CATHOLIC WORD BOOK - Knights of Columbus, Supreme Council

Obedience: Submission to one in authority.
General obligations of obedience fall under
the Fourth Commandment. The vow of
obedience professed by religious is one of
the evangelical counsels.
Obsession, Diabolical: The extraordinary
state of one who is seriously molested by
evil spirits in an external manner.
Obsession is more than just temptation.
Occasion of Sin: A person, place, or thing
that is a temptation to sin. An occasion
may be either a situation that always leads
to sin or one that usually leads to sin.
Octave: A period of eight days given over
to the celebration of a major feast such as
Easter.
Oils, Holy: The oils blessed by a bishop at
the Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday or
another suitable day, or by a priest under
certain conditions. (1) The oil of
catechumens (olive or vegetable oil), used
at baptism; also, poured with chrism into
the baptismal water blessed in Easter Vigil
ceremonies. (2) Oil of the sick (olive or
vegetable oil) used in anointing the sick.
(3) Chrism (olive or vegetable oil mixed
with balm), which is ordinarily
consecrated by a bishop, for use at
baptism, in confirmation, at the
ordination of a priest and bishop, in the
dedication of churches and altars.
Ontologism: A philosophical theory (the
name is taken from the Greek for being
and study) that posits that knowledge of
God is immediate and intuitive; it
stipulates further that all other human
knowledge is dependent upon this. It was
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condemned in 1861 by Pope Pius IX. (See
also Ontology.)
Ontology: A branch of metaphysics that
studies the nature and relations of
existence.
Oratory: A chapel.
Ordinariate: An ecclesiastical jurisdiction
for special purposes and people. Examples
are military ordinariates for armed services
personnel (in accord with provisions of the
apostolic constitution Spirituali militum
curae, Apr. 21, 1986) and Eastern Rite
ordinariates in places where Eastern Rite
dioceses do not exist.
Ordination: The consecration of sacred
ministers for divine worship and the
service of people in things pertaining to
God. The power of ordination comes from
Christ and the Church, and must be
conferred by a minister capable of
communicating it.
Organ Transplants: The transplanting of
organs from one person to another is
permissible provided it is done with the
consent of the concerned parties and does
not result in the death or essential
mutilation of the donor. Advances in
methods and technology have increased
the range of transplant possibilities in
recent years.
Original Sin: The sin of Adam (Gn 2:8
3:24), personal to him and passed on to all
persons as a state of privation of grace.
Despite this privation and the related
wounding of human nature and
weakening of natural powers, original sin
leaves unchanged all that man himself is