BRIEF DICTIONARY of Catholic items
-Ad limina visit - periodic visit of bishops to Rome/Pope (ad limina apostolorum = to
the doorstep of the apostles)
-Allocution - formal papal address as distinguished from ordinary sermon. For example,
speech of the pope to the cardinals at a consistory.
-Altar of repose - for the Blessed Sacrament on Holy Thursday
-AMDG - ad Majorem Dei Gloriam, for the greater glory of God
-Ambo = pulpit
-Ambry = box for holy oils on the wall of the sanctuary
-Anathema – one solemnly pronounced as excommunicated. Or what the church does not
believe is called anathema
-Apostasy – total and obstinate rejection or abandonment of Christian faith by a baptized
person who continues to call him or herself Christian
-Apostolic brief - a papal letter less formal than a bull
-Aspergillum – brush or device used for sprinkling holy water
-Aspersory - the pail for holding holy water
-Ark and the Dove - two ships that reached the shores of Maryland in 1607
-Attrition – imperfect contrition
-Aureola - a golden blaze or oval around a saint, often around the whole body. Martyrs,
virgins, teachers qualify to have one in heaven.
-baldachino - domelike canopy over a high altar
-Biglietto – papal document of notification of appointment to the cardinalate.
-Bination -celebrate two Masses on the same day. Trination is three Masses, for
example on Christmas Day or All Souls Day.
-Boat – vessel to hold incense
-Bollandists – Jesuit scholars working on the lives of saints, in Belgium, editing the Acta
Sanctorum.
-Bona Mors Society – Happy Death Confraternity, founded in 1648 by Fr. Caraffa, S.J. at
the Gesu Church, Rome.
-Bugia - a portable candlestick with a lighted candle sometimes held near a bishop when
he sings or says certain prayers. Also called a palmatoria.
-Bull - the most solemn form of papal document
-bullarium - a collection of bulls
-burse – square, stiff flat case to hold the folded corporal for Mass
-buskins - silk stockings worn by Catholic bishops at Pontifical Mass
-cathedraticum – tax paid to the bishop by all churches
-celebret – document saying that a priest can celebrate Mass.
-childermas day - Feast of the Holy Innocents – parents bless their children on this day
-chronista – the narrator of the Passion, during Holy Week, assisted by the Christus
(Christ) and the synagoga (others).
-clapper - wooden device used in place of bells from Holy Thursday to Easter Vigil
-coif - white, close fitting headress under the veil of a nun
-confect - to administer, put together a sacrament
-contumely - contemptuous treatment of a person to bring him into disrepute
-cornette – large white spreading headdress formerly worn by the Daughters of Charity
-corporal - square white linen spread on the altar on which the sacred vessles rest
-crates - screen for confession, especially for women
-de Profundis - Psalm 130 (formerly Psalm 129)
-delate - to denounce someone to authorities
-devil’s advocate – a promoter of the faith, in the process of canonization to assure the
sanctity of the person involved. A prosecuting attorney
-Dismas - the Good Thief:
(Gestas –the Bad Thief)
-Dominica in Albis - low Sunday, the Sunday after Easter, Those baptized wear white
robes.
-dulia – veneration, homage to saints. Hyperdulia goes to Mary and latria goes to God
alone.
-Eastertide – in the USA goes from lst Sunday of Lent to Trinity Sunday (confession
during Eastertide
-ekphonesis - final words of a prayer are said aloud after the previous part was said in
silence
-ember days – days of penance, four times a year, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday after
December 13, after lst Sunday of Lent, after Pentecost and after September 14.
-embolism - development, expansion of the final petition of the Our Father
-energumen - a person possessed
-ex cathedra - by virtue of, or in exercise of one’s office with authority (from the
chair/seat of a bishop, etc.
-ex opere operato - how sacraments work
-ex opere operantis – how sacramentals work
-Exultet - hymn at the Easter Vigil
-faldstool - bishop’s folding chair
-feasts: used to be – double of the first class, double of the second class, greater double,
and (ordinary) double
-ferraiola – short cape attached to the cassock, reaching half-way down the upper arm
-filioque (and the Son) added to the Nicene Creed in 589 AD
-fistula – a golden pipette, used by the Pope to drink the wine of Holy Communion
-Galilee Day - Easter Monday – Jesus says I will see you in Galilee – picnics
-Gaudete Sunday - third Sunday of Advent - rejoice in the Lord – Introit
-gradual psalms - Psalms 120-134
-Gregorian chant - which includes Arsis/thesis, quilisma, virgule (or comma), rhombus
(diamond)
-Gregorian Masses - 30 masses for a deceased person in the course of a year.
-gremial. Veil of silk or linen placed over the knees of the bishop when seated during
various functions
-halo - circle of light/gold around the head of a saint
-heretic – formal denial of any defined doctrine of the Catholic faith
-heroic act of charity - to offer all one’s good works and merits for the souls in Purgatory
rather than for oneself.
-Holy Year - every 25 years since 1475.
-hot cross buns - buns decorated with a sugar cross and eaten especially on Ash
Wednesday and Good Friday
-hotel Dieu - a large catholic hospital as in Quebec, Montreal, New Orleans
-Humeral veil – worn over the shoulders of priest/deacon especially in Eucharistic
celebrations
-hypapante - Candlemas Day – or the presentation of Jesus or the Purification of Mary,
on February 2
-ichthus - IESOUS Christos, theou Uios Soter - also = fish
-IHS
inscription on the Cross – first three letters of the name of Jesus, Iota, Eta, Sigma
or, Jesus, hominum salvator.
