Catholic Lingo part II“Understanding All things Catholic”

Mr. Pablo CuadraReligion 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 • 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 one vicar general in that case one of them is 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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