The Annunciation, fresco by Fra Angelico (San Marco convent, Florence)

Words of the faith

Baptism, novena, diocese… Church words explained simply.

Abbey: A monastery where monks or nuns live under an abbot or abbess. Many welcome people on retreat.
Adoration: Silent prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, the consecrated host in which Catholics recognise Jesus truly present.
Advent: The four weeks of preparation for Christmas, a time of waiting and hope.
Angel: A spiritual being at God's service. Everyone has a guardian angel who protects them.
Angelus: A short prayer said morning, noon and evening, recalling the angel Gabriel's announcement to Mary.
Annunciation: The angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she will be the mother of the Son of God; she says "yes". Celebrated on 25 March.
Anointing of the sick: A sacrament given to people who are seriously ill or elderly, bringing them God's strength and peace.
Apostle: Each of the twelve disciples chosen by Jesus to proclaim the Gospel (Peter, John, James…). Saint Paul is also called an apostle.
Ascension: The feast of the risen Jesus returning to the Father, forty days after Easter.
Assumption: The feast of 15 August: Mary is taken up to heaven, body and soul.
Baptism: The first sacrament: it brings a person into Christian life and into the Church. It can be received at any age, including as an adult.
Beatitudes: Jesus' words at the start of the Sermon on the Mount ("Blessed are the poor in spirit…"), the heart of Christian life.
Bible: The holy book of Christians, made up of the Old Testament (before Jesus) and the New Testament (the life of Jesus and the first Christians).
Bishop: A successor of the apostles, in charge of a diocese. He ordains priests and confirms.
Blessing: A prayer calling God's grace upon a person or object. To "bless" means "to speak well".
Catechesis: Teaching of the Christian faith, for children and adults alike.
Catechism: A book presenting the whole Catholic faith. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is the official reference.
Catechumenate: The path of preparation for adults (and young people) asking for baptism. During it, the person is called a catechumen.
Chaplaincy: Spiritual support outside the parish: schools, universities, hospitals, prisons, the armed forces…
Charity: Love of God and neighbour, following Jesus' love. In daily life: care and help for others, especially the poorest.
Christmas: The feast of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem, on 25 December.
Church: With a capital C: the community of all Christians. With a small c: the building where people gather to pray.
Communion: The moment at Mass when we receive the consecrated host, the Body of Christ. First Communion is often received around age 8.
Communion of saints: The spiritual bond uniting all Christians: those living on earth, those who have died, and the saints in heaven.
Community: A group of Christians who live or pray together: parish, religious community, new community…
Confession: The sacrament of reconciliation: we tell our sins to a priest and receive God's forgiveness.
Confirmation: The sacrament that completes baptism with the gift of the Holy Spirit, given by the bishop, often in adolescence or adulthood.
Consecration: 1. At Mass, the moment the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ. 2. Giving one's life to God (religious life, consecration to Mary…).
Conversion: Turning towards God and changing one's life to follow Jesus. It is a lifelong journey.
Council: A great assembly of the world's bishops gathered with the pope. The last was the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965).
Creed: A text summing up the Christian faith ("I believe in God…"), recited at Sunday Mass.
Cross: The instrument of Jesus' death, which became the sign of Christians: the sign of God's love giving his life. A crucifix shows Jesus on the cross.
Daily readings: Bible passages read at Mass each day, the same throughout the Church.
Deacon: A man ordained to serve the Church: he can baptise, marry and preach. A permanent deacon may be married.
Diocese: A territory of the Church entrusted to a bishop, grouping many parishes.
Discernment: Prayerful reflection to seek what God wants of us in an important choice.
Dogma: A truth of faith officially proclaimed by the Church (such as the Trinity or the resurrection).
Easter: The greatest Christian feast: the resurrection of Jesus, preceded by Holy Week (Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday).
Encyclical: An official letter from the pope to the whole Church on an important subject.
Eucharist: The sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ, celebrated at every Mass. The word means "thanksgiving".
Evangelisation: Making Jesus and the Gospel known around us, by word and example.
Ex-voto: A plaque or object left in a church to thank God or a saint for a grace received.
Faith: Trust in God and acceptance of what he has revealed. It is both a gift from God and a free response.
Fasting: Voluntarily going without food or something else in order to pray more and share, especially during Lent.
God: Creator of all that exists, who loves every person. Christians believe in one God in three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Godparent: A confirmed Christian who accompanies someone being baptised or confirmed in their life of faith.
Gospel: "Good news": the account of Jesus' life and words. There are four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Grace: God's free gift, which makes us live his life and helps us do good.
Hail Mary: A prayer to Mary using the angel's words: "Hail Mary, full of grace…". It is said especially in the rosary.
Heaven: Eternal life with God, in happiness and peace, promised to those who love him.
Holy Spirit: The third person of the Trinity: the Spirit of God who guides, comforts and gives strength to live as a Christian.
