Glossary of Terms

Confessionalism

Adherence of a church or denomination to particular standards, expressions, confessions, doctrines, or symbols of faith. Confessional statements focus and codify the beliefs of a church or denomination, and distinguish the church's beliefs from the beliefs of others outside the church. Many confessional statements were made during the era of reformation and counter-reformation, including the […]

Confessor

The term has two meanings: 1) One who suffers greatly for confessing the faith, without being martyred, and 2) the bishop or priest who hears a private confession of sin. See Reconciliation of a Penitent.

Confirmation

The sacramental rite in which the candidates "express a mature commitment to Christ, and receive strength from the Holy Spirit through prayer and the laying on of hands by a bishop" (BCP, p. 860). Those who were baptized at an early age and those baptized as adults without laying on of hands by a bishop […]

Congregant

A member of a congregation.

Connecticut, Diocese of

On Mar. 25, 1783, Samuel Seabury and Jeremiah Leaming were elected as candidates for Bishop of Connecticut. Seabury accepted the election, and was consecrated Bishop of Connecticut on Nov. 14, 1784, by nonjuring bishops at Aberdeen, Scotland. The Diocese of Connecticut was organized at Christ Church, Middletown, on Aug. 3, 1785. On June 15, 1919, […]

Conscience

A person's moral judgment upon himself or herself. It often indicates the sense of judgment of right or wrong regarding what has been done. For Thomas Aquinas, for example, conscience is the mind of the human person making moral judgments. In moral theology, conscience is the basis of moral action. A primary moral obligation is […]

Conscience Clause

” This clause, otherwise known as “A Statement of Conscience,” was a response by the House of Bishops to the 1976 General Convention approval of a canonical change that allowed for the ordination of women to the priesthood and episcopate. It was initiated by Presiding Bishop John Allin's opening remarks to the Oct. 1977, meeting […]

Consecration

To set something or someone apart for a sacred purpose. The bread and wine of the Eucharist are consecrated at the Great Thanksgiving, and “the consecration” often means the consecration of the eucharistic gifts. The central prayer accompanying the laying on of hands in the ordination of bishops, priests, and deacons is called the prayer […]

Consecration of Samuel Seabury, First American Bishop, Feast of

On Mar. 25, 1783, ten clergy met at the home of the Rev. John Rutgers Marshall in Woodbury, Connecticut, and elected Samuel Seabury and Jeremiah Leaming as candidates for Bishop of Connecticut. Seabury accepted the election and sailed for England to be consecrated. He arrived in England on July 7, 1783, and spent over a […]

Consents for Ordination

After the election of a bishop, if the date of the election is more than three months before the next meeting of the General Convention, the Standing Committee of the electing diocese shall send a certificate of election to the standing committees of all the dioceses of the Episcopal Church for their consent to the […]

Constance, Nun, and her Companions

(Commonly Called “The Martyrs of Memphis.” In 1873 a group of sisters of the Sisterhood of St. Mary went to Memphis, Tennessee, at the request of Bishop Charles T. Quintard, to establish a school for girls adjacent to the Cathedral of St. Mary. They were confronted by an epidemic of yellow fever and began to […]

Constantine I

(c. 285-337). Roman emperor from 306 to 337. On the night before battle with an imperial rival at the Milvian Bridge near Rome in 312, Constantine had a vision that apparently led to his conversion to Christianity. He saw a fiery cross in the heavens above the statement written in Greek, “In this sign you […]

Constitution of the Episcopal Church

This document of church government was first adopted by the General Convention of the Church in 1789. The Constitution contains regulations for General Convention, election and jurisdiction of bishops, Standing Committees, the formation of new jurisdictions, the establishment of provinces, ordinations, ecclesiastical courts, and the BCP.

Constructive Quarterly, The

This quarterly was published from Mar. 1913, until June 1922. Its sub-title was A Journal of the Faith, Work, and Thought of Christendom. It served as a “forum where the isolated Churches of Christendom may introduce themselves to one another.” The editor was Silas McBee (1853-1924), a close friend and former student of William Porcher […]

Consubstantial

The term means “of the same substance.” In Trinitarian theology, one divine substance exists fully and equally, or consubstantially, in three Persons. Bitter controversies arose in early Christianity concerning the divinity of the Son. The councils determined that the fullness of divinity exists not only in the Father but also in the Son and the […]

Consubstantiation

Doctrine of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist associated with the theology of Martin Luther. It teaches that after the consecration the substance of the Body and Blood of Christ and the substance of the bread and wine coexist in union with each other. The doctrine was formulated in opposition to the doctrine […]

Contemplation

A form of mental prayer in which meditation and petition give way to quiet adoration of the mysteries of God. Contemplation is the fruit of divine grace. It comes after a period of recollection and self-abandonment. Daily concerns vanish and exclusive attention is given to the mysteries of the Trinity, the Incarnation, and Redemption. Active […]

Contemplative Order

A religious community that is primarily devoted to the contemplative life. The Benedictine Order exists in the Anglican Communion, including St. Gregory's Abbey (“Three Rivers”) in the Episcopal Church. Contemplative orders in the Episcopal Church also include the Order of Julian of Norwich in Waukesha, Wisconsin, and the Order of Poor Clares of Reparation in […]

Contrition

Full repentance for sin and a firm intention for amendment of life. Contrition is motivated by love of God, causing the penitent to regret sin as evidence of a turning away from God who loves us. Contrition has been distinguished from attrition since the twelfth century. Attrition has been referred to as imperfect contrition. Attrition […]

Convent

The term may refer either to a religious community or the building where the community lives. The term is most frequently applied to a community of nuns, although it may refer to a religious community of men or women. The term is from the Latin, con and venire, “to come together.”

An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church

Glossary of Terms