holy orders the rite of ordination to the priesthood.
Holy week the last week of Lent.
host the round wafers of unleavened bread used in Holy Communion.
Immaculate Conception in the Roman Catholic Church, the doctrine that holds that the Virgin Mary was free from original sin since her conception.
infidel a member of another religion, in regard to Christianity or Islam. Also, one with no religious beliefs.
intercession the Roman Catholic or Orthodox Christian's prayer to a saint requesting that they pray directly to God on their behalf. Prayers made through saints or angels are believed to be more effective.
Isa Arabic for Jesus.
Jesuit a member of the Society of Jesus, a Roman Catholic order.
King James Bible the translation of the Bible into English ordered by King James I; it was first published in 1611.
kiss of peace a greeting kiss in the Roman Catholic Mass, the Orthodox Eucharist, and the Lutheran Communion.
laity the nonclergy members of a congregation.
lauds the hour of morning worship in Catholic divine office.
lectionary a book containing lessons from the Bible to be read at services.
Lent the 40-day period, beginning with Ash Wednesday, before Easter Sunday.
litany a prayer of supplications recited by a clergy alternating with replies from the congregation, either sung or spoken.
liturgy the rite of the Eucharist. Also, public worship or any religious ritual. Also, the Book of Common Prayer.
Lutheran Church the Protestant Church that follows the teachings of Martin Luther.
Madonna the Virgin Mary. Also, any depiction, such as a painting, of the Virgin Mary.
martyr one killed for his religious beliefs.
Mass the Roman Catholic term for the Eucharist or Holy Communion.
Maundy Thursday the day of the Last Supper and the day Jesus washed the feet of his disciples.
mendicants friars who take a vow of poverty and live entirely from alms.
Mennonites the Protestant denomination that baptizes adults, stresses nonresistance, and rejects war and violence.
missal in the Roman Catholic Church, a book containing a year of instructions, readings, and prayers for the Mass.
monotheism the belief in only one God.
nones the service that takes place at 3 p.m. at Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches.
original sin the first sin—that of Adam and Eve eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Palm Sunday the Sunday before Easter; it commemorates Christ riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, when palms were spread in welcome before him.
papacy the supreme office of the pope.
papal authority the leadership of the pope in governing the Roman Catholic Church.
parish a local Catholic or Anglican community within a specific territorial district.
paschal candle in Roman Catholic and several Anglican churches, a tall candle lit the night before Easter and kept burning near the altar until the feast of the Ascension or Pentecost Sunday. Also known as the Easter Candle.
Passion the suffering of Christ from the Last Supper to his Crucifixion, on our behalf, as recounted from Gospels as a part of Holy Week services.
pastor "shepherd." A minister in the Lutheran, Baptist, and Pentecostal Churches.
patriarch the highest-ranking bishop in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
patron saint in the Roman Catholic Church, a saint who has been designated as a special guardian or protector of a nation, community, profession, group, individual, and so forth. Also, any saint for whom an individual is named at baptism.
penance a sacrament comprising contrition, confession, the imposition of a good work, or the saying of prayers and absolution.
penitent one who has sinned and wishes to repent. Also, a person who confesses his or her wrongdoings to a priest at confession.
Pentecost a festival held on the seventh Sunday after Easter to commemorate the descent of the Holy Spirit after Christ's Ascension. Also known as Whitsunday or Whit Sunday.
Pentecostal Church a multidenominational group of churches stressing the need for believers to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Most noted for congregation members who spontaneously "speak in tongues" during a service and who claim to have the gift of healing or prophecy.
plainsong a method of chanting psalms or hymns. polytheism a belief in more than one god. pontiff the pope.
pope the head of the Roman Catholic Church and the bishop of Rome.
Presbyterian Church the Christian Protestant denomination with a doctrine based on the teachings of Calvin. Noted for its lack of elaborate rituals and plain churches.
presbytery a minister's house, often located beside a church.
primate in an Anglican district or group of dioceses, the highest-ranking bishop. Also, the highest-ranking bishop in a country.
proselyte one who converts from one faith to another.
psalter a book of psalms from the Old Testament.
rector in the Anglican Church, a clergyman in charge of a parish.
rectory the house of a Catholic priest or an Episcopal minister.
requiem a Roman Catholic funeral mass set to music to aid the deceased through purgatory to heaven.
resurrection the restoration of the life of Jesus by God after Christ's Crucifixion. Also, the rising of souls from the bodies of the dead.
rosary a circle of beads used as an aid to prayer. Also, a prayer to God directed through the Virgin Mary.
sacrament any one of several rites performed in the Christian Church to receive God's grace. In the Roman Catholic Church, these include baptism, confirmation, the Eucharist, matrimony, orders, penance, and extreme unction. In the Protestant Church, only baptism and the Eucharist are considered sacraments.
Sanctus a hymn sung before the prayer of consecration at a Eucharist service.
sanctus bell a bell rung at Roman Catholic Mass to draw attention to the consecration of the bread and wine.
see the center of a bishop's diocese.
seminary a religious training institution for priests and ministers.
seven virtues in Roman Catholic theology, prudence, justice, fortitude, temperance, faith, hope, and charity.
shunning an Amish and Mennonite practice of refusing to socialize with excommunicated members in any way.
synod an ecclesiastical council.
theophany a manifestation of God, as through fire or thunder.
tithe one-tenth; to donate one-tenth of one's income to the church, practiced by some Christians according to Mosaic law.
Transfiguration a festival held on August 6 to commemorate Christ's appearance before the Apostles. Known as the Feast of Tabor in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Trappist a strict order of monks, known for their fasting and extended periods of silence.
Trinity the Holy Trinity; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
Unification Church founded by Korean Sun Myung Moon in 1954, the church having a doctrine based on a conglomeration of Christian and Taoist ideas.