Glossary of Terms
Postulant (Holy Orders, Monastic)
One who tests a vocation such as a vocation to an ordained ministry or the religious life. Postulants for holy orders seek ordination as deacon or priest. The length of […]
Potter, Alonzo
(July 6, 1800-July 4, 1865). Bishop and educator. He was born in Beekman (La Grange), Dutchess County, New York. He graduated from Union College, Schenectady, New York, in 1818. In […]
Potter, Henry Codman
(May 25, 1835-July 21, 1908). Bishop and advocate of social justice. He was born in Schenectady, New York, and was the son of Alonzo Potter, the third Bishop of Pennsylvania. […]
Potter, Horatio
(Feb. 9, 1802-Jan. 2, 1887). Bishop and educator. He was born in Beekman (La Grange), Dutchess County, New York. He received his B.A. from Union College, Schenectady, New York, in […]
Praise (Prayer)
Loving worship of God in prayer. We may respond with praise for God's mighty deeds throughout salvation history. The Canticle Te Deum laudamus (Canticle 21, BCP, pp. 95-96), begins, “You […]
Prayer
The experience of corporate or individual nearness with God, through words, acts, or silence. Any act or activity offered to God in a spirit of dedication may be prayerful. This […]
Prayer Book
See Book of Common Prayer, The (“BCP”).
Prayer Book Commentary
A comprehensive study of the liturgical and theological background of a Prayer Book. During the Puritan Commonwealth in England, when the BCP was outlawed, two systematic commentaries were published: Anthony […]
Prayer Book Concordance, The
An examination of word usage in the 1979 BCP. This volume was published in 1988 by the Church Hymnal Corporation. It was edited by Galen Bushey. There are 6,423 separate […]
Prayer Book for Soldiers and Sailors, A
This small volume of ninety-one pages was published by the Army and Navy Commission of the Protestant Episcopal Church in 1941. It was sent as a gift to those serving […]
Prayer Book Preface
The Preface printed in every edition of the American BCP is an abbreviated form of the Preface prepared for the Proposed BCP of 1786 by the Rev. Dr. William Smith, […]
Prayer Book Studies
A series of booklets issued by the Standing Liturgical Commission beginning in 1950 making proposals for the revision of the BCP. Prayer Book Studies 16 proposed the method adopted to […]
Prayer Desk
See Litany Desk; see Prie-Dieu.
Prayer, Principal Kinds of
The principal kinds of prayer include adoration, praise, thanksgiving, penitence, oblation, intercession, and petition. (see BCP, pp. 856-857, and individual entries for each of the principal kinds of prayer).
Prayers of the People
The BCP uses the title “Prayers of the People” for the oratio fidelium or general intercessions in the eucharist. Such prayers have a long and venerable history. Their existence was […]
Prayers We Have in Common
See International Consultation on English Texts (ICET) (1969).
Pre-Lenten Season
The observance of a period of a few weeks in preparation for Lent. Septuagesima Sunday was the first Sunday of the Pre-Lenten season. It was the third Sunday before Lent […]
Pre-Sanctified, Mass of the
Celebration of communion with previously consecrated eucharistic elements, in a eucharistic liturgy without a prayer of consecration. It makes possible eucharistic sharing on days of fasting when the eucharist is […]
Preacher
The one who preaches the sermon. In some Protestant churches, the term is used as a title for a member of the clergy. See Preaching.
Preaching
The event and act of proclaiming the Word of God through a sermon or homily. Preaching interprets the gospel tradition in light of faith and in the context of the […]
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.