kids encyclopedia robot

Priest facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Ojciec Mateusz przy ołtarzu
Roman Catholic while celebrating a mass

A priest or priestess is a person who is allowed to do religious rites. Their office or position is the priesthood, a word which can also be used for such persons collectively. In most religions and cultures in history there have been priests, although they have a lot of different names, and follow different rules.

See also: Clergy

.

In Christianity

Priests rome
Catholic priests in Rome

A priest is a member of a church that has been told to look after his (spiritual) community. He is the head of a parish.

  • Catholic priests are ordained (put in place) by the Pope (or in his absence: a bishop).
  • Orthodox priests are ordained by the Patriarch
  • Anglican priests are ordained by their bishop.
  • Most Protestant groups do not ordain priests.

To become a Catholic priest, you are required to study Theology. The Orthodox and Protestant Churches also have laymen as clergy.

Catholic priests are not allowed to marry meaning that they have to be celibate. Orthodox priests can be married, but they must not marry after they become a priest. Anglican priests can get married before or during the time they are a priest.

The Catholic Church does not allow women to become priests. However, some Anglican Churches allow women to be priests.

Higher priests are called Bishops and Archbishops in the Anglican Church. John Sentamua and Rowan Williams are the archbishops of York and Canterbury. In some denominations only men can become priests.

The Orthodox Church has a higher priest called a Patriarch. The Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, like the Roman Catholic Church has a Pope, Pope Tawadras.

Protestantism

Many Protestant churches have ministers or pastors instead of priests.

Japan

In Japan there are Buddhist priests and nuns, Shinto priests and priestesses as well as clergy in the Christian traditions.

Images for kids

  • Vajracharya priest

    A vajracharya (thunderbolt-carrier), a Newar Buddhist priest

  • Bronze egyptian priest (6th century B.C.) - Ephesus Museum

    Bronze statue of an Egyptian priest, 6th c. BCE, Ephesus Archaeological Museum

  • Romans murdering Druids and burning their groves cropped

    Roman soldiers murdering druids and burning their groves on Anglesey, as described by Tacitus

  • Synagoge, Enschede, Mozaiek

    Kohanim's hands: Priestly Blessing gesture depicted on a mosaic in the synagogue of Enschede

  • Priest in vestments

    A Catholic priest wearing vestments for Holy Mass

  • Georgischer Priester

    Eastern Orthodox priest wearing epitrachelion (stole) and epimanikia (cuffs), Mtskheta, Republic of Georgia

  • Orthodox priest family

    Married Eastern Orthodox priest from Jerusalem with his family (three generations), circa 1893

  • Choirhabit

    An Anglican priest in choir dress

  • Strängnäs Cathedral interior

    A Lutheran priest of the Church of Sweden prepares for the celebration of Mass in Strängnäs Cathedral

  • Priesthood03080u

    1898 depiction of the Restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood

  • Soothsayer-outside-of-Changchun-Temple-0352

    A fortune-telling Taoist priest with a customer outside of Changchun Temple, Wuhan

  • Yasaka-jinja 01

    Shinto priest and priestess in Japan

  • Wiccan priestess preaching, USA

    Wiccan priestess preaching in the United States

  • Kruisheren 1964 Canons Regular of the Order Sanctae Crucis

    Some clergy and religious, such as these, who are Canons Regular of the Order of the Holy Cross and live in the Netherlands, wear distinctive clothing which distinguishes them from other clergy, whether secular or religious.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Sacerdote para niños

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Priest Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.