CATHOLIC WORD BOOK - Knights of Columbus, Supreme Council

Clergy: Men ordained to holy orders and
commissioned for sacred ministries and
assigned to pastoral and other duties for
the service of the people and the Church.
(1) Diocesan or secular clergy are
committed to pastoral ministry in parishes
and in other capacities in a particular
church (diocese) under the direction of
their bishop, to whom they are bound by a
promise of obedience. (2) Regular clergy
belong to religious institutes (orders,
congregations, societies — institutes of
consecrated life) and are so called because
they observe the rule (regula, in Latin) of
their respective institutes. They are
committed to the ways of life and
apostolates of their institutes. In ordinary
pastoral ministry, they are under the
direction of local bishops as well as their
own superiors.
Clericalism: A term generally used in a
derogatory sense to mean action, influence
and interference by the Church and the
clergy in matters with which they
allegedly should not be concerned.
Anticlericalism is a reaction of antipathy,
hostility, distrust and opposition to the
Church and clergy arising from real and/or
alleged faults of the clergy, overextension
of the role of the laity, or for other reasons.
Cloister: Part of a monastery, convent or
other house of religious reserved for use by
members of the institute. Houses of
contemplative Religious have a strict
enclosure.
Code: A digest of rules or regulations, such
as the Code of Canon Law.
Code of Canon Law: See Canon Law.
Collegiality: A term in use especially since
the Second Vatican Council to describe the
authority exercised by the College of
Bishops. The bishops of the Church, in
union with and subordinate to the pope —
who has full, supreme and universal power
over the Church which he can always
exercise independently — have supreme
teaching and pastoral authority over the
whole Church. In addition to their proper
authority of office for the good of the
faithful in their respective dioceses or other
jurisdictions, the bishops have authority to
act for the good of the universal Church.
This collegial authority is exercised in a
solemn manner in an ecumenical council
and can also be exercised in other ways
sanctioned by the pope. Doctrine on
collegiality was set forth by the Second
Vatican Council in Lumen Gentium (the
Dogmatic Constitution on the Church).
(See separate entry.) By extension, the
concept of collegiality is applied to other
forms of participation and co
responsibility by members of a
community.
Communicatio in Sacris: The reception of
the Church’s sacraments by non-members
or the reception by Catholics of sacraments
in non-Catholic Churches.
Communion of Saints: “The communion of
all the faithful of Christ, those who are
pilgrims on earth, the dead who are being
purified, and the blessed in heaven, all
together forming one Church; in this
communion, the merciful love of God and
his saints is always (attentive) to our prayers”
(Paul VI, Creed of the People of God).
Communism: The substantive principles of
modern communism, a theory and system
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