Holy water font: A small basin of holy water at the church entrance; people bless themselves with it on entering, in memory of their baptism.
Homily: The teaching given by the priest or deacon during Mass, after the Bible readings.
Hope: Trust that God will keep his promises and that life has meaning, even in hardship.
Host: A small, round, flat bread consecrated at Mass, which becomes the Body of Christ.
Icon: A sacred image painted according to a very ancient tradition, especially in the East, that invites prayer.
Jesus: Jesus of Nazareth, born about 2,000 years ago in Palestine. Christians believe he is the Son of God made man, who died on the cross and rose again to save all people.
Lectio divina: Prayerful reading of the Bible: slowly reading a passage, meditating on it and turning it into prayer.
Lent: The forty days of preparation for Easter, a time of prayer, sharing and fasting.
Litany: A prayer made of a series of short invocations ("Holy Mary, pray for us…").
Liturgical colour: The colour of the priest’s vestments at Mass, which shows the meaning of the day: green (Ordinary Time, hope), violet (Advent and Lent, preparation), white (Christmas, Easter, feasts), red (Holy Spirit, Passion, martyrs), rose (a pause of joy in Advent and Lent).
Liturgy: The Church's official celebrations: Mass, sacraments, the Liturgy of the Hours.
Liturgy of the Hours: The Church's official prayer at different times of day (Lauds in the morning, Vespers in the evening, Compline at night…).
Magisterium: The official teaching of the Church, given by the pope and the bishops.
Marriage: The sacrament by which a man and a woman unite before God for life.
Mary: The mother of Jesus, also called the Virgin Mary or Our Lady. Catholics pray to her as a mother who leads to her Son.
Mass: The main celebration of Catholics, on Sundays and weekdays: listening to the Word of God, then the Eucharist.
Mental prayer: Silent, personal prayer: a heart-to-heart with God, often at a set time each day.
Miraculous Medal: A medal of the Virgin Mary revealed to Saint Catherine Labouré in Paris in 1830, worn as a sign of trust.
Mission: Proclaiming the Gospel and serving, near home or in other countries. A missionary is sent for this.
New Testament: The second part of the Bible: the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, the apostles' letters and Revelation.
Novena: A prayer repeated for nine days in a row for a particular intention.
Old Testament: The first part of the Bible: the history of the people of Israel and their covenant with God, before Jesus came.
Ordination: The sacrament of holy orders, by which a man becomes a deacon, priest or bishop.
Our Father: The prayer Jesus taught his disciples: "Our Father, who art in heaven…".
Parish: A community of Christians in a neighbourhood or a few villages, with its church and parish priest. It is the door to ask for a sacrament.
Parish priest: The priest in charge of a parish.
Pentecost: The feast of the gift of the Holy Spirit to the apostles, fifty days after Easter: the birth of the Church.
Pilgrimage: A journey to a holy place (Lourdes, Rome, Santiago de Compostela…) to pray and draw closer to God.
Pope: The Bishop of Rome and successor of the apostle Peter, shepherd of the whole Catholic Church.
Prayer: Talking to God and listening to him, in your own words or with learned prayers, alone or with others.
Priest: A man ordained to celebrate Mass and the sacraments and to accompany Christians. Often called "Father".
Real Presence: Catholics' faith in the true presence of Jesus in the consecrated host, not merely as a symbol.
Relics: Remains of a saint's body or objects belonging to them, kept and venerated with respect.
Religious (monk, nun): A man or woman who gives their whole life to God in a community (monk, sister, brother…), through vows.
Resurrection: Jesus' victory over death: three days after being crucified, he came back to life. The heart of the Christian faith, celebrated at Easter.
Retreat: A time of silence and prayer, from a few hours to several days, often in an abbey or retreat house.
Rosary: A prayer of four chaplets covering the whole life of Jesus and Mary.
Rosary (chaplet): A prayer to Mary said on a string of beads: meditating on the life of Jesus while saying Hail Marys.
Sacrament: A visible sign through which God gives his grace. There are seven: baptism, confirmation, Eucharist, reconciliation, anointing of the sick, marriage, holy orders.
Sacramentals: Blessed objects or gestures that help us pray (holy water, medals, rosaries, scapulars…). They are not sacraments.
Saint: A person who lived in deep friendship with God and whom the Church offers as a model. We can ask the saints to pray for us.
Saint Joseph: Mary's husband, who raised Jesus as a father. Patron of fathers and workers.
Salvation: The freedom from evil and death offered by Jesus: eternal life with God.
Scapular: Two small pieces of cloth joined by cords, worn as a sign of consecration to Mary.
Shrine: A holy place people visit on pilgrimage to pray (Lourdes, Lisieux, Paray-le-Monial…).
Sin: An act, word or thought that turns away from the love of God and others. God always offers his forgiveness, especially through confession.
Spiritual communion: A prayer uniting oneself to Jesus when one cannot receive the host (illness, distance, Mass followed online…).
Tabernacle: A small box in the church where consecrated hosts are kept. A lit red lamp shows that Jesus is present.
Trinity: The central mystery of faith: one God in three persons, the Father, the Son (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit.
Vatican: A small state in Rome where the pope lives, seat of the government of the Catholic Church.
Vocation: God's call to each person: marriage, priesthood, religious life or consecrated life in the world.

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