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The
Universal Church
Headed by the
Pope, Successor of Peter, Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church. The
Holy Father is advised by his College of Cardinals (who are always
Bishops). The Curia, divided into dicasteries (congregations,
tribunals, offices, secretariat of state, agencies, etc.), is the
agency through which the Vatican is governed.
Patriarchates
There are twelve
patriarchates, headed by Patriarchs, in the Catholic Church: six
Eastern Rite patriarchates and six Latin Rite patriarchates.
The 12 Catholic Patriarchates are:
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Latin Rite:
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1.
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Patriarchate of
the West (headed by the Pope) |
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2.
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Patriarchate of
Jerusalem |
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3.
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Patriarchate of
Lisbon |
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4.
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Patriarchate of
Venice |
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5.
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Patriarchate of
the East Indies |
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6.
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Patriarchate of
the West Indies (vacant since 1963) |
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Eastern Rite:
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7.
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Patriarchate of
Alexandria (the Coptic Catholic Church) |
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8.
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Syrian
Patriarchate of Antioch (the Syrian Catholic Church) |
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9.
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Maronite
Patriarchate of Antioch (the Maronite Catholic Church) |
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10.
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Melkite
Patriarchate of Antioch (the Melkite Greek Catholic Church) |
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11.
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Patriarchate of
Babylonia (the Chaldean Catholic Church) |
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12.
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Patriarchate of
Sis, or Cilicia (the Armenian Catholic Church) |
The Syro-Malabar
Catholic Church and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic also have major
archbishops who act as Patriarchs but don't have the title.
Countries
Some individual
countries are headed by Primates (the United States doesn't have any).
"Primate" is a title of pre-eminence of honor, not a matter of
jurisdiction.
Provinces
Headed by an
archbishop called "metropolitan archbishop" or simply "metropolitan," a
province consists of two or more dioceses, each headed by a Bishop, one
of whom is the metropolitan Archbishop who handles his own diocese
(known as an "archdiocese") and acts as Archbishop of the entire
province. The Archbishop of the province is called a "Metropolitan"
within the province's diocese(s) outside of his archdiocese,
and is called "Archbishop" within his own diocese. In the
Eastern Churches, the Archbishop is called an "Archeparch."
In the United States are the Provinces of: Anchorage, Atlanta,
Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, Detroit, Dubuque,
Hartford, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Louisville, Miami,
Military Services, Milwaukee, Mobile, New Orleans, New York, Newark,
Oklahoma City, Omaha, Philadelphia, Portland, San Antonio, San
Francisco, Santa Fe, Seattle, St. Louis, St. Paul-Minneapolis, and
Washington D.C.
Dioceses
Dioceses are
headed by a single Bishop (also called an "Ordinary") who answers to a
Metropolitan (see above). In the Eastern Churches, a Bishop is called
an "Eparch" and his diocese is called an "eparchy."
The chief church of a diocese, or "the Bishop's church," is called a
"cathedral," from the word "cathedra," meaning "throne," because it is
there where the Bishop has his seat and it is nearby where he resides.
The central administration building for a diocese is called a
"chancery" (though, since Vatican II, you'll probably find it in your
phone book under the name "Diocesan Pastoral Center."
Parishes
A parish is a
usually neighborhood-sized area with its own church headed by a
diocesan priest, called a "pastor" (or "vicar"), who is appointed by
his Bishop. If his is a big parish with many needs, there may also be
associate priests ("curates") and deacons to assist him. Parish priests
typically live on the same property where their parish church is
located, in a house called a "rectory."
Note: a priest who has care of a seminary or of a church that isn't a
parish church and isn't affiliated with a religious community is called
a "rector." Also called "rectors" are local superiors of a few
religious congregations, such as the Jesuits.
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