The American Church Dictionary and Cyclopedia Part 16

Offertory Sentences.--In the old Liturgies there was formerly a short anthem after the Gospel, called _Offertorium_; for this in our Liturgy has been subst.i.tuted the "Offertory Sentences," being short selections from Holy Scripture setting forth "instructions, injunctions and exhortations to the great duty of giving; setting before us the necessity of performing it and the manner of doing it."

Office.--The term "office," in ecclesiastical usage, means a formulary of devotions; a form of service appointed for a particular occasion; a prescribed form or act of wors.h.i.+p; thus the Daily Morning and Evening Prayer are called the "Daily Offices." The word is commonly used of the various services set forth in the Prayer Book, as "Baptismal Office," "Communion Office," etc.

Open Churches.--(See FREE AND OPEN CHURCHES.)

Ordain, Ordination.--The act of setting apart to the Sacred Ministry and whereby {201} the grace of Orders is conferred. The right or power to ordain belongs solely to the Bishop and this he does with prayer and Laying on of Hands. (See IMPOSITION OF HANDS.) The times of Ordination prescribed by Canon Law are the Sundays after the EMBER DAYS (which see). These became the settled times of Ordination as early as the Fourth or Fifth Century. But the Bishops are privileged to ordain at other times if necessity require.

Order.--The word "Order" as used in the Prayer Book means _regulation_ or _ordinance_, according to its derivation from the Latin word _ordo_. This is seen in the t.i.tle of the Communion Office which reads, "The Order for the Administration of the Lord's Supper, or Holy Communion," _i.e._, the prescribed way in which the Holy Communion shall be celebrated. So, also, of all other services; the Prayer Book sets forth the order or manner in which they shall be ministered, and such they are called.

Orders, Holy.--(See HOLY ORDERS.)

Ordinal, The.--The name given to that portion of the Prayer Book containing the Offices for the consecration of Bishops and the ordination of Priests and Deacons. The Ordinal being what it is, is very properly prefaced with a statement of the witness of history to the fact "that from the Apostles' time there have been these Orders of Ministers in Christ's Church--Bishops, Priests and Deacons." It is interesting to note that "our Ordinal was not taken word for word from the Roman Pontifical, but was framed on the comprehensive and broad ground of all known forms and manners of Ordination used in all branches of the {202} Catholic Church." The Ordinal is also sometimes called "The Pontifical."

Ordinary.--The name given to the Bishop of the Diocese, or other ecclesiastical authority who has ordinary jurisdiction.

Organizations, Church.--The American church is not simply a teaching and wors.h.i.+pping body, but it is also a working organization. Its activities reach out in all directions and touch almost every conceivable need. Besides its well organized Dioceses and Parishes which are working with such effectiveness in their several localities, there are many other organizations enlisting the cooperation of Churchmen everywhere. There are the general Inst.i.tutions, such as the General Theological Seminary, the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society, the Woman's Auxiliary, the American Church Building Fund Commission, Free and Open Church a.s.sociation, the Prayer-book Distribution Society, the Brotherhood of St. Andrew, the Girls' Friendly Society, the Fund for Relief of Widows and Orphans of Deceased Clergymen and of the Aged and Infirm and Disabled Clergymen, the Daughters of the King; all of which are treated of under their proper heads. Other organizations are The Society for the Increase of the Ministry, the Evangelical Education Society, the American Church Missionary Society, Society for Promoting Christianity among the Jews, the Guild of St. Barnabas for Nurses; Church Temperance Society; Missions among Deaf Mutes; etc. Besides these, there are religious Orders, Church Clubs, Sisterhoods, many Charity and Hospital organizations; and while this enumeration does {203} not include all the various organizations that are at work, yet these are given that the reader may form some idea of what this Church is doing and how fully she enlists the cooperation of the laity in her general work.

Organs.--Musical instruments have been used in the wors.h.i.+p of G.o.d from the time when, after the pa.s.sage of the Red Sea, Moses and Miriam sang their song of praise accompanied by timbrels. The wors.h.i.+p of the Temple was noted for the great number and variety of musical instruments employed in it. As to when organs were first brought into use, it is not clearly known, but it is recorded that about the year 766 Constantius Cop.r.o.nymus, Emperor of Constantinople, sent an organ as a present to King Pepin of France. Soon after Charlemagne's time organs became common. In the Eleventh Century a monk named Theophilus wrote a curious treatise on organ-building.

But it was not until the Fifteenth Century that the organ began to be anything like the n.o.ble instrument which it now is, the most comprehensive and important of all wind instruments.

Orientation.--The name given to the act of turning to the east or Altar as an act of faith and wors.h.i.+p in the Church service. (See EAST, TURNING TO.) It is also an architectural term used in reference to church buildings running east and west.

