A.D. |
Anno Domini,
or "Year of Our Lord". This is used to indicate a date that occurred after
Christ's birth, such as "A.D. 1976". Note that the "A.D." comes before the
date, not after.
This dating system, along with the use of "B.C." for "Before Christ," used
to be standard in the Western world; but secularism has replaced "A.D." with
"C.E." for "Common Era" (and "B.C." with "B.C.E." for "Before Common Era"),
thereby removing reference to Christ. Catholics should not give in to this!
By the way, the calendar system that gave rise to the use of "A.D." and "B.C."
was begun by St. Denis the Little, a.k.a. Dionysius Exiguus, (6th c.). The
Venerable Bede (A.D. 672/3-735) popularized this usage. |
A.M. |
Ave Maria,
or "Hail Mary" |
A.M.D.G. |
Ad Majorem
Dei Gloriam, or "For the greater glory of God." This is the Jesuit motto,
beloved by St. Ignatius of Loyola. |
Athanasius contra
mundum |
"Athanasius
against the world." This phrase refers to St. Athanasius' brave stand against
the Arian heresy of the 4th c. when the vast majority of Bishops -- even
Pope Liberius himself -- succumbed to heresy. St. Athanasius was even
excommunicated for his orthodoxy, but was later exonerated and canonized.
The full phrase is, "If the world goes against Truth, then Athanasius goes
against the world." The story of St. Athanasius is a good "check" on papolatry
and the errors of false obedience. His words to the faithful are good solace
for traditional Catholics today who watch Novus Ordo-ites destroy church
buildings, trash the liturgy, and preach lies:
"May God console
you!... What saddens you ... is the fact that others [Arian heretics] have
occupied the churches by violence, while during this time you are on the
outside. It is a fact that they have the premises -- but you have the apostolic
Faith. They can occupy our churches, but they are outside the true Faith.
You remain outside the places of worship, but the faith dwells within you.
Let us consider: what is more important, the place or the Faith? The true
Faith, obviously."
|
B.C. |
Before Christ
(see "A.D."). While "A.D." comes before the date, "B.C." comes after the
date, ex. one writes "A.D. 1976" but "242 B.C." |
Benedicere,
Laudare, Praedicare |
"To bless,
to praise, to preach." One of the mottoes of the Dominican Order. |
B.M. |
Bonae Memoriae,
or "Of Happy Memory" |
B.V.M.
|
Blessed Virgin
Mary |
| Christus
A.O.M.P.S. Defendit |
Christus Ab
Omni Malo Plebem Suam Defendat (“Christ defends His people against every
evil”) |
Christus resurrexit!
|
Christ is risen!
This greeting is used during the Easter Octave. The response is "Vere resurrexit"
("He is risen indeed!"). |
Christus vincit,
Christus regnat, Christus imperat |
Christ conquers,
Christ reigns, Christ commands |
Contemplare
et Contemplata aliis Tradere |
"To Contemplate
and hand on to others the fruit of our contemplation." One of the mottoes
of the Dominican Order. |
C.S.S.M.L. |
"Crux sacra
sit mihi lux" (Holy Cross be my light). This appears on the St. Benedict
Medal. |
Deus Meus et
Omnia |
"My God and
My All." Motto of the Franciscan Order. |
Deus non
inridetur |
"God is not
mocked" |
Deus
vult! |
"God wills
it!" Motto of the Crusades. |
D.G. |
Dei Gratia,
or "By the Grace of God" |
D.N. |
Dominus Noster,
or "Our Lord" |
D.N.J.C.
|
Dominus Noster
Jesus Christus, "Our Lord Jesus Christ" |
Dominus
vobiscum |
The Lord be
with you (plural "you"). These words are sung many times by the priest during
the Mass. The choir's response to them is "Et cum spiritu tuo," which means
"And with thy spirit." If you want to tell a single person "May the Lord
be with you, the form would be "Dominus tecum." |
D.V. |
Deo volente,
or "God willing" |
Ecce Agnus
Dei |
"Behold the
Lamb of God." St. John the
Baptist's words. The full phrase is "Ecce Agnus Dei qui tollit peccata
mundi" (Behold the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world). These
words are said at Mass after the Consecration, when the priest holds up the
Blessed Sacrament for us to adore. See John 1:29. |
Ecce
Homo |
"Behold the
Man." These are the words of Pontius Pilate as he presents Our Lord, crowned
with thorns, to the crowd. See John 19:5. |
E. V. |
The letters
stand for "Ex voto" and denote a votive
offering. |
Extra Ecclesiam
Nulla Salus |
"Outside the
Church there is no salvation." Often abbreviated "EENS" in Catholic discussion
groups. |
Fel. Mem.
