Amen: Hebrew word meaning “truly, it is true”. As concluding word of prayers, it expressed assent to and acceptance of God's will.
Apostle: The twelve disciples that followed Jesus Christ and were chose to be bearers of His teaching to the world.
Bishop: The chief priest of a diocese. Bishops are responsible for the pastoral care of their dioceses. In addition, bishops have a responsibility to act in council with other bishops to guide the Church.
Candidate: The young person receiving the sacrament of Confirmation.
Catholic: Greek word for universal. First used in the title Catholic Church in a letter written by St Ignatius of Antioch to the Christians of Smyrna about 107 AD.
Chrism: Perfumed oil, consecrated by the bishop, which signifies the gift of the Holy Spirit. Chrism is used for consecration in the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders.
Christ: The title of Jesus, derived from the Greek translation of the Hebrew term Messiah, meaning the Anointed of God.
Confirmation: One of the three Sacraments of Initiation, along with Baptism and Eucharist.
Cross, crucifix: An object is a crucifix only if it depicts Christ on a cross; otherwise it is a cross.
Doctrine/Dogma: The revealed teachings of Christ which are proclaimed by the fullest extent of the exercise of the authority of the Church's Magisterium. The faithful are obliged to believe the truths or dogmas contained in divine revelation and defined by the Magisterium
Faith: Both a gift of God and a human act by which the believer gives personal adherence to God who invites his response, and freely assents to the whole truth that God has revealed.
God: The infinitely perfect Supreme Being, uncaused and absolutely self-sufficient, eternal, the Creator and final end of all things. The one God subsists in three equal Persons, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Gospel: Referring to the stories of the New Testament
Grace: A free gift of God to human beings, grace is a created sharing in the life of God. It is given through the merits of Christ and is communicated by the Holy Spirit. It is necessary for salvation.
Holy Spirit: The third divine Person of the Blessed Trinity, the personal love of Father and Son for each other.
Homily: The homily (sermon) is a reflection by the celebrant or other ministers on the Scripture readings and the application of the texts to the assembled community.
Jesus: The name of Jesus, meaning Savior in Christian usage, derived from the Aramaic and Hebrew Yeshua and Joshua, meaning Yahweh is salvation.
Liturgical colours: Colours used in vestments and altar coverings to denote special times in the Church. Green is used in ordinary times, red denotes feasts of martyrs or the Holy Spirit, purple denotes penitential times and white is used for joyful occasions including Christmas, Easter and some saints' days.
Liturgy: The public Worship of the Church. The Church's official Prayer.
Lord's Prayer, The: The prayer of petition for both daily food (which for Christians means also the Eucharistic bread) and the forgiveness of sins.
Mass: 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.
Minister: From the Latin word for "servant": in the ecclesiastical sense, a minister is (1) an ordained cleric or (2) one who has the authority to minister to others.
Parish: A specific community of the Christian faithful within a diocese, which has its own church building, under the authority of a pastor who is responsible for providing them with ministerial service. Most parishes are formed on a geographic basis, but they may be formed along national or ethnic lines.
Pentecost: The "fiftieth" day at the end of the seven weeks following Passover, Easter in the Christian dispensation. At the first Pentecost after the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus, the Holy Spirit was manifested, given and communicated as a divine Person to the Church, fulfilling the paschal mystery of Christ according to his promise. Annually the Church celebrates the memory of the Pentecost event as the beginning of the new age of the Church, when Christ lives and acts in and with his Church.
Prayer: The raising of the mind and heart to God in adoration, thanksgiving, reparation and petition. The official prayer of the Church as a worshiping community is called liturgy.
Priest: An ordained minister of the Catholic Church, authorised by the bishop to perform certain rites and sacraments.
Rite: A religious ceremony or act.
Sanctuary: That part of the church where the altar is located.
Scripture: The sacred writings of the Bible.
Sign of the Cross: A sign, ceremonial gesture or movement in the form of a cross by which a person confesses faith in the Holy Trinity and Christ, and intercedes for the blessing of himself, other persons, and things.
Vestment: The vesture the ministers wear.
Worship: Adoration and honor given to God, which is the first act of the virtue of religion. Public worship is given to God in the Church by the celebration of the Paschal Mystery of Christ in the liturgy.
