A curate () is a person who is invested with the
''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...
. In this sense, "curate" means a
parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy who are assistants to the parish priest. The duties or office of a curate are called a curacy.
Etymology and other terms
The term is derived from the
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
''curatus'' (compare
Curator
A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...
).
In other languages, derivations from ''curatus'' may be used differently. In
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
, the ''curé'' is the chief priest (assisted by a ''vicaire'') of a parish, as is the
Italian ''curato'', the
Spanish ''cura'', and the
Filipino term ''kura paróko'' (which almost always refers to the parish priest), which is derived from Spanish.
Catholic Church
In the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
, the
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ...
word "curate" is used for a priest assigned to a parish in a position subordinate to that of the
parish priest. The parish priest (or often, in the United States, the "pastor" or "minister") is the priest who has
canonical responsibility for the
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...
. He may be assisted by one or more other priests, referred to as curates, assistant priests, parochial vicars, or (in America) "associate/assistant pastors".
Anglican Communion
In the
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Brit ...
today, "curate" refers to priests (or, in the first year, transitional deacons) who are in their first post after ordination (usually for four years), and are completing their training (not unlike an
apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...
). The technical term "curate", as found in the
1662 ''Book of Common Prayer'', meant the
incumbent of a benefice, that is the person licensed by the diocesan bishop to the "cure of souls", who, depending on how the benefice income was raised and distributed, was a
rector, a
vicar, or a
perpetual curate.
[Cross & Livingstone. ''Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church'' (1974), articles "Curate", "Incumbent" & "Perpetual Curate"] A vicar arises when a rectory was sold to lay rectors, which would often be a monastic house (such as abbey) or university college; a perpetual curacy where another priest or senior cleric has long-term control of the parish finances, granting an agreed stipend and general powers to the curate, albeit of theoretically of the same job security, below.
Although the expression "curate-in-charge" was mainly used of an informal arrangement whereby an
incumbent gave most responsibility for one of the parish churches to an assistant, in law it denoted a cleric licensed by the bishop to exercise some or all of the cure of souls when the incumbent had failed to make adequate provision for them or was subject to disciplinary measures. Once in possession of their benefices, rectors and vicars enjoyed a somewhat locally varied array of rights, absolutely, a home in which to live without charge, and generally a generous income from the parish especially in the era of tithes, yet could be removed after due legal process and for a restricted number of reasons.
Perpetual curates were placed on a similar footing in 1838 and were commonly styled "vicars", and this practice was legally recognised in 1868. Clergy (both
transitional deacons and
priests) who assist the "curate" were, and are, properly called assistant curates, but are often referred to as "the curate".
A house provided for an assistant curate is sometimes colloquially called a "curatage". Assistant curates are also licensed by the bishop, but only at the request of the "curate", who had the right of dismissal subject to certain conditions. Although it is customary for a priest to serve as a curate in one or more parishes before becoming an incumbent, it is by no means unknown for priests who have previously been beneficed or consecrated bishop to return to a curacy (as assistant curate), sometimes as a matter of choice. For example,
Geoffrey Francis Fisher
Geoffrey Francis Fisher, Baron Fisher of Lambeth, (5 May 1887 – 15 September 1972) was an English Anglican priest, and 99th Archbishop of Canterbury, serving from 1945 to 1961.
From a long line of parish priests, Fisher was educated at Marl ...
served as Curate of
Trent near
Sherborne after retiring as
Archbishop of Canterbury in 1961.
With the 1968 Pastoral Measure and subsequent legislation, the
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Brit ...
has undergone a major process of reform which still continues today, and much of above no longer holds good. Ministers in the Church of England whose main income comes from sources other than their work as clergy may be termed "self supporting ministers" or "curate (SSM)".
Terms like "rector" and "curate" were carried overseas with the spread of Anglicanism, but their exact meaning depends on local conditions and regulations. In the
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the sec ...
some curates are styled "bishop's curates" as they are accountable directly to the diocesan bishop, while sometimes mentored by local parish clergy, and are perceived to have more autonomy than other assistant curates.
In Anglican parishes with a
charismatic or
evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual expe ...
(
low church) tradition, the roles of curates are usually seen as being an assistant leader to the overall leader, often in a larger team of pastoral leaders. Many of the larger charismatic and evangelical parishes have larger ministry teams with a number of pastoral leaders, some ordained and others who are not.
In the
Episcopal Church of the United States, the curacy may be a temporary place to continue training after ordination, similar to an
internship,
[''See'', Paul Moore, Jr., ''Presences: A Bishop's Life in the City'' (1999).] or it may be a permanent, subordinant position, more akin to a ''perpetual curate''.
Training
In the Church of England, the ongoing training of assistant curates is typically overseen by officers of the bishops called Initial Ministerial Education (IME) or Continuing Ministerial Development (CMD) Advisers.
History
Originally a
bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...
would entrust a priest with the "
cure of souls" (pastoral ministry) of a parish. When, in medieval Europe, this included the legal
freehold of church land in the parish, the
parish priest was a "
perpetual curate" (''curatus perpetuus''), an assistant would be a (plain) curate (''curatus temporalis'').
The words ''perpetuus'' and ''temporalis'' distinguish their appointments but not the length of service, the apparent reference to time is accidental. A curate is appointed by the parish priest and paid from parish funds. A perpetual curate is a priest in charge of a parish who was (usually) appointed and paid by the bishop.
As the church became more embedded into the fabric of
feudal Europe, various other titles often supplanted "curate" for the parish priest. "
Rector" was the title given to a priest in possession of the
tithe income. This right to the income was known as a "living". The title of rector comes from ''regere''—"to rule".
Those parishes where a monastery had appropriated the rights to the tithe income, a portion of this income was set aside for a priest to occupy the parish, essentially acting on behalf of the monastery, in other words vicariously – hence "vicar". In some cases, a portion of a tithe for a vicar could exceed the income of some rectors, depending on the value of the livings being compared.
Minor canons
Minor canons are those clergy who are members of a cathedral's establishment and take part in the daily services but are not part of the formal
chapter. These are generally clergy who are nearer to the beginning than the end of their ministries, who have already served their curacy (title post) in a parish church. They are often selected for their singing and liturgical ability.
See also
*
Curate's egg
A "curate's egg" is something described as partly bad and partly good. In its original usage, it referred to something that is obviously and entirely bad, but is described out of politeness as nonetheless having good features that redeem it. This ...
*
Roman Curia
Notes and references
{{Reflist
Further reading
*Hart, A. Tindal (1970) ''The Curate's Lot: the story of the unbeneficed English clergy''. London: J. Baker
*Lewis, Robert Michael (2016) Curacy Express: A Training Resource for New Clergy. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock
Anglican ecclesiastical offices
Catholic priesthood
Christian terminology