Catholic Glossary
60 terms explained
Plain-language definitions of common Catholic terms — from bishop and canonization to novena, sacrament, the Mass, and Bible vocabulary like Gospel.
Catholic life has its own vocabulary, built up over two thousand years of tradition — terms that show up constantly in the lives of the saints, the structure of the Church, and the practice of prayer, but that aren't always explained along the way. This glossary defines the most commonly searched Catholic terms in plain language, each with its own full page covering how it works, related saints, related prayers, and frequently asked questions. Search above or browse alphabetically below.
A
Advent
The four-week liturgical season before Christmas, a time of preparation and hopeful expectation for both the celebration of Christ's birth and his eventual return.
Read the full definitionAnointing of the Sick
Anointing of the Sick is the sacrament in which a priest anoints someone who is seriously ill, elderly, or facing surgery with blessed oil, asking for healing, comfort, and strength in body and soul.
Read the full definitionApostle
An Apostle was one of the twelve men Jesus personally chose during his ministry to be his closest followers, witnesses to his resurrection, and the founding leaders of the early Church.
Read the full definitionArchbishop
An archbishop is a bishop who leads an archdiocese — typically a larger or historically significant diocese — and in some cases oversees other bishops in a surrounding region called a province.
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B
Baptism
Baptism is the first of the seven sacraments, cleansing a person of original sin and formally welcoming them into the Catholic Church through water and the words "I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."
Read the full definitionBasilica
A basilica is a church granted a special honorary title by the Pope because of its historical, spiritual, or architectural significance, distinct from the ordinary title of cathedral or parish church.
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Beatification is the step in the Catholic Church's canonization process that grants a deceased person the title "Blessed," permitting local or specific veneration. It typically requires evidence of heroic virtue and, except for martyrs, a miracle attributed to that person's intercession, formally investigated and approved by the Church. It comes before canonization, not after it.
Read the full definitionBishop
A bishop is a successor of the Apostles, ordained to the fullest degree of Holy Orders and entrusted with teaching, sanctifying, and governing a diocese in communion with the Pope. Many bishops throughout history have been recognized as saints for their holiness in shepherding their communities.
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C
Canonization
Canonization is the Pope's formal declaration that a deceased person is a saint in heaven and worthy of veneration by the whole Church. It is the final step of a process that usually includes an investigation into the person's life and virtues, beatification, and typically a miracle attributed to their intercession after beatification.
Read the full definitionCardinal
A cardinal is a senior Church official, usually a bishop, appointed personally by the Pope to advise him and, most notably, to elect his successor. Cardinals form what is known as the College of Cardinals.
Read the full definitionCatechism
A catechism is an official summary of Catholic teaching, organized for instruction; the Catechism of the Catholic Church, published in 1992, is the Church's current authoritative reference.
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A cathedral is the principal church of a diocese, containing the bishop's official chair (the "cathedra"), which gives the building its name.
Read the full definitionCommunion of Saints
The Communion of Saints is the Catholic belief that all the faithful — those on earth, those being purified in Purgatory, and those already in heaven — remain spiritually united as one Church, able to pray for and support one another.
Read the full definitionConclave
A conclave is the secret meeting of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a new pope, held in the Sistine Chapel under strict rules of isolation and confidentiality.
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Confession, formally called the Sacrament of Reconciliation or Penance, is the sacrament through which Catholics confess sins to a priest and receive God's forgiveness along with practical guidance for turning away from sin.
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Confirmation is the sacrament that completes Baptism, sealing a Catholic with the gift of the Holy Spirit and strengthening them to live and defend their faith as a mature member of the Church.
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A solemn, binding agreement between God and his people, forming the central structure of the Bible's narrative — from God's covenant with Noah and Abraham through Moses to the New Covenant sealed in Christ.
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D
Deacon
A deacon is a man ordained to the first degree of Holy Orders, authorized to proclaim the Gospel, preach, baptize, witness marriages, and serve at the altar, though not to celebrate Mass or hear confessions.
Read the full definitionDiocese
A diocese is a defined territory or community of the faithful entrusted to the pastoral care of a bishop, forming the basic administrative unit of the Catholic Church. Each diocese is further divided into parishes.
Read the full definitionDiscernment
Discernment is the prayerful process of trying to recognize God's will in a decision, whether a major life choice like a vocation or a smaller everyday matter.
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A follower and student of Jesus Christ — used in the Gospels both broadly, for anyone who followed his teaching, and specifically, for the Twelve Apostles he chose as his closest companions.
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Doctor of the Church is a title given by the Pope to a small number of saints recognized for the outstanding depth of their theological writing and its lasting influence on Catholic doctrine. It is granted separately from canonization itself, and only a few dozen saints have ever received it.
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A dogma is a teaching the Catholic Church holds to be divinely revealed and has formally and definitively proposed for belief, such as the Trinity or the Immaculate Conception.
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E
Encyclical
An encyclical is a formal letter written by the Pope, typically addressed to bishops and the whole Church, teaching on a significant matter of faith, morals, or social concern.
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A letter, mostly written by the Apostle Paul, addressed to an early Christian community or individual and included in the New Testament — a major source of Christian doctrine and moral teaching.
Read the full definitionEucharist
The Eucharist is the sacrament in which bread and wine are consecrated and received as the Body and Blood of Christ, making it the central act of Catholic worship at every Mass.
Read the full definitionExcommunication
Excommunication is the most serious penalty in Catholic Church law, formally barring a person from receiving the sacraments and taking part in certain Church activities because of a grave offense.