Ornaments.--By "ornaments" is meant the necessary furniture of the church for the proper conduct of divine service, and the vestments to be worn by the clergy. In this the Church of the present day is largely guided by what is called the "Ornaments {204} Rubric" of the English Prayer-book. According to this it would seem that among the necessary ornaments for the proper furnis.h.i.+ng of the church are the following: the Altar, with its cross, candlesticks and coverings; Paten and Chalice; Cruets, Font and Pulpit; and that the necessary vestments of the Priest are the chasuble, alb and girdle, stole, surplice, cope; for the Bishop the same with the addition of the rochette, mitre and Pastoral staff.

Orphrey.--A band of embroidery used to ornament the vestments.

Orthodox.--In accordance with the doctrine of the Church; holding fast "the Faith once delivered to the Saints." The Faith has been defined by the Ec.u.menical Councils as set forth in the Creeds which "ought thoroughly to be received and believed, for they may be proved by most certain warrants of Holy Scripture" (VIII Article of Religion).

P

Pall.--A square card, the upper side of which is covered with silk the color of the Church Season and underneath with linen, loosely st.i.tched so as to be readily removed in order to be washed. It is used to cover the Chalice when the Holy Eucharist is celebrated.

Palm Sunday.--The Sixth Sunday in Lent, the first day in Holy Week.

It commemorates the entry of our Lord into Jerusalem when the people strewed {205} the way with palm branches and cried, "Hosanna to the Son of David." It was formerly customary for wors.h.i.+ppers to appear on this day in procession carrying in their hands palms, or yew or willow branches, which were blessed before the beginning of the Communion Service. On Palm Sunday the Church has always begun to set before G.o.d and man the Gospel account of the Pa.s.sion of our Lord, that by St. Matthew being read on this day. (See LENT, SUNDAYS IN.)

Paraclete.--Another name for the Holy Ghost, signifying one who is invoked to aid or comfort. It was this word our Lord used when He said, "I will send you another Comforter," _i.e._, Paraclete.

Elsewhere, the word is also translated _Advocate_.

Paradise.--The place where the souls of the righteous dwell during the INTERMEDIATE STATE (which see). The name is also applied to the happy abode of Adam and Eve before the Fall.

Parish.--The term "Parish" as used in the American Church signifies a local congregation having a church building, and duly organized under the t.i.tle of "Rector, Wardens and Vestrymen." It is always given a name, such as St. John's, Christ Church, Trinity, etc. It is competent for any number of persons, usually not less than ten, to a.s.sociate themselves together to form a Parish. In the articles of a.s.sociation, the Parish acknowledges and accedes to the Const.i.tution, Canons, Doctrines, Discipline and Wors.h.i.+p of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Diocese in which it is located.

If on presentation of these articles, the Council or Convention of the Diocese gives its consent, the Parish shall be accounted duly established. {206}

The word is derived from the Greek _Paroikia_, and was originally used to designate the sphere of a Bishop's jurisdiction as distinguished from that of an Archbishop, but when the former was gradually parcelled out into smaller portions these began to be called _Parishes_.

Parish House.--By reason of the growing activities of the American Church, it is found necessary to have some building other than the church where the active and sometimes secular work of the Parish can be carried on, a place where societies, guilds, schools, etc., can have their own proper "workshop." Such building is called the "Parish House," and is absolutely necessary for any active and growing Parish.

Parish Register.--A book in which all births. Baptisms, Confirmations, deaths, and marriages that occur in the Parish are recorded, together with the list of Families and Communicants. The importance of the Parish Register and the care with which it should be kept will appear when it is considered that it is a legal doc.u.ment.

Paris.h.i.+oner.--One who belongs to a Parish. The Parish partakes of the character of the people who compose it; if they are earnest and devoted, loyal and true to the Church's appointments, the Parish is sure to be prosperous. In other words, the Church lives as they who are of it live. It is vital with their vitality. It is a live body as they are live Christians. Thus the success of a Parish is not wholly dependent on the Rector, but on the people as well.

Parochial Mission.--(See MISSION, PAROCHIAL.)

Parson.--The old name used in England for the {207} rector or inc.u.mbent of a parish. Parson and person are the same word, being derived from the Latin _Persona_. The Parson is so called, as Blackstone tells us, "because by his person the Church which is an invisible body, is represented."

Paschal.--Pertaining to Easter, from the fact that the original name of the Festival was _Pascha_, _i.e._, the Pa.s.sover.

Pa.s.sion.--Meaning _suffering_, and is used almost exclusively of our Lord's sufferings, as expressed in the article of the Creed, "Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried."

Pa.s.sion Sunday.--The Fifth Sunday in Lent is so called because on this day our Lord began to make open prediction of His sufferings, and in her round of wors.h.i.+p the Church begins the solemn commemoration of His Pa.s.sion and Death. (See LENT, SUNDAYS IN.)

Pa.s.sion Tide.--The name given to the last two weeks of Lent beginning with the Fifth Sunday in Lent, during which our Lord's Pa.s.sion and Death are commemorated.

