a clergyman in Christian churches who has the authority to perform or administer various religious rites; one of the Holy Orders
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a person who performs religious duties and ceremonies in a non-Christian religion
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Priest \Priest\, n. [OE. prest, preost, AS. pre['o]st, fr. L. presbyter, Gr. ? elder, older, n., an elder, compar. of ? an old man, the first syllable of which is probably akin to L. pristinus. Cf. {Pristine}, {Presbyter}.] 1. (Christian Church) A presbyter elder; a minister; specifically: (a) (R. C. Ch. & Gr. Ch.) One who is authorized to consecrate the host and to say Mass; but especially, one of the lowest order possessing this power. --Murdock. (b) (Ch. of Eng. & Prot. Epis. Ch.) A presbyter; one who belongs to the intermediate order between bishop and deacon. He is authorized to perform all ministerial services except those of ordination and confirmation.
2. One who officiates at the altar, or performs the rites of sacrifice; one who acts as a mediator between men and the divinity or the gods in any form of religion; as, Buddhist priests. ``The priests of Dagon.'' --1 Sam. v. 5.
Then the priest of Jupiter . . . brought oxen and garlands . . . and would have done sacrifice with the people. --Acts xiv. 13.
Every priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. --Heb. v. 1.
Note: In the New Testament presbyters are not called priests; but Christ is designated as a priest, and as a high priest, and all Christians are designated priests.
Priest \Priest\, v. t. To ordain as priest.
Presbyter \Pres"by*ter\, n. [L. an elder, fr. Gr. ?. See {Priest}.] 1. An elder in the early Christian church. See 2d Citation under {Bishop}, n., 1.
2. (Ch. of Eng. & Prot. Epis. Ch.) One ordained to the second order in the ministry; -- called also {priest}.
I rather term the one sort presbyter than priest. --Hooker.
New presbyter is but old priest writ large. --Milton.
3. (Presbyterian Ch.) A member of a presbytery whether lay or clerical.
4. A Presbyterian. [Obs.] --Hudibras.
A Roman Catholic priest who celebrated his last Mass as an inner-city pastor said he saw a new beginning in the merger of his church with another one closed by the Detroit Archdiocese.
Guerrillas armed with assault rifles killed a West German priest when he tried to rescue another missionary who was being attacked with a hatchet, a church spokesman said Wednesday.
The National Liberation Army is led by a defrocked priest and inspired by the teachings of Fidel Castro.
Many followers believe the 35-year-old Roman Catholic priest is a prophet.
The head priest's predecessor and four other Sikh high priests, who were jailed during the operation, remain in custody.
At the center of this debate is Father Carroll, 50, a baby-faced priest and unlikely hero for the homeless.
"Danes either identified with Spies or the priest," says Gunther Weirup, a West German aerospace executive who is familiar with both concerns.
John Gielgud's Friar Lawrence was even better than one might have forecast, perfect verse-speaking blended with a three-dimensional characterisation of this amenable priest.
The Rev. Mario Picchi, a Catholic priest who runs a string of rehabilitation centers, believes users should not be placed in the same category as pushers.
"After today, the bishop has told us that we cannot have a priest and a Eucharist celebrated on Sunday morning," Corley said. "We will be following the bishop's directive over the next 40 days.
The New York Post said Wednesday that Ritter's fourth accuser, Paul Johnson, 33, came forward after it reported Dec. 12 on allegations against the priest by an ex-prostitute, Kevin Kite.
In the meantime, she told us how to find the Jewish graveyard and the residence of the parish priest. A soft August rain was falling but we decided to walk to the cemetery rather than drive.
When he speaks, a German central banker combines the moral authority of a high priest with the fire-power of a general.
"What do we do on Sunday if there is no priest?
The priest celebrating Mass has been critical of Haiti's military regime.
To show their death in full publicity, that's just not done." The revolt against Ceausescu began in the western city of Timisoara, when people linked hands around the priest's home to prevent him from being taken away.
Officials had already blamed the group for the kidnappings of Donnelly, Kent and the priest, Rev. Francisco Amico Ferrari, who was abducted early Thursday.
About 300 people attended the service, and scores of parishioners lined up in the church's reception hall afterwards to be blessed by the new priest.
The former parish priest of an Irish nationalist who was shot dead from an army observation tower said Monday that police and soldiers harrassed the victim for several years.
A gay Episcopal priest who caused an uproar with his comments on celibacy and monogamy says he will not honor a request that he refrain from priestly duties while the diocese investigates his views.
The woman, 27-year-old Vicki R. Long, sued the church for paternity payments stemming from her alleged relationship with a third priest.
"The failed Putsch attempt will lead to a rapid radicalization of reform," predicts Gleb Yakunin, a Russian Orthodox priest and reform-minded member of the Russian Parliament.
"Dali has come home to his roots," said Narciso Costabella, the priest who will officiate at the funeral Mass.
So far, the only clues to these mysterious people are a four-ton stele, or stone slab, covered with hieroglyphic writing and a 19-inch-high clay figure of a fertility-rite priest.
Radio Soleil, the Roman Catholic station, said Joseph inherited the land from Zacharie Delva, an infamous voodoo priest and spiritual adviser to Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier, who ruled Haiti from 1957 until his death in 1971.
"The title of priest is just a title.
His retirement pay let him fulfill his ambition to become an Episcopalian priest, and that led him to Abaco, Bahamas.
The Rev. George Clements, a Chicago priest who's fasting with Gregory, lost 39 pounds.
He also thought no one would want to read stories by a priest.
Each time, the Anglican priest asked to come to Washington to meet Reagan administration officials.