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F
G
Genuflection
Genuflection is the act of briefly bending one knee to the ground as a sign of reverence, most commonly done by Catholics toward the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle.
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One of the four New Testament books — Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John — that narrate the life, teaching, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ; also, more broadly, the "good news" of salvation they proclaim.
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H
Holy Orders
Holy Orders is the sacrament through which men are ordained as deacons, priests, or bishops, receiving the authority and grace to serve the Church in those roles.
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A homily is the reflection a priest or deacon gives after the Scripture readings at Mass, explaining and applying God's word to the lives of those present.
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I
Immaculate Conception
The Immaculate Conception is the Catholic dogma that Mary was conceived without original sin from the very first moment of her existence, a unique privilege granted in view of her future role as the Mother of Christ.
Read the full definitionIndulgence
An indulgence is the remission, granted by the Church, of the temporal punishment still due for sins already forgiven, obtained through specific prayers, works, or conditions the Church attaches to it.
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L
Lent
The forty-day penitential season before Easter, marked by fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, beginning on Ash Wednesday and recalling Jesus' forty days in the desert.
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Liturgy is the Church's official, public worship of God — most centrally the Mass, but also the sacraments and the Liturgy of the Hours — as distinct from private or personal devotions.
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M
Magisterium
The Magisterium is the Catholic Church's teaching authority, exercised by the Pope and bishops in communion with him, responsible for authentically interpreting Scripture and Tradition.
Read the full definitionMartyr
A martyr is someone who was killed specifically because of their Christian faith, choosing death rather than renouncing it. The early Church considered martyrdom the most complete imitation of Christ's own death, and it remains the most direct path to recognized sainthood.
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The Mass is the central act of Catholic worship, in which the community gathers to hear Scripture, and bread and wine are consecrated and received as the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist.
Read the full definitionMatrimony
Matrimony, or Holy Matrimony, is the sacrament in which a baptized man and woman enter a lifelong, exclusive covenant of marriage, understood by the Church as a reflection of Christ's own union with the Church.
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"Anointed one" — the promised deliverer of Israel foretold throughout the Old Testament, whom Christians believe was fulfilled in Jesus Christ ("Christ" itself being the Greek translation of the same title).
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N
P
Parable
A short, illustrative story Jesus used to teach a spiritual or moral truth through an everyday scenario — such as the Good Samaritan or the Prodigal Son — rather than direct doctrinal statement.
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A parish is a stable community of the faithful within a diocese, entrusted to the pastoral care of a priest (the pastor), and is the everyday local unit of Catholic Church life.
Read the full definitionPatron Saint
A patron saint is a saint traditionally regarded as a special protector or intercessor for a particular place, profession, cause, or group of people, usually because of a meaningful connection between the saint's life and that group. Many Catholics also choose a personal patron saint at baptism or confirmation.
Read the full definitionPilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey undertaken for religious purposes to a sacred place — such as Rome, the Holy Land, or a Marian shrine — as an act of devotion, penance, or thanksgiving.
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The Pope is the Bishop of Rome and, in Catholic belief, the successor of Saint Peter as head of the worldwide Catholic Church, holding supreme pastoral and teaching authority in communion with the college of bishops.
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A person who speaks on God's behalf, calling people back to faithfulness and often foretelling future events — a major category of figure and Old Testament book, from Isaiah and Jeremiah to John the Baptist.
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One of the 150 sacred songs and prayers collected in the Book of Psalms, used in both Jewish and Christian worship for millennia and prayed daily in the Church's Liturgy of the Hours.
Read the full definitionPurgatory
Purgatory is the Catholic Church's teaching about a final purification after death for souls who die in God's friendship but are not yet fully free from the effects of sin, before entering the full joy of heaven.
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R
Relic
A relic is a physical object connected to a saint — most often part of their body, or an item they owned or touched — venerated by Catholics as a tangible reminder of a holy life and a connection to that saint's ongoing intercession.
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The Rosary is a traditional form of prayer that combines repeated recitation of the Hail Mary, grouped in decades, with meditation on key events in the lives of Jesus and Mary known as the Mysteries. It is one of the most widely practiced devotions in the Catholic Church.
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S
Sacrament
A sacrament is an outward sign, instituted by Christ, that confers the grace it signifies. The Catholic Church recognizes seven sacraments — Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist, Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony — each marking a distinct moment of grace in the life of faith.
Read the full definitionScapular
A scapular is a small devotional garment of two cloth squares joined by cords and worn over the shoulders, most commonly the Brown Scapular associated with Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
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A shrine is a sacred place — a church, chapel, or site — built around a relic, apparition, or notable devotion, drawing pilgrims for prayer and veneration.
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The Sign of the Cross is the gesture of tracing a cross over oneself — forehead, chest, and shoulders — while saying "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit," marking the beginning and end of Catholic prayer.
Read the full definitionStigmata
Stigmata are wounds that appear on a person's body corresponding to the wounds Christ suffered during his Passion — most often on the hands, feet, and side — reported throughout Catholic history in a small number of saints and mystics.
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T
Tabernacle
A tabernacle is the locked, often ornate box in a Catholic church where the consecrated Eucharist is reserved, marked by a nearby sanctuary lamp that stays lit whenever the Blessed Sacrament is present.
Read the full definitionTransubstantiation
Transubstantiation is the Catholic Church's theological term for the change of bread and wine into the actual Body and Blood of Christ during the Eucharistic prayer of the Mass, even though their outward appearance remains unchanged.
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