CATHOLIC WORD BOOK - Knights of Columbus, Supreme Council

divine worship. Subjectively, it is a
person’s total response, theoretically and
practically, to the demands of faith; it is
living faith, personal engagement, selfcommitment
to God. Thus, by creed, code
and cult, a person orders and directs his or
her life in reference to God and, through
what the love and service of God implies,
to all people and all things.
Reliquary: A vessel for the preservation and
exposition of a relic; sometimes made like
a small monstrance.
Reparation: The making of amends to God
for sin committed; one of the four ends of
prayer and the purpose of penance.
Requiem: A Mass offered for the repose of
the soul of one who has died in Christ. Its
name is derived from the first word of the
Gregorian (Latin) entrance chant (or
Introit) at Masses for the dead: Requiem
aeternam dona eis, Domine (“Eternal rest
grant unto them, O Lord”). The revised
Rite for Funerals refers to the requiem as
the Mass of Christian Burial; however, it
would not be uncommon to hear people
employ the former usage.
Rescript: A written reply by an
ecclesiastical superior regarding a question
or request; its provisions bind concerned
parties only. Papal dispensations are issued
in the form of rescripts.
Reserved Censure: A sin or censure,
absolution from which is reserved to
religious superiors, bishops, the pope, or
confessors having special faculties.
Reservations are made because of the
serious nature and social effects of certain
sins and censures.
Restitution: An act of reparation for an
injury done to another. The injury may be
caused by taking and/or retaining what
belongs to another or by damaging either
the property or reputation of another. The
intention of making restitution, usually in
kind, is required as a condition for the
forgiveness of sins of injustice, even
though actual restitution is not possible.
Ring: In the Church a ring is worn as part
of the insignia of bishops, abbots, et al.; by
sisters to denote their consecration to God
and the Church. The wedding ring
symbolizes the love and union of husband
and wife.
Ritual: A book of prayers and ceremonies
used in the administration of the
sacraments and other ceremonial
functions. In the Roman Rite, the
standard book of this kind is the Roman
Ritual.
Rogito: The official notarial act or
document testifying to the burial of a
pope.
Rosary: A form of mental and vocal prayer
centered on mysteries or events in the lives
of Jesus and Mary. Its essential elements
are meditation on the mysteries and the
recitation of a number of decades of Hail
Marys, each beginning with the Lord’s
Prayer. Introductory prayers may include
the Apostles’ Creed, an initial Our Father,
three Hail Marys and a Glory be to the
Father; each decade is customarily
concluded with a Glory be to the Father; at
the end, it is customary to say the Hail,
Holy Queen and a prayer from the liturgy
for the feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary of
the Rosary. Traditionally, the Mysteries of
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