Apostle: The twelve disciples that followed Jesus Christ and were chose to be bearers of His teaching to the world.
Bishop: The chief priest of a diocese. Bishops are responsible for the pastoral care of their dioceses. In addition, bishops have a responsibility to act in council with other bishops to guide the Church.
Candidate: The young person receiving the sacrament of Confirmation.
Catholic: Greek word for universal. First used in the title Catholic Church in a letter written by St Ignatius of Antioch to the Christians of Smyrna about 107 AD.
Chrism: Perfumed oil, consecrated by the bishop, which signifies the gift of the Holy Spirit. Chrism is used for consecration in the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders.
Christ: The title of Jesus, derived from the Greek translation of the Hebrew term Messiah, meaning the Anointed of God.
Confirmation: One of the three Sacraments of Initiation, along with Baptism and Eucharist.
Cross, crucifix: An object is a crucifix only if it depicts Christ on a cross; otherwise it is a cross.
Doctrine/Dogma: The revealed teachings of Christ which are proclaimed by the fullest extent of the exercise of the authority of the Church's Magisterium. The faithful are obliged to believe the truths or dogmas contained in divine revelation and defined by the Magisterium
Faith: Both a gift of God and a human act by which the believer gives personal adherence to God who invites his response, and freely assents to the whole truth that God has revealed.
God: The infinitely perfect Supreme Being, uncaused and absolutely self-sufficient, eternal, the Creator and final end of all things. The one God subsists in three equal Persons, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Gospel: Referring to the stories of the New Testament
Grace: A free gift of God to human beings, grace is a created sharing in the life of God. It is given through the merits of Christ and is communicated by the Holy Spirit. It is necessary for salvation.
Holy Spirit: The third divine Person of the Blessed Trinity, the personal love of Father and Son for each other.
Homily: The homily (sermon) is a reflection by the celebrant or other ministers on the Scripture readings and the application of the texts to the assembled community.
Jesus: The name of Jesus, meaning Savior in Christian usage, derived from the Aramaic and Hebrew Yeshua and Joshua, meaning Yahweh is salvation.
Liturgical colours: Colours used in vestments and altar coverings to denote special times in the Church. Green is used in ordinary times, red denotes feasts of martyrs or the Holy Spirit, purple denotes penitential times and white is used for joyful occasions including Christmas, Easter and some saints' days.
Liturgy: The public Worship of the Church. The Church's official Prayer.
Lord's Prayer, The: The prayer of petition for both daily food (which for Christians means also the Eucharistic bread) and the forgiveness of sins.
Mass: 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.
Minister: From the Latin word for "servant": in the ecclesiastical sense, a minister is (1) an ordained cleric or (2) one who has the authority to minister to others.
Parish: A specific community of the Christian faithful within a diocese, which has its own church building, under the authority of a pastor who is responsible for providing them with ministerial service. Most parishes are formed on a geographic basis, but they may be formed along national or ethnic lines.
Pentecost: The "fiftieth" day at the end of the seven weeks following Passover, Easter in the Christian dispensation. At the first Pentecost after the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus, the Holy Spirit was manifested, given and communicated as a divine Person to the Church, fulfilling the paschal mystery of Christ according to his promise. Annually the Church celebrates the memory of the Pentecost event as the beginning of the new age of the Church, when Christ lives and acts in and with his Church.
Prayer: The raising of the mind and heart to God in adoration, thanksgiving, reparation and petition. The official prayer of the Church as a worshiping community is called liturgy.
Priest: An ordained minister of the Catholic Church, authorised by the bishop to perform certain rites and sacraments.
Rite: A religious ceremony or act.
Sanctuary: That part of the church where the altar is located.
Scripture: The sacred writings of the Bible.
Sign of the Cross: A sign, ceremonial gesture or movement in the form of a cross by which a person confesses faith in the Holy Trinity and Christ, and intercedes for the blessing of himself, other persons, and things.
Vestment: The vesture the ministers wear.
Worship: Adoration and honor given to God, which is the first act of the virtue of religion. Public worship is given to God in the Church by the celebration of the Paschal Mystery of Christ in the liturgy.