Glossary of Terms

(Aug. 20, 1902-Aug. 31, 1987). Leading African American priest and national church executive. He was born in Baltimore. Caution received his B.A. in 1926 from Lincoln University, his M.A. in 1929 from the University of Pennsylvania, and his M.Div. in 1929 from the Philadelphia Divinity School. He was ordained deacon on June 8, 1929, and […]

CDO Personal Profile

A form that provides personal and professional information for deployment of Episcopal clergy and lay professionals. The profile is intended to present a concise summary of the skills and experience of each person registered in the deployment system. It is used to match individual skills and talents with opportunities for ministry in the Episcopal Church. […]

Celebrant

The bishop or priest who presides at the eucharist and at baptism, and at other sacramental and liturgical occasions such as the Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage, Ministration to the Sick, and Thanksgiving for the Birth or Adoption of a Child. The celebrant leads the community's celebration of these liturgies and rites.

Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage

Rite for holy matrimony in the Episcopal Church (BCP, p. 423). Marriage is a solemn public covenant between two persons in the presence of God. At least one of the couple must be a baptized Christian. Prior to the marriage, the couple sign a declaration of intention. It states that they hold marriage to be […]

Celebration for a Home

The BOS provides a form for Celebration for a Home, which is also known as a house blessing. Members of the household and friends assemble in the living room of the home. The service includes a collect and one or more readings from scripture or other appropriate readings. A homily or brief address may follow. […]

Celebration of a New Ministry

Form for the institution or induction of a priest as the rector of a parish. It may be used for the installation of deans and canons of cathedrals, or the induction of other diocesan or parochial ministries, including assistant ministers and vicars of missions (BCP, p. 558). It may also be used for the institution […]

Celibacy

Abstinence from marriage and from marital or sexual relations, especially for religious reasons. A person may vow to refrain from marriage and live as a celibate. Celibacy is not a requirement for ordination in the Episcopal Church. See Religious Order; see Vows.

Celibate

See Celibacy.

Cell

1) The individual room or hut of a nun, monk, friar, or hermit. This room or dwelling is usually furnished in a very simple manner. The term is from the Latin cella, “little room” or “hut.” 2) A religious house that is an offshoot from a large religious community. This cell or colony remains dependent […]

Cella

A small memorial chapel built in early Christian cemeteries. It was used to commemorate those buried in the cemetery and for ordinary worship.

Celtic Spirituality

Little is known of the original form of Celtic spirituality (in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England, and Brittany), which may have been influenced by druidic religion. It was dominated by a strict ascetic monasticism. Only an ordained monk in a monastery could become a bishop. An eclectic liturgy mixed Roman and Gallic rituals and kept the […]

Cense

To perfume with the smoke of aromatic incense. Censing may express honor, respect, blessing, and celebration in a liturgy. It may also express the lifting up of the prayers of the assembly, or the prayers of the saints. The thurifer or member of the clergy may dramatize the censing by swinging the thurible (censer) that […]

Censer

See Thurible.

Centering Prayer

A method of quiet meditation in which a single symbolic word is used as a sign of one’s willingness to wait on God and be available to God’s presence. This word is used as a point of focus. The discipline involves setting aside twenty minutes or so for quiet prayer. This apophatic method has been […]

Central America, Missionary District of

On Nov. 13, 1956, the House of Bishops voted to divide the Missionary District of the Panama Canal Zone and create the Missionary District of Central America. It included the Republic of Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. Jurisdiction for Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras was transferred to the Episcopal Church from the […]

Central and South Mexico, Diocese of

The General Convention of 1904 established the Missionary District of Mexico. The 1972 General Convention divided the Missionary District of Mexico into the Missionary District of Central and South Mexico, the Missionary District of Western Mexico, and the Missionary District of Northern Mexico. All three of these Missionary Districts became dioceses. In 1988 the House […]

Central Brazil, Missionary District of

On Sept. 30, 1949, the House of Bishops divided the Missionary District of Southern Brazil into three missionary districts-Central Brazil, Southern Brazil, and Southwestern Brazil. On Oct. 20, 1964, the House of Bishops voted for an independent Brazilian church, and in 1965 the Episcopal Church of Brazil became an independent province of the Anglican Communion.

Central Florida, Diocese of

The General Convention of 1969 voted to divide the Diocese of South Florida into three dioceses, one of which was temporarily called the Diocese of South Florida. The primary convention met at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke, Orlando, on Dec. 3, 1969, and changed the name to the Diocese of Central Florida. St. Luke's […]

Central Gulf Coast, Diocese of

The General Convention of 1970 approved the creation of the Diocese of South Alabama and Northwest Florida. It held its primary convention at Christ Church, Pensacola, Dec. 3-5, 1970, and changed the name to the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast. It consists of the following counties: Alabama: Baldwin, Barbour, Butler, Choctaw, Clark, Coffee, Conecuh, […]

An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church