Glossary of Terms
Lee, Alfred
(Sept. 9, 1807-Apr. 12, 1887). Tenth Presiding Bishop. Lee was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He graduated from Harvard University in 1827 and then studied law. He later studied for ordained […]
Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
In 1865 Judge Asa Packer (1805-1879) asked the Rt. Rev. William Bacon Stevens (1815-1887), the fourth Bishop of Pennsylvania, to help him plan a university. On Feb. 9, 1866, a […]
Lent
Early Christians observed “a season of penitence and fasting” in preparation for the Paschal feast, or Pascha (BCP, pp. 264-265). The season now known as Lent (from an Old English […]
Lenten Array
Lenten array usually refers to a rough or homespun fabric. It may have an off-white color or it may be made without any dye. Lenten array may be decorated with […]
Leo the Great
(d. Nov. 10, 461). Defender of orthodox Christology and pope. On Sept. 29, 440, he was consecrated Bishop of Rome. He was a great opponent of heresy, and his major […]
Lesser Feasts and Fasts, The (LFF)
A collection of proper collects, lessons, and psalms for the eucharist on each of the weekdays of Lent, weekdays of Easter season, and each of the lesser feasts of the […]
Lesser Silence (Little or Simple Silence)
In monastic and religious communities, the silence that should be kept in working hours. Local regulations may tie it to specific times and places. It is generally less absolute than […]
Lesson
A selection of scripture that serves as a reading for a church service. It is also known as a lection or a reading. The BCP appoints lessons for the eucharist […]
Letter of Agreement
A written agreement concerning terms of employment, either for a priest in charge of a congregation or a member of a diocesan staff. Several dioceses provide for Letters of Agreement […]
Letter of Transfer
This term was previously used for a certificate of membership, typically used when a member of a congregation in the Episcopal Church moves to another congregation.
Letters Dimissory
Clergy may transfer canonical residence from one diocesan jurisdiction to another by presentation of Letters Dimissory from the ecclesiastical authority of the former diocese to the ecclesiastical authority of the […]
Lewis, Clive Staples
(C. S.) (Nov. 29, 1898-Nov. 22, 1963). Author and one of the best-known Christian apologists in the Anglican Communion. Lewis's works included literary history, criticism, essays, three science fiction novels […]
Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi
A Latin phrase often used in the study of liturgy, it means “the rule of prayer [is] the rule of belief.” The phrase describes the pervasive pastoral reality that habits […]
Lexington, Diocese of
The General Convention of 1895 voted to divide the Diocese of Kentucky to create a new diocese in the eastern half of the state. The Diocese of Lexington held its […]
Liberal Catholicism and the Modern World
This volume, published in 1934, was inspired by the English publication, Essays Catholic and Critical (1926). The volume stressed the Catholic tradition and a liberal, critical approach to biblical and […]
Liberal Catholicism, Liberal Catholic Movement
Liberal catholicism, as a theological development in Anglicanism, had its beginnings in the publication of Lux Mundi (1889), a collection of essays written by Oxford Anglican teachers and edited by […]
Liberal Evangelicalism
Within Anglican churches evangelicalism is the name given to the movement founded and fostered by John Wesley. Those followers of Wesley who did not stay inside the Church of England […]
Liberation Theology
Gustavo Gutiérrez notes in A Theology of Liberation (1973) that the problem which liberation theology seeks to address is “what relation is there between salvation and the historical process in […]
Liberia, Diocese of
The 1844 General Convention established the Missionary District of Cape Palmas and Parts Adjacent. The first Missionary Bishop of the District was John Payne, after whom the Bishop Payne Divinity […]
Licentiate in Theology
This serves as a certificate of successfully completed study by a seminarian, but it is not an academic degree. A student without a bachelor's degree or equivalent who has fulfilled […]
Glossary definitions provided courtesy of Church Publishing Incorporated, New York, NY,(All Rights reserved) from “An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians,” Don S. Armentrout and Robert Boak Slocum, editors.