Alter Boys are young males typically 8 to 12 years of age who assist the priest during the Mass ceremony. They escort the priest onto the the altar platform and also when he leaves. They ring bells and get the vessels of water and wine that the priest pours into his chalice. Sometimes they carry a cross at a procession in the church.
A Deacon is a congregational member that wants to be close to the priest and help out during religious ceremonies. He feels he is very pious and gets great satisfaction being a part of the Mass ceremony. They help by leading the congregation in prayers and chants.
A nun is a member of a religious community of women, typically living under solemn vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience and lives in the enclosure of a monastery or convent. They live a life of prayer and contemplation.
A sister takes simple vows and live an active vocation of prayer and charitable works in areas such as education and healthcare.
A prospective nuns first undergoes a period of testing the life for six months to two years called a postulancy. She wears a white habit, or veil, and undertakes the novitiate, a period (that lasts one to two years) of living the life of the religious institute without yet taking vows. She then takes temporary vows which last for a period of one to three years. After this she takes her “perpetual profession” of permanent solemn vows.
Live with a wall separating them from the public although they may accept visitors. They rarely leave their convent.
the number of nuns in the U.S. peaked in 1965 at 180,000 then plunged down to 56,000 in 2010.
Monks in Jerusalem
Orthodox monastics separate themselves from the world in order to pray unceasingly for the world. They do not, in general, have as their primary purpose the running of social services, but instead are concerned with attaining theosis, or union with God.
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedicate his life to serving all other living beings, or more commonly to be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live his or her life in prayer and contemplation.
A monk’s daily life is usually divided into three parts: (a) communal worship in the catholicon (the monastery’s main church); (b) hard manual labour; and (c) private prayer, spiritual study, and rest.
Monks
Only men are allowed to be Priests (and no transgenders allowed). They take a vow of celibacy. A priest participates in priesthood after the Sacrament of Holy Orders, he acts in persona Christi Capitis, representing the person of Christ. Only Priests can perform the ceremony of the Eucharist, which derives from the story of the Last Supper,
As of December 31, 2014, there were 415,792 Catholic priests worldwide, decreased 5,000 since 1970. The worldwide Catholic population has nearly doubled, growing from 653.6 million in 1970 to 1.229 billion in 2012.
The candidates lie prostrate before the altar, while the assembled faithful kneel and pray for the help of all the saints in the singing of the Litany of the Saints. The essential part of the rite is when the bishop silently lays his hands upon each candidate (followed by all priests present), before offering the consecratory prayer, addressed to God the Father, invoking the power of the Holy Spirit upon those being ordained.
The Priest’s Collar (similar to a dog collar)
Monsignor is a honorific title that is requested by a bishop to the pope and given to a priest. It is given for dedicated valuable service or holds a special position of governance by a priest.
In March 2013, Pope Francis suspended the granting of the honorific title of Monsignor except to members of the Holy See’s diplomatic service.
Arch Bishop
This is simply an ordained priest that has been given authority to oversee the flock. This authority is typically a geographic area called a diocese.
There are different levels of bishops. A Metropolitan bishop is in charge of a group of diocese. The Archbishop is in charge of a major metropolitan area and is more of an honorary title or importance.
This mitre hat designates a Bishop that has authority.
A Cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical leader, considered a Prince of the Church, and usually an ordained bishop of the Catholic Church. The cardinals of the Church are collectively known as the College of Cardinals. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and making themselves available individually or in groups to the pope as requested. Most have additional duties, such as leading a diocese or archdiocese or managing a department of the Roman Curia.
Only Cardinals can become pope. Their major duty is electing a new pope when there is a Papal vacancy.
The Pope is Pontifex Maximus (greatest priest), Bishop of Rome, Leader of the worldwide Catholic Church, and the head of state of Vatican City (city-state) a recognized country withing the city of Rome.
Holy See that is the sovereign entity of international law headquartered in the distinctively independent Vatican City State, established by the Lateran Treaty in 1929 between Italy and the Holy See to ensure its temporal, diplomatic, and spiritual independence. The Pope is the head of Admiralty Law.
