| Pall (PAHL) | the stiff, square, white cover that is placed over the paten when it is on the chalice. |
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| Pallium | Special stole made of lambĚs wool worn over the chasuble by the Pope and archbishops; it signifies communion of archbishops with the Holy See. |
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| Papacy | The supreme jurisdiction and ministry of the pope as shepherd of the whole Church. As successor of St. Peter, and therefore Bishop of Rome and Vicar of Christ, the pope is the perpetual and visible principle of unity in faith and communion in the Church (882). See Pope. |
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| Papal Infallibility | The end result of divine assistance given to the Pope through which he is prevented from the possibility and liability of error in teachings involving Church dogma and articles of faith. |
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| Papal Representatives | The three types of representatives of the Roman Pontiff are: 1) Legate - An individual appointed by the Pope to be his personal representative to a nation, international conference, or local church. The legate may be chosen from the local clergy of a country. 2) Apostolic Nuncio - In the United States, the papal representative is sent by the Pope to both the local church and the government. His title is Nuncio. Although he holds the title of ambassador, under U.S. law he is not accorded the special privilege of being the dean of the diplomatic corps. In countries where he is dean of the diplomatic corps, his title is Apostolic Nuncio. 3) Permanent Observer to the United Nations - The Apostolic See maintains permanent legates below the ambassadorial level to several world organizations. Since the Papal Legate does not enjoy the right to vote within the organization, his title at the United Nations is that of Observer. |
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| Parables | A characteristic feature of the teaching of Jesus. Parables are simple images or comparisons which confront the hearer or reader with a radical choice about his invitation to enter the Kingdom of God (546). |
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| Paraclete | A name for the Holy Spirit. The term was used by Jesus in the New Testament (cf. Jn 14:16) to indicate the promised gift of the Spirit as another consoler and advocate, who would continue his own mission among the disciples (692). |
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| Paradise | The symbolic description of the condition of our first parents before the Fall, who lived in a state of friendship with God in the happiness of original justice and holiness (374, 384). Paradise also signifies heaven, the state of those who live with Christ forever in the friendship and presence of God (1023, 1721). |
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| Parish | A stable community of the faithful within a particular church or diocese, whose pastoral care is confided by the bishop to a priest as pastor (2179). |
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| Parish Administrator | when a parish is without a pastor or a pastor is unable to fulfill his pastoral responsibilities, a priest administrator is appointed by the bishop and is bound by the same obligations and enjoys the same rights as a pastor. |
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| Parish Coordinator | A deacon, religious, or lay person who is responsible for the pastoral care of a parish. The parish coordinator is in charge of the day-to-day life of the parish in the areas of worship, education, pastoral service and administration. |
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| Parish Director | this position is held by a lay person and provides spiritual leadership and pastoral care to parishioners, oversees the general operation of the parish, and coordinates the ministries of worship, education/formation, human concerns and administration. The parish director connects the local parish to neighboring churches, the diocese, and the universal Church. The director collaborates with the assisting priest assigned to help in the pastoral care of the parish and is accountable to the supervising priest assigned to oversee the pastoral care of the parish. A parish director is appointed by the archbishop. |
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| Parousia | The glorious return and appearance of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as judge of the living and the dead, at the end of time; the second coming of Christ, when history and all creation will achieve their fulfillment (1001; cf. 668, 673). |
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| Particular Church | See Diocese. |
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| Pasch/Paschal Lamb | Jesus' saving death and its memorial in the Eucharist, associated with the Jewish feast of Passover (or Pasch) commemorating the deliverance of the Jewish people from death by the blood of the lamb sprinkled on the doorposts in Egypt, which the angel of death saw and ""passed over."" Hence Jesus is acknowledged in the New Testament as the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world; he is the Paschal Lamb, the symbol of Israel's redemption at the first Passover. The Eucharist celebrates the new Passover, in which Jesus ""passes over"" to his Father by his death and resurrection, thus anticipating the final Passover of the Church in the glory of the Kingdom (571, 608, 671, 1334-1340). |
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| Paschal Mystery/Sacrifice | Christ's work of redemption accomplished principally by his Passion, death, Resurrection, and glorious Ascension, whereby ""dying he destroyed our death, rising he restored our life"" (1067; cf. 654). The Paschal Mystery is celebrated and made present in the liturgy of the Church, and its saving effects are communicated through the sacraments (1076), especially the Eucharist, which renews the paschal sacrifice of Christ as the sacrifice offered by the Church (571, 1362-1372). |
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| Passion | The suffering and death of Jesus (572, 602-616). Passion or Palm Sunday begins Holy Week, during which the annual liturgical celebration of the Paschal Mystery of Christ takes place (560). |
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| Passions, Moral | The emotions or dispositions which incline us to good or evil actions, such as love and hate, hope and fear, joy and sadness, and anger (1763). |
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| Passover | See Pasch/Paschal Lamb. |
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| Pastor | A priest appointed by a bishop to attend to the pastoral care of one or more parishes. The pastor fulfills his responsibilities in the areas of teaching, sanctifying and administration with the cooperation of and assistance from other priests as well as deacons and/or lay persons. While the ultimate responsibility for the parish ministry rests with the pastor, he relies on a parish pastoral council for assistance in pastoral planning and proposing practical conclusions about the parish's pastoral work. |
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| Pastoral Associate | A member of the laity who is part of a parish ministry team. |
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| Pastoral Council | A group of members of the parish who advise the pastor on parish matters; also called a Parish Council. |
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| Pastoral Office | The ministry of shepherding the faithful in the name of Christ. The Pope and bishops receive the pastoral office which they are to exercise with Christ the Good Shepherd as their model; they share their pastoral ministry with priests, to whom they give responsibility over a portion of the flock as pastors of parishes (886, 1560, 2179). |
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| Pastoral Team | refers to a group of priests assigned to the pastoral care of a parish or parishes with one of them as moderator. All priests who are members of the team have the same responsibilities and rights as a pastor. |
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| Paten (PAT-en) | a saucer-like disk that holds the bread that becomes the Body of Christ. |
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Catholic Glossary 
