vatican		Peter's pence
Patriarch of the West, The Vicar of Christ, and Bishop of Rome are alternative titles of; The Camerlengo is Chamberlain and Chancellor to		The Pope
"Considered the original and worst of the seven deadly sins on almost every list", according to Wikipedia (citing the 6th–7th century monk John Climacus)		Pride
The condition, process, or place of purification or temporary punishment in which, according to medieval Christian and Roman Catholic belief, the souls of those who die in a state of grace are made ready for heaven		Purgatory
Seat or office of a bishop (often, some say wrongly, used synonymously with Diocese)		See
The highest rank of angels		Seraphim
Said to have been used by St. Patrick to explain the Holy Trinity		Shamrock
Chapel in the Vatican where the College of Cardinals meets to elect Popes		Sistine Chapel
Bodily marks corresponding to those made by nails in Jesus' body		Stigmata
Bishop with no diocese of his own, who assists another bishop		Suffrogan
Private army of the Vatican		Swiss Guard
Triple crown traditionally worn by the Pope		Tiara
Venue of the 19th Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church, 1545–63, which upheld several central dogmas and initiated the Counter–Reformation		Trent (modern Trento, Italy)
Head of the Roman Catholic Church in England: Archbishop of		Westminster
Venue of the synod (664 AD) that established the Roman (rather than the Celtic) form of Christianity in Britain – including the Roman method of setting the date of Easter		Whitby
Primate of England: Archbishop of		York

© Haydn Thompson 2017–23