Catholic Lingo part II

“Understanding All things Catholic”

Mr. Pablo Cuadra

Religion Class
 Who is a DRE?
• In the United States a DRE is a
director of religious education.

• A Director for religious education

directs and coordinates
catechetical and faith formation for
the parish according to directives
set forth by the diocesan program
for religious education of the
diocese.

• Directors for religious education

can be either lay or religious
persons. The DRE ministers under
the supervision of the parish’s
pastor .

• A DRE must have completed either

degree in theology or a certification
program in religious education set
forth by the diocese.
 What is a Rectory?
• A rectory is the name given to the
residence of the priests.

• Depending on the size of the

diocese some rectories are
inhabited by more than one priest.

• Rectories are usually located next

to the Church building and its
offices.

• In some instances the Rectory and

the Church are not in the same
geographical location.

• Sometimes the rectory has a dual

function as residence for the clergy
and Church’s office. This practice,
however, is highly discouraged.
 What is CCD?
• The abbreviation CCD stands for
Confraternity of Christian Doctrine.

• CCD is a program of religious

education geared toward Catholic
youth attending secular institutions of
learning.

• CCD is an important aspect of the

parish catechetical mission and the
Church’s duty to evangelize.

• Through this program of catechesis,

Catholic youth are instructed in the
faith and prepared for the reception of
the sacraments.

• Generally, parishes have periods of

enrollments for all the youth of the
parish. Classes for CCD take place
during the week. Contact your local
parish for specific information and
schedules.
 What is Catechesis?
• Catechesis is a word that comes
from the Greek word for
instruction.

• Catechesis involves: initiation,

instruction and formation in the
faith.

• Catechists are those who instruct

in the faith. Catechists can be laity,
religious or the clergy of the parish.

• Dioceses in the United States offer

programs of catechetical
certification in catechetical
instruction for any lay person
interested in participating in
religious instruction. Contact your
local parish or diocese for more
information.
 What is a parish?
• The word parish is derived
from Greek word for district.

• In ecclesiastical usage the

word parish refers to the
territorial subdivision of a
diocese or the faithful
attending the church of that
particular subdivision.

• All parishes have boundaries

or limits that delineate the
territory served by the clergy of
each parish.

• The faithful living within the

boundaries of a parish are
encouraged to attend and
support their respective local
parishes.
 Who are the clergy?
• Clergy is a technical word used to
describe the ordain ministers
functioning and serving in a
particular parish, catholic
institution, or Catholic ministry.

• Most parishes are served by a

pastor, a vicar or associate
pastor and a permanent
deacon.

• The clergy of the parish have

been entrusted with the
celebration of the sacraments ,
liturgy and the supervision of the
different parish ministries and
charities.
 What are stipends and stole fees?
• Stipends and stole fees are monetary
remuneration given to the clergy of the
parish in lieu of their services to the
community of faith.

• These stipends tend to compliment the

salary received by the clergy of a particular
diocese. Priests do not charge for the
sacraments that is forbidden by Church law
and is considered simony.

• Each diocese in the U.S. has specific

guidelines regarding the use of funds for
stipends, stole fees and salaries.

• The average stipend varies from diocese to

diocese. To find out information about the
stipends or salaries priests receive in a
particular diocese contact the pastoral
center of that particular diocese.
 What is a pastoral center?
• A pastoral center is the headquarter of
a particular diocese or Archdiocese.

• A pastoral center accommodates the

central offices of a diocese necessary
for the administration and operation of
a diocese.

• Most departments in pastoral centers

are structured into administrative and
ministerial offices, such as: the office
of the Bishop or Archbishop, chancery,
religious education, charities,
education, communication among
others.

• Pastoral centers are a great source of

information regarding the local
church’s mission in a diocese or
archdiocese.
 How to find and contact the
pastoral center in your diocese?
• There are several ways:

• You can get the pastoral center

phone number from your local
parish or priest.

• From the yellow pages or

directory assistance.

• From the U.S bishops official

website. This website provides
an alphabetical listing of all the
dioceses, eparchies, in the
United States. The link to this
website is:

• http://www.usccb.org/
 Did you know?
• Pastoral centers provide
information about the many
resources and charities
available to Catholics living in a
particular diocese, eparchy, or
Archdiocese.

• Pastoral Centers also handle:

donations, questions in
matters of faith, concerns,
complaints, and allegations
regarding the clergy and
parish life of a particular
diocese.

• All Catholics are encouraged

to contact their Pastoral center
for information and
assistance.
 Who is a Chancellor?
• In ecclesiastical language the Chancellor is a
diocesan official, his is the principal notary of the
curia (officials of a diocese). This position is
mandated by Canon law numbers 482-491

• The principal role of a Chancellor is to properly

keep, catalog, document and safeguard all the
official documents of the local church or diocese
contained in the diocesan archive.

• Only the bishop and chancellor have the key to

access this archive, and only the bishop has access
to the secret archive where only very important ,
confidential documents that need to be kept secret
are to be kept.

• This diocesan position can he held by a lay person

or an ordain minister like a priest or deacon.
 What is the diocesan Curia?
• The curia are the people or
institutions that help the
ordinary (bishop) with the
administration of the local
Church or diocese in her
temporal and spiritual facets.

• Some important posts in the

local curia are: Vicar general,
Chancellor, Moderator of the
curia, and Judicial vicar among
others.
 Who is the moderator of the Curia?
• The moderator of the curia is the Vicar
General. The Vicar General (VG) is the
highest diocesan official, he is the
moderator of the curia entrusted with
assisting the bishop with the administrative
aspects of the diocese.
• The VG also ensures that the clergy fulfill
the duties entrusted to them by their clerical
state. The duties of this office vary from
diocese to diocese. Some of the duties of
this office are:
• Articles and by-laws for diocesan and parish
corporations
• Chancery building maintenance
• Civil law concerns
• Complaints
• Diocesan and parish corporate business
• one vicar general in that case one of them is
Diocesan spokesman for the media
• Hiring/firing of parish and diocesan
employees
• Implementation of the Bishops' Charter for
the Protection of Children and Young
People
• Parish building projects
• Parish/diocesan personnel policies
• Parish management problems
• Parish personnel problems
• Property/liability insurance
• Real estate sales and purchases
• Secretary/Treasurer for the diocesan
corporation
• Supervision of diocesan staff
• Chairman of the Diocesan Insurance
Committee
• Ex officio member of the Diocesan Pastoral
Council
• Ex officio member of the Diocesan Finance
Council
(source: diocese of Superior)
• Note: Some dioceses may have more than
appointed to hold this position by the
bishop.
• If an auxiliary bishop is appointed Vicar
general he is called Episcopal vicar.
 What is a parochial school?
• In the United States, parochial
schools are Catholic schools
associated with a parish
Church. These schools are
usually elementary or middle
schools.

• These parochial schools are

run and administrated by the
parish in which they are
located.

• Parochial schools located in

the inner city sometimes
receive a subsidy of the
diocese.
 The End

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