Post by Harkker on Aug 9, 2013 3:32:37 GMT
Structure of the Church
Cardinal Superior- The Cardinal Superior is the absolute head of the church. He makes his home in Ruma, a large city in the kingdom of Morcron.
Patriarchs- A patriarch is the religious head of a kingdom’s church. Each kingdom has a patriarch that reports to the Cardinal Superior and oversees all the affairs of the church in his kingdom. A Pariarch is also considered a cardinal and sits on the counsel of Cardinals. The head of the Lomarian Church of Avar is Partiarch Allorius Delfino. He resides at St Bonafece in Kalamen.
Cardinals- Cardinals make up the highest tier of clergy. Most stay in Ruma and discuss church policy. Many head special projects at the request of the Cardinal Superior.
Bishops- Kingdoms and other regions where the church holds sway are divided into ecclesiastical administrative territories called dioceses. A bishop heads one of these dioceses and is accountable to his patriarch. Bishops are promoted to that position in time of vacancy by the patriarch from the pastors in that diocese. In the case of Lomar, the kingdom is divided into three dioceses which match the kingdom’s three principalities. Thus there is a diocese of Illium, a diocese of Renford and a diocese of Nibis. Bishop Robert Gorski administrates the diocese of Illium, Bishop Clairance Vulo administrates the diocese of Renford and Bishop Jacob Christos heads the diocese of Nibis.
Pastors- Each individual church serves an area and community referred to as its parish. Each individual church / parish is headed by a pastor who serves under the direction of his Bishop. Pastors are all considered to be full members of the clergy and are clerics. Pastors primarily concern themselves with the celebration of mass and administering of the sacraments. . Like all clergy, Pastors are expected to take and honor vows of Obedience, Temperance, Poverty and Celibacy.
Curates- Curates are full clergymen and clerics who work for a single church as a priests, but are not head of that church and parish as the Pastor is. Curates can do all of the same things a pastor can…with his permission of course and will fill in for him in cases of absence or in busy times. Curates generally are more responsible for the training of acolytes and lay clergy like Deacons as well as organizing things like festivals, choirs, and teaching religious classes. . Like all clergy, Curates are expected to take and honor vows of Obedience, Temperance, Poverty and Celibacy.
Priors- Priors are full clergy and clerics who are not bound to a parish, but instead adventure and fight evil in the name of the church. Traditionally a prior is bound to the service of a Bishop, but occasionally a Patriarch will take some under his service as well. Priors traditionally have a fair degree of autonomy to pursue what they think best, but they are accountable to their superior and are expected to seek audience with him frequently and follow his advice. Like all clergy, Priors are expected to take and honor vows of Obedience, Temperance, Poverty and Celibacy.
Paladins- Paladins operate much as do priors. They have holy ordinations and serve the church under the direction of a bishop (occasionally a Patriarch). Many paladins operate independently or in small groups with a common purpose. Occasionally the Cardinal Superior himself will grant a paladin a charter to found an order of holy knights with a specific purpose and name the head paladin Grand Master. Hence forth, the Grand Master reports directly to the Cardinal Superior. Holy knights of these orders must be paladins or be ordained as monks. Like all clergy, Paladins are expected to take and honor vows of Obedience, Temperance, Poverty and Celibacy. Deacon- A deacon is a lay minister who serves the church part time. Generally they are old and retired from their professions. They concern themselves primarily with tending to the sick and doing charity work. They serve directly under the Prior of a parish. A church may have any number of deacons, but three is considered an average number; larger cities have more. Deacons are not considered full clergy, do not take most vows and do not cast spells. Deacons are expected to take and honor vows of Obedience and Temperance.
Monks- Monks are generally members of various monastic religious orders where they and their fellows live simple lives of devotion, prayer and introspection. Many also engage in considerable acts of penance for the sake of their own souls and mankind as a whole. Monks occasionally do charity work, but their primary job is simply to pray… a lot. Throughout history, Cardinal Superior has chartered many monastic orders, each having their own traditions. Each also adopts different sets of vows. Cannon law says that monastic orders must have at least two vows, but many have several. There are monastic orders for women, which are called convents where nuns live similar lives devoted to God and monks do.
