Here
are
a
few
definitions
that
apply
to
the
Anglican
Church.
Here is a link to some Episcopal definitions:
www.gshep.org/information/vocabulary.htm
A
ANGLICAN
The
word
"Anglican"
just
means
"English"
or
"of
England".
It
is
rarely
used
to
describe
anything
besides
the
Anglican
Church,
and
there
it
just
means
that
our
branch
of
the
church
began
in
England.
In
England
the
Anglican
Church
is
referred
to
as
the
Church
of England.
ANGLICAN
COMMUNION
For
full
detail
see
our
page
devoted
to
an
explanation
of
this
term.
It
is
a
concept
by
which
Anglican
churches
are
unified:
a
church
either
is,
or
is
not,
a
member
of
the
Anglican
Communion.
Those
that
are
not
are
often
called
"continuing"
churches,
and
sometimes
called
"breakaway"
churches.
APOSTOLIC
SUCCESSION
The
original
bishops
were
by
legend
consecrated
by
one
of
the
12
apostles,
to
be
their
successors.
These
successor
bishops
later
consecrated
more
bishops,
so
that
there
would
always
be
bishops.
This
chain
of
consecration
is
called
"apostolic
succession."
There
is
documentation
tracing
the
chain
of
consecration
back
to
the
early
2nd
century,
to
people
who
were
no
doubt
the
successors
of
the
Twelve,
but
no
scholarly
proof
exists
to
document
the
chain
of
succession
during
the
very
earliest
days
of
the
church.
See
also
"BISHOP".
ARCHBISHOP
An
Archbishop
is
a
Bishop
who
has
additional
responsibilities.
Some
archbishops
have
"metropolitan
authority"
over
other
bishops,
while
other
archbishops
are
simply
the
chairman
of
the
House
of
Bishops,
with
no
special
powers.
This
term
is
becoming
less
widely
used,
in
favor
of
the
term
"Presiding
Bishop".
ARCHDEACONRY
See
"Deanery".
ARCHDIOCESE
The
word
"archdiocese"
is
not
used
in
the
Anglican
church.
It
is
a
Roman
Catholic
word.
An
Anglican
Archbishop
is
in
charge
of
a
diocese.
AUTONOMOUS
CHURCH
An
autonomous
church
is
a
church
that
governs
itself.
The
Anglican
Communion
consists
of
about
40
autonomous
churches,
most
of
which
are
associated
with
specific
countries
and
are
therefore
often
called
"national
churches."
B
BISHOP
A
Bishop
is
a
successor
to
one
of
the
Twelve
Apostles,
who
has
been
consecrated
by
other
Bishops.
The
unbroken
chain
of
consecration
of
Bishops
reaching
back
to
the
Twelve
is
called
Apostolic
Succession.
The
word
"Episcopal"
is
derived
from
the
Greek
word
for
"Bishop",
which
is
Episcopos.
The
phrase
"episkopos"
in
Greek
means
"over
sight."
In
Latin
it
became
"episcopus",
in
Old
English
it
was
"biscop",
which
came
to
be
pronounced
"bishop"
and
later
spelled
that
way
too.
BOOK
OF
COMMON
PRAYER
The
Book
of
Common
Prayer
is
the
primary
source
of
worship
material
and
liturgy
in
the
Anglican
church.
The
first
Book
of
Common
Prayer
was
written
in
1549
by
Thomas
Cranmer.
C
CANON
A
Canon,
in
the
singular,
is
either
a
law
or
rule
(see
below)
or
a
person.
A
person
referred
to
as
a
Canon
may
be
a
member
of
a
chapter
or
college
of
priests,
typically
the
chapter
of
a
cathedral.
It
is
sometimes
used
as
an
honorary
title
bestowed
on
a
person
who
is
not
a
priest
but
who
does
faithful
work
in
support
of
the
church.
CANONS
The
canons
of
the
church
are
its
laws
or
rules.
See
our
section
on
church
governance
for
more
information.
CATHEDRAL
A
Cathedral
is
a
Church
that
is
the
home
church,
or
"see",
of
the
bishop
of
a
diocese.
Cathedrals
are
usually
administered
by
a
priest
who
is
referred
to
as
the
Dean
of
that
Cathedral.
In
some
places
the
Dean
of
a
Cathedral
is
known
instead
as
its
Provost.
A
Cathedral
is
the
church
that
contains
the
official
stall
or
seat
of
the
diocesan
bishop.
This
stall
is
called
the
throne
or
cathedral,
from
which
derives
the
adjective
"cathedral"
as
in
"cathedral
church",
which
later
in
common
usage
became
a
noun.
COMMUNION
The
word
"Communion"
has
two
different
but
related
meanings
here.
The
most
common
meaning
is
as
the
name
of
the
Christian
sacramental
meal,
equivalent
to
the
Lord's
Supper;
often
called
eucharist.