Pa.s.sion Week.--The week before Holy Week. This name should not be applied to the last week of Lent, which is properly called Holy Week, or as called by the primitive Christians, the "Great Week."

Pastor.--A Latin word meaning Shepherd. Christ having called Himself the Good Shepherd, or Good Pastor, the name has been a.s.sumed for His Ministers. They bear the same relation to the Flock over which they are placed. A Pastor is a Teacher, Guide, Exemplar, Friend, Administrator. He deals with {208} individuals.

His intercourse is personal. His offices are for all and for each.

Pastors.h.i.+p includes many and varied offices,--Minister, Rector, Preacher, Priest, but all offices and all labors have reference to men's spiritual interests. He who is a Pastor has the cure, _i_.

_e_., care, charge of men's souls. Pastors.h.i.+p, therefore, is a very sacred as well as a very responsible office. It is well to note that a minister is not a Pastor simply because he is ordained; besides the Divine call and Divine appointment in ordination, there is also the call from the people to define that number of souls over which the charge is to be exercised. This is brought out in the "Office of Inst.i.tution of Ministers into Parishes or Churches,"

to be found in the Prayer-book.

Pastoral Letter.--A letter issued by the Rector of a Parish, or by the Bishop of the Diocese on some subject affecting the welfare of the Church in its devotions or work. Perhaps the most important of such Pastoral Letters is that which is issued by the House of Bishops at the close of each General Convention, touching on grave questions of the day or on the prospects of the Church throughout the nation, and which is required by canon to be read in all the churches.

Pastoral Staff.--A staff used by a Bishop, as an ensign of his office, at all public Episcopal Ministrations. It is generally borne by his chaplain. The Pastoral Staff is made in the shape of a shepherd's crook and is frequently given to the Bishop at his consecration, to denote that he is then const.i.tuted a shepherd over the Flock of Christ. This use of the {209} Pastoral Staff comes down to us from the most ancient times.

Paten.--The plate, made of precious metal, on which the Bread is consecrated at the Holy Communion and from which it is administered to the communicants. When properly made, the lower part of the Paten will fit into or over the edge of the chalice. The word is derived from the Latin, _Patena_ or the Greek, _Patane_, meaning a flat, open dish. (See VESSELS, SACRED.)

Paul, Conversion of Saint.--A feast of the Church observed on January 25th, in memory of the Conversion of St. Paul, through whose preaching G.o.d caused the Light of the Gospel to s.h.i.+ne throughout the world. St. Paul is not commemorated as the other Apostles are, by his death or martyrdom, but as stated above, by his Conversion because it was so wonderful in itself and was so important and beneficial to the Church. He labored more abundantly than they all. While the other Apostles had their particular fields of labor, St. Paul had the care of all the churches and by his labors contributed very much to the propagation of the Gospel throughout the world. There are good reasons for believing that he extended his Apostolical labors even to the remote island of Britain. We find him described by two names, _Saul_ and _Paul_, the first being Hebrew, relating to his Jewish origin and the other Latin, a.s.sumed by him, as some think, at his conversion, as an act of humility, styling himself less than the least of all saints. St.

Paul suffered martyrdom, having been beheaded, in the sixty-eighth year of his age, at Rome, under Nero, in the general {210} persecution of Christians upon the pretense that they set fire to the city. It was from the instrument of his execution that the custom arose of representing him in ecclesiastical art with a sword in his hand.

Penance.--In the early ages of the Church the commission of grievous error in life or doctrine was, punished by exclusion from the Communion of the Church; and in order to obtain readmission, offenders were obliged to submit to a prescribed course of penitence.

The regulations as to the length and manner of this discipline varied in different times and in the several branches of the Church; the administration of it was chiefly in the hands of the Bishops.

It is this "G.o.dly discipline" to which reference is had in the Commination Office in the Prayer-book of the Church of England, and which is used "until the said discipline may be restored again, which is much to be wished." Penance is also regarded as one of the lesser Sacraments.

Penitential Office.--An office of deep devotion and contrition to be used on Ash Wednesday, which was added to the Prayer-book at its last revision in 1892. Its place in the service is during the latter part of the Litany. It may be used on other days at the discretion of the minister. (See ASH WEDNESDAY.)

Penitential Psalms.--Being the 6th, 32d, 38th, 51st, 102d, 130th and 143d Psalms of David, all of which are read during the services on ASH WEDNESDAY (which see). There are no prayers more fitted for penitent sinners than the Seven Penitential Psalms, if we enter into the feelings of compunction, {211} love, devotedness and confidence with which the Royal Psalmist was penetrated. The purport of each psalm may be briefly stated as follows:

Psalm 6 exhibits a sinner in earnest and hearty prayer after having sinned, with a.s.sured hope and confidence in the mercy of G.o.d.

Psalm 32 shows how a sinner is brought to understand his sins, to confess and bewail them and obtain remission.

Psalm 38, in which the penitent earnestly prays to G.o.d to pardon his sins and mitigate his punishment.