Acolytes- Acolytes are clergy in training. They are generally in their teens and early 20s. As they advance in their training, they choose to become Curates, Priors, or Paladins. Occasionally acolytes will become monks or decide to only work part time with the church and become a Deacon. Early in their training, acolytes are required to take the vow of Obedience
Ecclesiastical Vows
Vow of Obedience- The vow of Obedience simply ensures that a clergyman will uphold the teachings of the faith and honor the dictates of his superior.
Vow of Poverty- The vow of Poverty, in essence, assures that a clergyman shall keep no more worldly property than necessary to uphold his duty. Typically it is the clergyman’s superior who dictates what is and is not necessary or appropriate for one’s obligations. Property above and beyond what is necessary is to be tithed to the church. Most importantly, those with vows of poverty are meant to forsake the worldly pursuit of wealth and material possessions, instead focusing on spiritual growth.
Vow of Temperance- The vow of Temperance regulates a clergy man to abstain from most pleasurable indulgences. The vow of Temperance is generally considered to prohibit sex, drunkenness, use of drugs, gluttony, gambling, or any other ruckus, deboucherous or indulgent behavior.
Vow of Celibacy- The vow of Celibacy prohibits a clergyman from having romantic relationships or fathering children. This vow is considered important because clergy are required to sacrifice their own basic wants and place God and their congregation as their highest priorities. A family man needs to place his spouse and children as his highest priority, and these two paths are not compatible.
Vow of Silence- The vow of Silence is a somewhat unusual vow taken only by a rare few religious orders. Generally it is taken as a form of penance somebody seeking divine forgiveness for their own actions or the actions of others. There are many variations of this vow that allow those who have taken them to speak, and communicate in various circumstances.
Vow of Solitude- Another rare vow that often is the result of a religious person seeking some sort of forgiveness or grace through penance. Those who have taken vows of solitude are not allowed human contact or interaction.
Cardinal Superior- The Cardinal Superior is the absolute head of the church. He makes his home in Ruma, a large city in the kingdom of Morcron.
Patriarchs- A patriarch is the religious head of a kingdom’s church. Each kingdom has a patriarch that reports to the Cardinal Superior and oversees all the affairs of the church in his kingdom. A Pariarch is also considered a cardinal and sits on the counsel of Cardinals. The head of the Lomarian Church of Avar is Partiarch Allorius Delfino. He resides at St Bonafece in Kalamen.
Cardinals- Cardinals make up the highest tier of clergy. Most stay in Ruma and discuss church policy. Many head special projects at the request of the Cardinal Superior.
Bishops- Kingdoms and other regions where the church holds sway are divided into ecclesiastical administrative territories called dioceses. A bishop heads one of these dioceses and is accountable to his patriarch. Bishops are promoted to that position in time of vacancy by the patriarch from the pastors in that diocese. In the case of Lomar, the kingdom is divided into three dioceses which match the kingdom’s three principalities. Thus there is a diocese of Illium, a diocese of Renford and a diocese of Nibis. Bishop Robert Gorski administrates the diocese of Illium, Bishop Clairance Vulo administrates the diocese of Renford and Bishop Jacob Christos heads the diocese of Nibis.
Pastors- Each individual church serves an area and community referred to as its parish. Each individual church / parish is headed by a pastor who serves under the direction of his Bishop. Pastors are all considered to be full members of the clergy and are clerics. Pastors primarily concern themselves with the celebration of mass and administering of the sacraments. . Like all clergy, Pastors are expected to take and honor vows of Obedience, Temperance, Poverty and Celibacy.
Curates- Curates are full clergymen and clerics who work for a single church as a priests, but are not head of that church and parish as the Pastor is. Curates can do all of the same things a pastor can…with his permission of course and will fill in for him in cases of absence or in busy times. Curates generally are more responsible for the training of acolytes and lay clergy like Deacons as well as organizing things like festivals, choirs, and teaching religious classes. . Like all clergy, Curates are expected to take and honor vows of Obedience, Temperance, Poverty and Celibacy.
