Roman Catholic Church


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Roman Catholic Church

n.
The Christian church characterized by an episcopal hierarchy with the pope as its head and belief in seven sacraments and the authority of tradition.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Roman Catholic Church

n
(Roman Catholic Church) the Christian Church over which the pope presides, with administrative headquarters in the Vatican. Also called: Catholic Church or Church of Rome
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

Ro′man Cath′olic Church′


n.
the Christian church of which the pope, or bishop of Rome, is the supreme head.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.Roman Catholic Church - the Christian Church based in the Vatican and presided over by a pope and an episcopal hierarchyRoman Catholic Church - the Christian Church based in the Vatican and presided over by a pope and an episcopal hierarchy
indulgence - the remission by the pope of the temporal punishment in purgatory that is still due for sins even after absolution; "in the Middle Ages the unrestricted sale of indulgences by pardoners became a widespread abuse"
Divine Office - canonical prayers recited daily by priests (e.g. the breviary of the Roman Catholic Church)
Little Office - a Roman Catholic office honoring the Virgin Mary; similar to but shorter than the Divine Office
Office of the Dead - an office read or sung before a burial mass in the Roman Catholic Church
placebo - (Roman Catholic Church) vespers of the office for the dead
confession - (Roman Catholic Church) the act of a penitent disclosing his sinfulness before a priest in the sacrament of penance in the hope of absolution
beatification - (Roman Catholic Church) an act of the Pope who declares that a deceased person lived a holy life and is worthy of public veneration; a first step toward canonization
canonisation, canonization - (Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Church) the act of admitting a deceased person into the canon of saints
Mass - (Roman Catholic Church and Protestant Churches) the celebration of the Eucharist
novena - a Roman Catholic devotion consisting of prayers on nine consecutive days
Stations, Stations of the Cross - (Roman Catholic Church) a devotion consisting of fourteen prayers said before a series of fourteen pictures or carvings representing successive incidents during Jesus' passage from Pilate's house to his crucifixion at Calvary
ostensorium, monstrance - (Roman Catholic Church) a vessel (usually of gold or silver) in which the consecrated Host is exposed for adoration
pallium - (Roman Catholic Church) vestment consisting of a band encircling the shoulders with two lappets hanging in front and back
ultramontanism - (Roman Catholic Church) the policy that the absolute authority of the church should be vested in the pope
sursum corda - (Roman Catholic Church) a Latin versicle meaning `lift up your hearts'
breviary - (Roman Catholic Church) a book of prayers to be recited daily certain priests and members of religious orders
missal - (Roman Catholic Church) a book containing all the prayers and responses needed to celebrate Mass throughout the year
Vulgate - the Latin edition of the Bible translated from Hebrew and Greek mainly by St. Jerome at the end of the 4th century; as revised in 1592 it was adopted as the official text for the Roman Catholic Church
Paternoster - (Roman Catholic Church) the Lord's Prayer in Latin; translates as `our father'
Mass card - (Roman Catholic Church) a card sent to a bereaved family that says the sender has arranged for a Mass to be said in memory of the deceased
spiritual bouquet - (Roman Catholic Church) a card indicating that the sender will perform certain devotional acts on behalf of another
kiss of peace, pax - (Roman Catholic Church) a greeting signifying Christian love for those assisting at the Eucharist
Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, Immaculate Conception - (Christianity) the Roman Catholic dogma that God preserved the Virgin Mary from any stain of original sin from the moment she was conceived
gradual - (Roman Catholic Church) an antiphon (usually from the Book of Psalms) immediately after the epistle at Mass
Catholic Church - any of several churches claiming to have maintained historical continuity with the original Christian Church
Rome - the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church
Curia - (Roman Catholic Church) the central administration governing the Roman Catholic Church
College of Cardinals, Sacred College - (Roman Catholic Church) the body of cardinals who advise the Pope and elect new Popes
Rota - (Roman Catholic Church) the supreme ecclesiastical tribunal for cases appealed to the Holy See from diocesan courts
Roman Catholic - a member of the Roman Catholic Church
apostolic delegate - (Roman Catholic Church) a representative of the Holy See in a country that has no formal diplomatic relations with it
bishop - a senior member of the Christian clergy having spiritual and administrative authority; appointed in Christian churches to oversee priests or ministers; considered in some churches to be successors of the twelve Apostles of Christ
Brother - (Roman Catholic Church) a title given to a monk and used as form of address; "a Benedictine Brother"
cardinal - (Roman Catholic Church) one of a group of more than 100 prominent bishops in the Sacred College who advise the Pope and elect new Popes
dean - (Roman Catholic Church) the head of the College of Cardinals
Doctor of the Church, Doctor - (Roman Catholic Church) a title conferred on 33 saints who distinguished themselves through the orthodoxy of their theological teaching; "the Doctors of the Church greatly influenced Christian thought down to the late Middle Ages"
domestic prelate - (Roman Catholic Church) a priest who is an honorary member of the papal household
internuncio - (Roman Catholic Church) a diplomatic representative of the Pope ranking below a nuncio
Monsignor - (Roman Catholic Church) an ecclesiastical title of honor bestowed on some priests
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
References in classic literature ?
One day he took the countess to a Roman Catholic church, where she knelt down before the altar to which she was led.
And yet, on the faith of an honest man, I never spoke ill of any enchanter, and I am not so well off that I am to be envied; to be sure, I am rather sly, and I have a certain spice of the rogue in me; but all is covered by the great cloak of my simplicity, always natural and never acted; and if I had no other merit save that I believe, as I always do, firmly and truly in God, and all the holy Roman Catholic Church holds and believes, and that I am a mortal enemy of the Jews, the historians ought to have mercy on me and treat me well in their writings.
Besides Sundays, they likewise observe the cardinal holidays of the Roman Catholic Church.
There you see the hand of that awful power, the Roman Catholic Church. In two or three little centuries it had converted a nation of men to a nation of worms.
"You were formally received into the Roman Catholic Church?"
She meant that the people in the crowd believed in Him; for she remembered the crosses with bleeding plaster figures that stood where foot-paths joined, and the inexplicable mystery of a service in a Roman Catholic church.
The pious missionaries employed by the Roman Catholic Church to convert the Indians, did everything in their power to counteract the profligacy caused and propagated by these men in the heart of the wilderness.
In the Roman Catholic Church feasts are "movable" and "immovable," but the celebrants are uniformly immovable until they are full.
The destiny of civilization would be decided in one final death struggle between the Red International and the Black, between Socialism and the Roman Catholic Church; while here at home, "the stygian midnight of American evangelicalism--"
<div class="imageNone" style="width: 450px;"><img id="1911" class="imgPhoto" src="http://img.ibtimes.com/www/data/articles/full/2009/08/14/1911.jpg" alt="Pallbearers (L-R) Anthony Kennedy Shriver, Sam Shriver, Maria Kennedy Shriver, Robert Kennedy Shriver, Tim Shriver Jr, Mark Kennedy Shriver and Tim Kennedy Shriver carry the casket of Eunice Kennedy Shriver in a procession to funeral services at Saint Francis Xavier Roman Catholic Church in Hyannis, Massachusetts, August 14, 2009." width="450" />
Some years ago the distinguished American novelist Walker Percy remarked how many converts to the Roman Catholic Church had been influenced by the writings of C.S.
As we, representatives of the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Roman Catholic Church, embark on a process of reflecting together on the future of ecumenism, I believe that the Joint Working Group (JWG), which is currently celebrating its 40th Anniversary, has a vital role to play in exploring and shaping the emerging ecumenical perspectives and priorities.

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