For those of you who may be new to the Anglican Church, here are some definitions of terms and phrases you may encounter:

Acolyte: This is a person who typically lights the altar candles and assists during the Offertory and Eucharist. Acolytes are often young people, from sixth grade on up, but can be adults.

Anglican: This word means "English." The Anglican Church is the church that Elizabeth I started in England in 1558. St. Stephen's Church belongs to the Anglican Communion, which means that we are in communion or agreement with other Anglican churches all around the world.

Archbishop of Canterbury: Dr. Rowan Williams fills a unique position in the world-wide Anglican Communion. He serves the Anglican Church as spiritual leader. He is the 104th Archbishop to serve in this position.

Baptism: This is a sacramental rite by which God adopts us as His children and makes us members of Christ's Body (the Church) and inheritors of the Kingdom of God.

Bishop: A bishop is a clergy person, so ordained through a succession of bishops, all the way back to the Apostles, through the laying on of hands. The bishop is the supervisor of all the priests within his diocese (group of churches). St. Stephen's is under the care of the Diocese of Recife Brazil. Our Bishop is The Right Reverend Robinson Cavalcanti.

Book of Common Prayer: This book, also called the BCP or prayer book, located in the pews of the Anglican churches, contains the order of service for Holy Eucharist, Morning and Evening Prayer and various other rites and services used from time to time in worship. In more traditional services, the congregation follows along in the prayer book, whereas, in more contemporary services, the physical book may not be used, but some of the responsive readings and prayers from the BCP are contained in the bulletin.

Chalice: This is the cup from which we drink the wine at Communion.

Clergy: This word simply refers to people who are ordained ministers (deacons, priests, bishops, etc.)

Confirmation: This is a sacramental rite in which a person who was baptized as an infant expresses a mature commitment to Christ and receives strength from the Holy Spirit.

Crucifer: This is the person who typically carries the cross into the church during the processional hymn, for the Gospel procession, and out of the church at the end of the service.

Deacon: This is the first stage of ordained ministry. Deacons assist priests and bishops in the administration of sacraments. Some deacons go on to be ordained priests, while others remain deacons indefinitely.

Diocese: A diocese (pronounced die'-uh-sis) is the basic unit of the Anglican Church and is made up of a group of churches. There are many diocese in the Anglican Church all over the world. St. Stephen's is under the care of the Diocese of Recife Brazil.

Disciple: A disciple is a student, a follower; a Christian disciple is a student and follower of Jesus.

Eucharist: This is the Greek word for "thanksgiving." In our Christian worship, the Eucharist (or Communion, or Lord's Supper) is a sacramental rite commanded by Jesus for the continual remembrance of His life, death and resurrection, until His coming again.

Intercession, intercessory: Intercession means "on behalf of another." Intercessory prayer, then, lifts up someone else in prayer.

Lay, laity: The laity are people who are not ordained ministers. Lay ministers are non-ordained people who serve God and His Church.

Liturgy: This word means "the work of the people," and it refers to the format of our worship in the Anglican Church, where the congregation is involved in the responses, the prayers, and the singing.

Minister, ministry: Ministry is the act of serving God and His Church. The ministers of the Church are lay persons, bishops, priests, and deacons.

Offertory: This is the part of the worship service where we make an offering of ourselves, our treasures, our lives and labors, for the purposes of God.

Sacrament: A sacrament is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace. The two great sacraments given by Christ are Baptism and Holy Eucharist. Some of the other sacraments include Confirmation, Ordination, and Holy matrimony. The outward and visible sign in Baptism, for example, is water; the inward and spiritual grace in Baptism is union with Christ in his death and resurrection, birth into God's family, and new life in the Holy Spirit.

Sanctus bells: The word "Sanctus" is Latin for "holy." In some services at St. Stephen's, during the celebration of Holy Eucharist, bells are rung at certain points to indicate the presence of the Holy Spirit in what is taking place.

Terms of Address: There are formal terms of address, such as The Reverend So-and-So for a priest; the Very Reverend So-and-So for a priest who is also a dean; The Right Reverend So-and-So for a bishop. One would use those formal terms on an envelope or in a formal letter. For example, Father Orritt formally would be addressed as The Rev. Paul Orritt. Casually, here at St. Stephen's, our Rector is usually addressed as Father Paul. If one were speaking to our bishop, one would call him Bishop Cavalcanti.

Vestments: Vestments are the ceremonial clothing worn by clergy and lay ministers.

Vestry: The Vestry is the governing body of a parish. Its members are elected from the congregation by the members of the parish at an annual congregational meeting, for a term of three years. Its officers are the Senior Warden and Junior Warden. There are nine vestry members at St. Stephen's.