|
Felicis Memoriae,
or "Of Happy Memory," written after the name of a dead person, e.g. "Pope
St. Pius X, Fel. Mem., was one of the greatest Popes of all time." |
Gloria in
excélsis Deo |
"Glory to God
in the highest." These are the words of the angels announcing the Nativity
to the shepherds. The full phrase is "Glory to God in the highest: and on
earth peace to men of good will" -- commonly misinterpreted on Christmas
cards (and in the King James Version of the Bible) as "Glory to God in the
highest, and on earth peace, good will to men." This misinterpretation has
serious theological consequences as it leads one to believe that peace is
owed to all men, regardless of their will. See Luke 2:14. |
Habemus
Papam! |
"We have a
Pope!" Said after a new Pope is elected. |
H. H. |
His Holiness
(referring to a Pope) |
IC XC |
Jesus Christ
(from the Greek) |
IHS |
Monogram of
Jesus's Name. Many believe the letters mean "Iesus Hominum Salvator" ("Jesus
Saviour of Men") or "In His Service." These are false interpretations, but
common nonetheless. This monogram is iconographically associated, too, with
St. Bernardine of Siena, St. John Capistran, St. Vincent Ferrer, and the
Jesuit Order. Sometimes also written as "IHC" or "JHS." |
In hoc signo
crucis vinces |
"In this sign
you will conquer." This is the Latin translation of the Greek words, TOUTO
NIKA, seen by Constantine in his vision, along with the Chi-Rho. |
I.N.R.I.
|
"Iesus Nazarenus
Rex Iudeorum" -- "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews." This was the sign
placed on the top of Jesus' Cross. See Matthew 27:37, Mark 15:26, Luke 23:38
and John 19:19. |
i.p.i.
|
in partibus
infidelium, or "among the infidels" |
I.X. |
In Christo,
or "In Christ" |
Jesu cum Maria
sit nobis in via |
"May Jesus
with Mary be with us on the way." One of Christopher Columbus's favorite
prayers. |
JHS |
see IHS |
J.M.J.
|
"Jesus, Mary
and Joseph." You will find this most often written, centered, on the tops
of correspondence, articles, essays, etc., sometimes with the letters separated
by Crosses. Catholic schoolchildren write the initials of the Holy Family
across the top of their homework papers. |
Kyrie
eleison |
Lord, have
mercy (Greek). This phrase, combined with "Christe eleison" and sung nine
times in the traditional Mass, is the only Greek to be found in the Latin
Mass. |
Laudetur Iesus
Christus! |
"Praise be
to Jesus Christ!" This is an indulgenced Christian greeting. The response
is "In aeternum!" ("For evermore!") |
Lex credendi
legem statuat supplicandi |
"Let the rule
of belief determine the rule of prayer." This is more liturgically accurate
than the more commonly seen "Lex orandi, Lex credendi" ("the law of prayer
determines the law of faith"), which was condemned by Pope Pius XII in his
Encyclical "Mediator Dei" (paragraphs 46-48). The latter, to use the words
of His Holiness, inaccurately assumes that the "sacred liturgy is a kind
of proving ground for the truths to be held of faith, meaning by this that
the Church is obliged to declare such a doctrine sound when it is found to
have produced fruits of piety and sanctity through the sacred rites of the
liturgy, and to reject it otherwise." Instead, the rule of belief determines
prayer. |
Lex orandi,
Lex credendi |
See above |
Mala lex, nulla
lex |
"A bad law
is no law" (St. Thomas Aquinas) |
Mea culpa, mea
culpa, mea maxima culpa |
"Through my
fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault." These words are
part of the Confiteor at Mass, and are spoken as one beats one's breast three
times in penance. |
MR QU |
Greek acronym
for "Meter Theou" or "Mother of God." Often seen in icons. |
Name |
While not an
abbreviation, it is important to know that Catholics capitalize the word
"name" when referring to God (e.g., "His Name is Jesus") and the word "face"
when referring to the Face of Christ. We also usually capitalize pronouns
referring to Jesus to emphasize His divinity (e.g., "He said to His
disciples..."), and words referring to the Blessed Sacrament (e.g., "Blood,"
"Body," etc.). |
N.D. |
Notre Dame,
French for "Our Lady" |
NIKA |
Greek for "Victor."
Often seen in icons along with "IC XC" to indicate "Jesus Christ,
Victor" |
Noli Me tangere
|
"Touch Me not."
These are the words of Jesus to Mary
Magdalen after He rose from the grave. See John 20:17. |
Non nobis Domine,
sed Tuo Nomine da gloriam |
"Not to us,
O Lord, but to Thy Name give glory." Motto of the Militia of the Temple,
Poor Knights of Christ. Formerly the motto of the Knights Templar, now defunct
as it was dissolved by an Apostolic Decree -- a Bull of 22 March, 1312 --
written by Pope Clement V. |
Non sum
dignus |
"I am not worthy."