Priors- Priors are full clergy and clerics who are not bound to a parish, but instead adventure and fight evil in the name of the church. Traditionally a prior is bound to the service of a Bishop, but occasionally a Patriarch will take some under his service as well. Priors traditionally have a fair degree of autonomy to pursue what they think best, but they are accountable to their superior and are expected to seek audience with him frequently and follow his advice. Like all clergy, Priors are expected to take and honor vows of Obedience, Temperance, Poverty and Celibacy.
Paladins- Paladins operate much as do priors. They have holy ordinations and serve the church under the direction of a bishop (occasionally a Patriarch). Many paladins operate independently or in small groups with a common purpose. Occasionally the Cardinal Superior himself will grant a paladin a charter to found an order of holy knights with a specific purpose and name the head paladin Grand Master. Hence forth, the Grand Master reports directly to the Cardinal Superior. Holy knights of these orders must be paladins or be ordained as monks. Like all clergy, Paladins are expected to take and honor vows of Obedience, Temperance, Poverty and Celibacy. Deacon- A deacon is a lay minister who serves the church part time. Generally they are old and retired from their professions. They concern themselves primarily with tending to the sick and doing charity work. They serve directly under the Prior of a parish. A church may have any number of deacons, but three is considered an average number; larger cities have more. Deacons are not considered full clergy, do not take most vows and do not cast spells. Deacons are expected to take and honor vows of Obedience and Temperance.
Monks- Monks are generally members of various monastic religious orders where they and their fellows live simple lives of devotion, prayer and introspection. Many also engage in considerable acts of penance for the sake of their own souls and mankind as a whole. Monks occasionally do charity work, but their primary job is simply to pray… a lot. Throughout history, Cardinal Superior has chartered many monastic orders, each having their own traditions. Each also adopts different sets of vows. Cannon law says that monastic orders must have at least two vows, but many have several. There are monastic orders for women, which are called convents where nuns live similar lives devoted to God and monks do.
Acolytes- Acolytes are clergy in training. They are generally in their teens and early 20s. As they advance in their training, they choose to become Curates, Priors, or Paladins. Occasionally acolytes will become monks or decide to only work part time with the church and become a Deacon. Early in their training, acolytes are required to take the vow of Obedience
Ecclesiastical Vows
Vow of Obedience- The vow of Obedience simply ensures that a clergyman will uphold the teachings of the faith and honor the dictates of his superior.
Vow of Poverty- The vow of Poverty, in essence, assures that a clergyman shall keep no more worldly property than necessary to uphold his duty. Typically it is the clergyman’s superior who dictates what is and is not necessary or appropriate for one’s obligations. Property above and beyond what is necessary is to be tithed to the church. Most importantly, those with vows of poverty are meant to forsake the worldly pursuit of wealth and material possessions, instead focusing on spiritual growth.
Vow of Temperance- The vow of Temperance regulates a clergy man to abstain from most pleasurable indulgences. The vow of Temperance is generally considered to prohibit sex, drunkenness, use of drugs, gluttony, gambling, or any other ruckus, deboucherous or indulgent behavior.
Vow of Celibacy- The vow of Celibacy prohibits a clergyman from having romantic relationships or fathering children. This vow is considered important because clergy are required to sacrifice their own basic wants and place God and their congregation as their highest priorities. A family man needs to place his spouse and children as his highest priority, and these two paths are not compatible.
Vow of Silence- The vow of Silence is a somewhat unusual vow taken only by a rare few religious orders. Generally it is taken as a form of penance somebody seeking divine forgiveness for their own actions or the actions of others. There are many variations of this vow that allow those who have taken them to speak, and communicate in various circumstances.
Vow of Solitude- Another rare vow that often is the result of a religious person seeking some sort of forgiveness or grace through penance. Those who have taken vows of solitude are not allowed human contact or interaction.