Thursday, October 11, 2007

A DEFINING MOMENT

Lord Polonius: “What do you read, my Lord?”
Hamlet: “Words, words, words.”

Here is a list of words used in the Catholic Church (most of which you might never come across again) and a list of definitions. See if you can match them up.

WORDS:

1. Amice
2. Antependium
3. Burse
4. Cathedra
5. Chirograph
6. Galero
7. Morion
8. Ostensorium
9. Rogito
10. Terna
11. Vert
12. Vimp

DEFINITIONS:

a) The official seat of the residential bishop.
b) The official collection of documents that certify the death and burial of the Pope.
c) A square piece of cloth with strings worn under the alb to hide a collar.
d) Another name for a monstrance.
e) A Swiss Guard's helmet
f) Receptacle of the corporal.
g) Heraldic term for green.
h) Decorative piece covering the front of the altar.
i) Veils used to receive the miter and crosier.
j) A formal message written in the Pope's own hand.
k) A large broad rimmed hat with tassels worn by clergy.
l) A list of three priest's names sent to the Pope as a suggestion for ordination to the episcopacy.

Answers tomorrow.

8 comments:

Odysseus said...

You know, father, I thought that I would dig right in and answer several and guess on a few.

But I didn't know a danged thing!

I have heard of an amice, and I believe it is part of a priest's apparel.

My knowledge of Greek and Latin tell me that chirograph is the handwritten thing. (chiro=hand, graph=write). Burse must be some kind of bag or receptacle. Antependium means "before" something. Cathedra means chair. That must be the seat of the bishop.

But this is all based on etymology. I have not heard these words used, outside of amice.

uncle jim said...

I was working like Rob, although I knew 3 of them and the rest tried to look up and there are 3 I could not find at all

Adoro said...

An amice is - C.

Cathedra is the root of "Cathedral" where the Bishop is located, and it means "seat".

is Antepedium - h) Decorative piece covering the front of the altar. ?

I vote for "l" for "Chirograph", for handwritten.

And the rest...I could hazard guesses, and they'd be hilarious, I'm sure. So I'll just leave it at that.

Fr. V said...

You know,

You guys are more intellegent than you give yourselves credit for.

So far you you get 100 %

Odysseus said...

Yes, I knew I was right!

I wanna be ordained NOW!

Anonymous said...

i thought the vimp was the person who carried the mitre or crosier, not the veil, but i guess it can mean both . . . sometimes called "vimpa" i think if there are more than one

Odysseus said...

A vimp is what Arnold Schwarzenegger calls a little girly-man.

Sorry. I was thinking that one all day.

Fr. V said...

Anon. - you are right - it is both.