CATHOLIC WORD BOOK - Knights of Columbus, Supreme Council

Celebret: A Latin word, meaning “Let him
celebrate,” the name of a letter of
recommendation issued by a bishop or
other superior stating that a priest is in
good standing and therefore eligible to
celebrate Mass or perform other priestly
functions.
Celibacy: The unmarried state of life,
required in the Roman Church of
candidates for holy orders and of men
already ordained to holy orders, for the
practice of perfect chastity and total
dedication to the service of people in the
ministry of the Church. Celibacy is
enjoined as a condition for ordination by
church discipline and law, not by
dogmatic necessity. In the Roman Church,
a consensus in favor of celibacy developed
in the early centuries while the clergy
included both celibates and men who had
been married once. The first local
legislation on the subject was enacted by a
local council held in Elvira, Spain, about
306; it forbade bishops, priests, deacons
and other ministers to have wives. Similar
enactments were passed by other local
councils from that time on, and by the
12th century particular laws regarded
marriage by clerics in major orders to be
not only unlawful but also null and void.
The latter view was translated by the
Second Lateran Council in 1139 into what
seems to be the first written universal law
making holy orders an invalidating
impediment to marriage. In 1563 the
Council of Trent ruled definitely on the
matter and established the discipline in
force in the Roman Church. Some
exceptions to this discipline have been
made in recent years. A number of married
Protestant and Episcopalian (Anglican)
clergymen who became converts and were
subsequently ordained to the priesthood
have been permitted to continue in
marriage. Married men over the age of 35
can be ordained to the permanent
diaconate. Eastern Church discipline on
celibacy differs from that of the Roman
Church. In line with legislation enacted by
the Synod of Trullo in 692 and still in
force, candidates for holy orders may marry
before becoming deacons and may
continue in marriage thereafter, but
marriage after ordination is forbidden.
Bishops of Eastern Catholic Churches in
the U.S., however, do not ordain married
candidates for the priesthood. Bishops of
Eastern Catholic Churches are unmarried.
Cenacle: The upper room in Jerusalem
where Christ ate the Las Supper with his
Apostles.
Censer: A metal vessel with a perforated
cover and suspended by chains, in which
incense is burned. It is used at some
Masses, Benediction of the Blessed
Sacrament and other liturgical functions.
Censorship of Books: An exercise of
vigilance by the Church for safeguarding
authentic religious teaching. Pertinent
legislation in a decree issued by the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
Apr. 9, 1975, is embodied in the Code of
Canon Law (Book III, Title IV). The
legislation deals with requirements for pre
publication review and clearance of various
types of writings on religious subjects.
Permission to publish works of a religious
character, together with the apparatus of
reviewing them beforehand, falls under
the authority of the bishop of the place
where the writer lives or where the works
are published. Clearance for publication is
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