-Imprimatur - let it be printed – authorization by a bishop to allow publication
-Imprimi potest - it can be printed – authorization by a religious superior for a member
of that congregation to allow publication
-Infulae - the two lappets that hang from the back of the bishop’s mitre
-In petto - cardinals elevated in secret (in the breast)
-INRI - inscription on the cross Iesus Nazaraenus, Rex Judaeorum. Jesus of Nazareth,
King of the Jews
-interregnum - period between the death of a pope and the election of his successor
-itinerarium – prayers when about to begin a journey
-Jubilate Sunday - the third after Easter
-knop
the nodus or pomellum of a chalice (knob in the handle)
-LDSM Laus Deo semper Mariaeque. Praise always to God and to Mary
-Laetare Sunday - 4th Sunday of Lent - rejoice – from the Introit – Pope blesses gold
roses, refreshment Sunday (Jesus feeds 5000)
-lapsi - backsliders in times of persecution or just fallen away Catholics
-leonine prayers - said after Mass until 1964, for the conversion of Russia. Originally,
with Leo XIII in 1884 to solve the Roman question of Vatican/Church/State
-Liber Usualis - Kyriale - book containing chant, Gregorian chant for Masses
-liquefaction - dried blood becomes liquid – eg. St. Januarius
-little elevation - at the time of the Great Amen at Mass
-locutions - words produced supernaturally which are audible. Moses, Joseph
-Longinus - the soldier who pierced Jesus in the side
-luna or lunette - the receptacle that holds the host in the monstrance
-manuterge - the lavabo towel –
-mandatum - the foot washing which takes place on Holy Thursday - mandate or
command of the Lord
-Missa Cantata, Missa Recitata - participative Masses, preparing the way for Vatican II
-motu proprio - a papal document at the personal initiative of the Pope
-narthex - porch, vestibule of a church before the proper entrance
-nihil obstat – (quominus imprimatur) nothing stands in the way of publication,
according to the book censor
-nimbus - solid ornamental disk for a saint, but a bit less defined than a h alo
-occult compensation – to take secretly something that lawfully is yours or owed you –a
creditor paying himself from a debtor without the debtor’s knowledge
-odium theologicum
personal hatred.
- bitterness among Catholics or with others that carries over to
-oratio imperata - prayer added at Mass to those assigned - eg. For peace or rain
-osculatorium - the greeting of peace at Mass
-ombrellino - the canopy for Eucharistic processions
-ostiarius - the minor order of porter (door keeper)
-pall - the cover over the chalice
-pallium - circular band of white wool, the symbol of the fullness of the Episcopal office.
An Archbishop asks for it three times in three months. Rarely is it given to a bishop.
-Paralipomenon - the two books of Chronicles = 3 and 4 Kings
-peculium - allowance for a vowed religious
-pedilavium –washing of the feet on Maundy Thursday
-plumbator - the one who affixes the lead seal of the Holy See to documents such as the
apostolic bulls
-Pontifical Association of the Holy Childhood - money for the missions, mite boxes
-portiuncula - the chapel near Assisi, and a special indulgence for the Souls in Purgatory
-praegustatio - testing the bread and wine before a Pontifical High Mass to prevent
possible poisoning. This does not break the fast!
-quicumque vult - first words of the Athanasian Creed
-Quasimodo Sunday - low Sunday, Sunday after Easter, Dominica in Albis
-rabat - Roman collar for priests
-Raccolta – the official book of indulgence prayers. Preces et Pia Opera
-recidivism - falling into the same sin after many confessions of that sin
-reredos – rich ornamented screen in back of the altar
-Rogation days - special days of prayer for the harvest, which involve fasting. The major
are April 25th and the Minor are the Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday before Ascension
-Roman Martyrology – the official book of lists of saints for each day of the year
-Rorate Sunday - - the Fourth Sunday of Advent
-sacrarium - the basin leading directly into the ground in some sacristies
-sacring bell - the small bell used for Mass
-Sampietrini - St. Peter’s Men – skilled workers, artisans who maintain St. Peter’s
-scamnum - the seat for the lector
-Scala Sancta - the 28 steps that lead to the papal chapel in the old Lateran Palace
-schism - formal and obstinate refusal by a baptized person to be in communion with the
pope and the church
-sedia gestatoria - seat used to carry the pope
-sediarii - those who carry the Pope, dressed in crimson
-Septuagesima Sunday, then Sexagesima, Quinquagesima, which was followed by Ash
Wednesday and Lent
-shortest verse in the bible - “Jesus wept.”
-sindon - the shroud; sindonologists are experts on the shroud
-smoke - white smoke – yes, we have a pope. Black smoke, no – try again.
-stole fee - an offering given on certain occasions such as a baptism, wedding, funeral,
for the clergy
-stoup – a vessel used to carry holy water
-terna – list of three nominees for the office of bishop, etc., most worthy, very worthy,
and worthy
-Treasure Chest - Catholic comic book, starring Chuck White
-tract - responsorial psalm after the first reading at Mass
-Whitsunday = Pentecost
-wimple - cloth covering formerly worn by women over the head and neck.
-zimmarra - black outer coat for a bishop
-zucchetto - skullcap worn by bishops and other prelates