CATHOLIC WORD BOOK - Knights of Columbus, Supreme Council

the pastoral direction of a bishop as local
Ordinary.
Discalced: Of Latin derivation and
meaning without shoes, the word is
applied to religious orders or
congregations whose members go barefoot
or wear sandals.
Disciple: A term used sometimes in
reference to the Apostles but more often to
a larger number of followers (70 or 72) of
Christ mentioned in Lk 10:1.
Disciplina Arcani: A Latin phrase, meaning
discipline of the secret and referring to a
practice of the early Church, especially
during the Roman persecutions, to: (1)
conceal Christian truths from those who, it
was feared, would misinterpret, ridicule
and profane the teachings, and persecute
Christians for believing them; (2) instruct
catechumens in a gradual manner,
withholding the teaching of certain
doctrines until the catechumens proved
themselves of good faith and sufficient
understanding.
Dispensation: The relaxation of a law in a
particular case. Laws made for the common
good sometimes work undue hardship in
particular cases. In such cases, where
sufficient reasons are present, dispensations
may be granted by proper authorities.
Bishops, religious superiors and others may
dispense from certain laws; the pope can
dispense from all ecclesiastical laws. No
one has authority to dispense from
obligations of the divine law.
Divination: Attempting to foretell future
or hidden things by means of things like
dreams, necromancy, spiritism,
-26-
examination of entrails, astrology, augury,
omens, palmistry, drawing straws, dice,
cards, etc. Practices like these attribute to
created things a power which belongs to
God alone and are violations of the First
Commandment.
Divine Praises: Fourteen praises recited or
sung at Benediction of the Blessed
Sacrament in reparation for sins of
sacrilege, blasphemy and profanity. Some
of these praises date from the end of the
18th century: Blessed be God. / Blessed be his
holy Name. / Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God
and true Man. / Blessed be the Name of Jesus. /
Blessed be his most Sacred Heart. / Blessed be his
most Precious Blood. / Blessed be Jesus in the most
holy Sacrament of the Altar. / Blessed be the Holy
Spirit, the Paraclete. / Blessed be the great
Mother of God, Mary most holy. / Blessed be her
holy and Immaculate Conception. / Blessed be her
glorious Assumption. / Blessed be the name of
Mary, Virgin and Mother. / Blessed be St.
Joseph, her most chaste Spouse. / Blessed be God
in his Angels and in his Saints.
Double Effect Principle: Actions sometimes
have two effects closely related to each
other, one good and the other bad, and a
difficult moral question can arise: Is it
permissible to place an action from which
two such results follow? It is permissible
to place the action, if: the action is good in
itself and is directly productive of the good
effect; the circumstances are good; the
intention of the person is good; the reason
for placing the action is proportionately
serious to the seriousness of the indirect
bad effect.
Doxology: (1) The lesser doxology, or
ascription of glory to the Trinity, is the
Glory be to the Father. The first part dates