The
second
meaning
is
as
part
of
the
phrase
Anglican
Communion,
which
see.
The
link
between
these
two
meanings
of
the
word
is
that
in
order
to
be
"in
communion
with"
someone
you
must
be
willing
to
share
communion
with
them.
D
DEACON
Being
a
deacon
is
the
initial
level
of
being
ordained
in
the
Anglican
Church.
In
some
churches
Deacon
is
a
lay
order;
in
the
Anglican
Church,
deacons
are
ordained.
Deacons
often
have
special
clerical
duties;
by
tradition
the
Gospel
is
read
by
the
deacon
if
one
is
available.
DEANERY
A
deanery
is
an
organizational
unit
that
is
larger
than
a
parish
and
smaller
than
a
diocese.
Not
every
diocese
is
divided
into
deaneries,
but
some
are.
If
a
diocese
has
more
than
one
bishop,
sometimes
each
bishop
is
responsible
for
a
separate
deanery.
DIOCESE
The
Diocese
is
the
fundamental
unit
of
structure
of
the
Anglican
church.
Every
diocese
is
the
seat
of
a
Bishop.
In
general
a
diocese
contains
many
parishes
and
churches,
and
normally
dioceses
are
combined
into
larger
administrative
units
called
Provinces
and
National
Churches.
E
EPISCOPAL
The
Episcopal
Church
is
the
official
U.S.
name
for
the
Anglican
church.
It
was
certainly
in
use
as
an
unofficial
descriptor
for
the
kind
of
church
that
we
had,
long
before
there
was
a
need
to
have
an
official
name
for
the
church.
After
the
1776
war
of
independence
from
England,
and
the
subsequent
war
in
1812,
any
word
that
reminded
people
of
England
was
unpopular
in
the
U.S.,
so
the
church
was
called
"Episcopal"
rather
than
"Church
of
England."
The
U.S.
is
once
again
friendly
with
England
and
the
UK,
but
the
name
"Episcopal"
has
remained
in
preference
to
the
more-recent
"Anglican."
In
Scotland
the
church
is
also
called
Episcopal;
this
is
probably
based
on
times
when
the
Scots
noticed
that
they
were
at
war
with
the
English,
and
wishing
for
similar
reasons
to
avoid
a
word
that
reminded
people
of
England.
EUCHARIST
Anglicans
often
use
the
word
Eucharist
instead
of
the
words
Mass
or
Communion.
The
prayer
book
says
"The
Holy
Eucharist
is
the
sacrament
commanded
by
Christ
for
the
continual
remembrance
of
his
life,
death,
and
resurrection,
until
his
coming
again....
The
Holy
Eucharist
is
also
called
the
Lord's
Supper,
and
Holy
Communion;
it
is
also
known
as
the
Divine
Liturgy,
the
Mass,
and
the
Great
Offering."
One
will
often
see
a
church
bulletin
that
says
something
like
"9:00:
Morning
Prayer 11:00:
Holy
Eucharist."
This
means
that
the
church
will
offer
a
9:00
service
that
follows
the
"Morning
Prayer"
section
of
the
prayer
book,
followed
by
an
11:00
service
that
follows
the
"Holy
Eucharist"
section
of
the
prayer
book.
Included
in
the
"Holy
Eucharist"
section
of
the
prayer
book
is
the
receiving
of
communion,
which
is
the
Eucharist
itself.
G
GENERAL
CONVENTION
Each
of
the
member
churches
of
the
Anglican
Communion
has
some
process
by
which
it
governs
itself.
In
the
United
States,
the
Episcopal
Church
holds
a
General
Convention
every
3
years,
at
which
the
canons
of
the
church
are
updated.
GENERAL
SYNOD
A
General
Synod
is
the
same
kind
of
event
as
a
General
Convention,
but
in
different
countries.
For
example,
England,
Canada,
Australia,
and
New
Zealand
hold
periodic
General
Synods
as
part
of
their
church
governance
process.
For
a
further
understanding
of
the
General
Synod
in
Canada
click
on
General
Synod.
H
HOLY
ORDERS
The
term
"holy
orders"
is
a
way
of
referring
to
ordination:
an
ordained
person
such
as
a
priest
or
deacon
is
spoken
of
as
"being
in
holy
orders,"
meaning
that
the
person
has
made
priestly
vows,
received
the
laying-on
of
hands,
and
has
been
admitted
(by
a
bishop)
into
one
of
the
levels
of
ordination.
L
LAY
Also
"Laity".
Opposite
of
"Clergy."
This
word
means
"not
ordained".
A
lay
person,
or
layman,
is
one
who
is
not
a
priest
or
deacon.
A
lay
society
is
one
whose
members
do
not
take
holy
orders.
