CATHOLIC WORD BOOK - Knights of Columbus, Supreme Council

Anathema: A Greek word with the root
meaning of cursed or separated and the
adapted meaning of excommunication,
used in church documents, especially the
canons of ecumenical councils, for the
condemnation of heretical doctrines and of
practices opposed to proper discipline.
Anchorite: A kind of hermit living in
complete isolation and devoting himself
exclusively to exercises of religion and
severe penance according to a rule and way
of life of his own devising. In early
Christian times, anchorites were the
forerunners of the monastic life. The
closest contemporary approach to the life
of an anchorite is that of Carthusian and
Camaldolese hermits.
Angels: Purely spiritual beings with
intelligence and free will whose name
indicates their mission as servants and
messengers of God. They were created
before the creation of the visible universe.
Good angels enjoy the perfect good of the
beatific vision. They can intercede for
persons. The doctrine of guardian angels,
although not explicitly defined as a matter
of faith, is rooted in long standing
tradition. No authoritative declaration has
ever been issued regarding choirs or
various categories of angels: seraphim,
cherubim, thrones, dominations,
principalities, powers, virtues, archangels
and angels. Archangels commemorated in
the liturgy are: Michael, leader of the
angelic host and protector of the
synagogue; Raphael, guide of Tobiah and
healer of his father; Gabriel, angel of the
Incarnation. Fallen angels, the chief of
whom is called the Devil or Satan, rejected
the love of God and were therefore
banished from heaven to hell. They can
tempt persons to commit sin.
Angelus: A devotion which commemorates
the Incarnation of Christ. It consists of
three versicles, three Hail Marys and a
special prayer, and recalls the
announcement to Mary by the Archangel
Gabriel that she was chosen to be the
Mother of Christ, her acceptance of the
divine will, and the Incarnation (Lk 1:26
38). The Angelus is recited in the
morning, at noon and in the evening. The
practice of reciting the Hail Mary in honor
of the Incarnation was introduced by the
Franciscans in 1263. The Regina Caeli,
commemorating the joy of Mary at
Christ’s Resurrection, replaces the Angelus
during the Easter season.
Anger (Wrath): Passionate displeasure
arising from some kind of offense suffered
at the hands of another person, frustration
or other cause, combined with a tendency
to strike back at the cause of the
displeasure; a violation of the Fifth
Commandment and one of the capital sins
if the displeasure is out of proportion to
the cause and/or if the retaliation is unjust.
Anglican Orders: Holy orders conferred
according to the rite of the Anglican
Church, which Leo XIII declared null and
void in the bull Apostolicae Curae, Sept. 13,
1896. The orders were declared null
because they were conferred according to a
rite that was substantially defective in
form and intent, and because of a break in
apostolic succession that occurred when
Matthew Parker became head of the
Anglican hierarchy in 1559. In making his
declaration, Pope Leo cited earlier
arguments against validity made by Julius
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