Glossary

Documents transferring the canonical residency of a member of the clergy from one diocese to another.

Liturgical colors for vestments and altar dressings change with the seasons of the church year.

Refers to the rites or texts that provide order for worship services.

A 13th-century French king who sought to live a Franciscan life of poverty and self-denial in the midst of royal splendor. Feast day: Aug. 25.

An ecclesial philosophy that emphasizes personal faith, Scripture, preaching, and favors a simpler, less ceremonial style of worship than that of high-church tradition.

A Sunday when churches typically experience low attendance, such as the Sunday after Easter or Christmas.

A physician and companion of Paul, and the traditional author of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. Considered the first iconographer and patron saint of artists and physicians. Feast day: Oct. 18.

German theologian and priest who initiated the 16th-century Protestant Reformation by emphasizing salvation by faith alone, the authority of Scripture, and the priesthood of all believers. Feast day: Feb. 18.

A professional graduate-degree program, generally three years in duration, preparing individuals for ministry in congregations and other religious institutions and contexts.

A fourth-century monastic, theologian, and teacher, and influential older sister of the Cappadocians, Basil of Caesarea and Gregory of Nyssa. Feast day: July 19.