N
NATIONAL
CHURCH
Technically
a
National
Church
is
a
Province,
but
in
the
Anglican
church
the
word
"Province"
has
a
meaning
that
is
both
unusual
and
ambiguous.
The
Anglican
Communion
consists
of
about
40
Autonomous
Churches,
most
of
which
are
associated
with
a
particular
country.
In
conversation
that
requires
one
to
speak
about
this
concept,
most
people
use
the
phrase
"national
church"
to
describe
an
independent
(autonomous)
member
of
the
Anglican
Communion.
Many
national
churches
are
subdivided
into
provinces,
but
those
provinces
are
not
autonomous
(they
are
part
of,
and
governed
by,
a
national
church).
Some
national
churches
are
not
divided
into
provinces,
with
the
result
that
the
church
in
its
entirety
is
often
referred
to
as
a
province.
O
ORDAIN,
ORDINATION
To
"ordain"
a
person
means
to
have
that
person
participate
in
a
special
ceremony
in
which
someone
with
the
correct
authority
gives
them
new
status.
The
ordination
must
follow
the
requirements
set
down
in
the
church
canons.
In
our
church,
the
ceremony
in
which
a
person
is
ordained
is
called
an
"ordination,"
and
it
is
performed
by
a
bishop,
by
prayer
for
the
Holy
Spirit
and
by
the
laying
of
hands
upon
the
candidate.
Until
a
person
is
ordained,
that
person
is
called
"lay,"
or
a
member
P
PARISH
A
parish
is
the
smallest
unit
of
administration
within
the
Anglican
church.
Most
parishes
have
just
one
church,
called
the
parish
church.
Some
parishes
have
more
than
one
church;
this
instance
is
usually
found
in
areas
with
sparse
or
declining
population,
so
that
only
the
clergy
need
travel
far.
Parishes
combine
into
dioceses.
PRIEST
"Priest"
is
a
special
term
for
the
minister
of
a
Roman
Catholic,
Anglican,
or
Orthodox
church.
Historically,
the
term
meant
someone
who
performed
a
sacrifice;
later
the
term
referred
to
those
who
said
Mass.
A
person
becomes
a
priest
by
being
ordained
by
a
bishop.
Most
bishops
require
special
training
for
this,
which
is
typically
obtained
in
a
theological
college
or
seminary.
PRIMATE
Primate
PROVINCE
A
"Province"
is
an
administrative
division
of
the
church
that
is
bigger
than
a
diocese
and
smaller
than
the
whole
world.
Many
national
churches
are
divided
into
provinces;
for
example,
Canada
is
divided
into
four
administrative
provinces
and
Australia
into
five.
And
Australia
has
one
diocese
that
is
not
in
any
Province;
it
is
called
"extra-provincial".
In
general
no
one
cares
about
these
provinces
except
church
employees.
The
word
"province"
does
not
appear
anywhere
in
the
web
site
of
the
Anglican
Church
of
Canada
except
in
the
minutes
of
the
General
Synod.
In
some
parts
of
the
world,
typically
those
that
were
never
English
colonies,
the
number
of
Anglicans
is
small
enough
that
there
are
not
individual
national
churches.
The
Province
of
Central
America
has
several
countries,
as
does
the
Province
of
Central
Africa.
A
transnational
province
is
one
that
spans
more
than
one
country.
R
RECTOR
A
rector
is
a
priest
who
is
the
leader
of
a
parish.
RECTORY
A
"rectory"
is
normally
a
house
occupied
by
a
clergyperson
who
turns
out
to
be
a
Rector
of
a
congregation.
V
VESTRY
A
group
of
people
elected
by
the
congregation
at
the
annual
meeting
who
oversee
the
earthly
matters
of
the
parish.
VICAR
A
vicar
is
the
priest
in
charge
of
a
parish
or
mission
that
is
supported
financially
from
the
outside,
while
a
rector
is
the
priest
in
charge
of
a
self-supporting
church.
In
England
most
churches
are
supported
by
their
diocese,
so
most
of
the
priests
in
charge
of
English
churches
are
vicars.
In
many
other
countries,
notably
the
USA,
most
churches
are
self-supporting,
so
most
of
the
priests
in
charge
of
them
are
rectors.
VICARAGE
A
"Vicarage"
is
normally
a
house
occupied
by
a
clergyperson
who
usually
(but
not always)
turns
out
to
be
a
Vicar
rather
than
a
Rector.
W
WARDEN
A
church
warden
is
an
appointed
administrative
position
in
a
parish
church.
Usually
one
finds
two
wardens,
called
Junior
Warden
and
Senior
Warden,
or
perhaps
People's
Warden
and
Rector's
Warden.
They
have
specific
duties
pertaining
to
the
earthly
operation
of
the
parish.
Cathedral
Parish
of
St.
John
the
Evangelist
Saskatoon,
Saskatchewan
