Christian-occasion vocabulary

A layperson who assists the priest at the altar.

The four weeks before Christmas observed as a season of preparation.

The invitation to come forward in response to a sermon, common in evangelical and Pentecostal services.

A Catholic marriage tribunal's declaration that a particular marriage was never sacramentally valid.

In Pentecostal theology, a second spiritual experience subsequent to and distinct from conversion.

Baptism of a person who has made a personal profession of faith, normally by full immersion.

The principal liturgical book of the Anglican Communion.

A person preparing for baptism, and the structured instruction they undergo.

A funeral or memorial framed around honoring the deceased's life rather than mourning the death.

The Orthodox sacrament of anointing with chrism that completes initiation at baptism.

The Christmas season extending through the Twelve Days of Christmas.

The 1983 codification of the laws governing the Roman Catholic Church.

The sacrament or ordinance of bread and wine commemorating Christ's Last Supper.

The sacrament of confessing sins to a priest and receiving absolution.

The Orthodox sacrament of marriage, named for the wedding crowns placed on the couple.

The first of the three orders of ordained ministry.

The principal Eucharistic service in Orthodox tradition.

A brief liturgical formula of praise to God, especially the Trinity.

Concerning or promoting unity among the Christian churches.

The feast on January 6 commemorating the visit of the Magi.

A speech in memory of the deceased, and the person delivering it.

The blessing a newly ordained priest gives to family and friends after the ordination.

A person designated at baptism to support the baptized in their Christian life.

The Friday before Easter, commemorating the Crucifixion of Christ.

The Catholic and Orthodox sacrament of ordination.

The week before Easter, the most intensive liturgical week of the Christian year.

A funeral framed around the believer's transition to be with Christ.

A short reflection on the scripture readings at a liturgical service.

A sacred image, typically of Christ, the Theotokos, or a saint.

The screen of icons separating the nave from the sanctuary in an Orthodox church.

The placing of blessed ashes on the forehead on Ash Wednesday.

The baptism of infants, practiced in paedobaptist traditions.

In Greek Orthodox tradition, the principal sponsor of a marriage.

The book or schedule of scripture readings assigned to Sundays and feast days.

The forty-day season of preparation for Easter.

The daily cycle of prayer services traditionally observed by clergy and religious.

A grouping of historic US Protestant denominations with connectional polity.

The Catholic Eucharistic service.

The Thursday of Holy Week, commemorating the Last Supper.

The feast day of the saint after whom an Orthodox Christian is named.

The forty-day fast preceding Christmas in Orthodox tradition.

The fuller form of the Catholic wedding rite, celebrated within Mass.

The eight-day period beginning on a major feast.

The eucharistic-discipline question of who is invited to receive Communion.

The portion of the Western Christian liturgical year not part of Advent, Christmas, Lent, or Easter.

In Hispanic Catholic practice, sponsors at specific religious occasions.

An Orthodox memorial service for the dead.

The Orthodox term for Easter; called "the Feast of Feasts."

The large candle lit from the New Fire at the Easter Vigil.

The prayer Christ taught beginning "Our Father..."

A saint considered the special intercessor for a person, place, or occupation.

The feast celebrating the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples.

A family of Christian denominations emphasizing the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

The Catholic marriage preparation programme.

The clergy member leading a liturgical service.

The Catholic adult initiation programme, culminating at the Easter Vigil.

A visible sign of grace; called an ordinance in Baptist and evangelical tradition.

Luther's 1529 short catechism for home and parish instruction.

The highest rank of feast in the Catholic liturgical calendar.

Praying or speaking in a language not previously learned by the speaker.

A document confirming a Catholic's canonical eligibility to serve as a sponsor.

The title for Mary, the Mother of God; literally "the one who gave birth to God."

The three-day liturgical sequence from Holy Thursday evening through Easter Sunday.

The evening prayer service of the Liturgy of the Hours.

A service held the evening before a major feast or a funeral.