With Mike Meyers's "Wayne World" and its "we're not worthy" catchphrase,
you might hear this one relatively often as a joking reference to that. The
words come from the prayer of the Roman centurion, and are said at Mass before
receiving Communion. The full prayer is "Dómine, non sum dignus ut
intres sub tectum meum, sed tantum dic verbo, et sanábitur ánima
mea." (Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter under my roof, but
only say the word, and my soul shall be healed."). See Matthew 8:8 and Luke
7:6. |
O.L. |
Our Lady |
Ora et
Labora |
"Prayer and
Work." One of the mottoes of the Benedictine Order and of the Trappists. |
Ora pro
nobis |
Pray for us
(addressing one person, as in "Maria, ora pro nobis"). To address more than
one person, use "Orate pro nobis," as in "Maria et Ioseph, orate pro
nobis." |
O wN |
Greek for Christ's
title "The One Who Is" or "I am" (Exodus 3:14, Apocalypse 4:8). Pronounced
"Oh own." Often seen in icons. |
Pax |
Peace. One
of the mottoes of the Benedictine Order. |
Pax Christi
|
Peace of
Christ |
Pax et Bonum
|
Peace and all
Good |
Pax
vobiscum |
"Peace be with
you" (plural). The singular would be "Pax tecum." |
Per Matrem ad
Filium |
"Through the
Mother to the Son." The motto of the Marianist Order. |
Quo
vadis? |
"Where are
You going?" These are the words of Pope St. Peter to Jesus, according to
a legend. St. Peter tried to flee his persecution in Rome, but met Jesus
on the Appian Way. He asked Him, "Dómine, quo vadis?" (Lord, where
are You going?). Jesus answered, "Eo Romam iterum crucifigi" (I go to Rome
to be crucified anew). There is a church there today that marks the spot
where this is said to have happened. The church is named "Chiesa di Santa
Maria in Palmis," but is better known as "Chiesa del Domine Quo Vadis" or
simply the "Quo Vadis Church." |
Residuum revertetur!
|
"The Remnant
shall return!" This saying applies to the Truth that throughout History,
a remnant has always remained faithful to God in spite of the corruption
and lapses into paganism of their leaders |
R.I.P.
|
Requiescat
In Pace, or "May he or she rest in peace." The plural is "Requiescant in
pace" ("May they rest in peace"). |
Roma locuta
est,
causa finita est |
"Rome has spoken,
the matter is finished." This is a paraphrase of St. Augustine's "jam enim
de hac causa duo concilia missa sunt ad sedem apostolicam; inde etiam rescripta
venerunt; causa finita est" ("for already on this matter two councils have
sent to the Apostolic See, whence also rescripts have come. The cause is
finished"), found in his Sermon 131.10. He was writing in response to the
fact that Pope St. Innocent I confirmed the Council of Carthage and the Council
of Mileve (both in A.D. 416), both of which condemned Pelagianism, the heresy
which denied Grace and Original Sin. |
S.A.G.
 |
"St. Anthony
Guide." This short prayer asking
St. Anthony to guide a
correspondence to its destination is written on the backs of letters and
envelopes, etc., and is often used in wax seals, ink stamps, and the like.
It stems from St. Anthony's intercession, in A.D. 1729, in the case of a
woman whose merchant husband had gone from their home in Oviedo, Spain to
Peru on business. The wife had written her spouse letters, but received no
reply. She then asked St. Anthony to intercede for her. Trusting completely
in the power of God working through His most faithful St. Anthony, she wrote
a letter to her husband and took it to Oviedo's Fransican church to place
it in the hands of St. Anthony's statue, asking that the Saint see to it
that her husband got the letter. She returned to the church later to find
a reply from her husband and several gold pieces in the statue's hands. The
husband's letter noted that he received the wife's letter from the hands
of a Franciscan priest. |
S.D. |
Servus Dei,
or "Servant of God" |
Sic transit
gloria mundi |
"Thus passes
the glory of the world." A reminder of mortality and the importance of storing
up treasure in Heaven rather than earth. This phrase is repeated to newly-elected
Popes just before their first Papal Mass in order to keep themm focused on
what is important and to remind themm that, though they are the Vicars of
Christ, they are just men. |
TLM |
Traditional
Latin Mass |
Tuitio Fidei
et Obsequium Pauperum |
"To defend
the faith and to serve the poor." Motto of the Knights of Malta. |
U.I.O.G.D |
That God may
be glorified in all things (Ut In Omnibus Glorificetur Deus). One of the
mottoes of the Benedictine Order. |
Urbi et
Orbi |
"For the City
(Rome) and the world." When these words are found in a papal document, it
means that the document is meant not only for Rome, but for the entire world.
These words are also the name of a papal blessing given from the balconies
of major Roman basilicas at solemn occasions, such as papal coronations,
the annual Easter blessing, etc. |
Veritas |
Truth. One
of the mottoes of the Dominican Order. |
V.G.F.A. |
"Votum Fecit
Gratiam Accepit" -- "Vow made, graces received." The abbreviation for this
phrase is often seen on votive
offerings. |
¡Viva Cristo
Rey! |
Long live Christ
the King! (Spanish). This was the battle cry of those who fought to defend
Catholic culture against Communism in the Spanish Civil War, and of the Mexican
"Cristeros" who fought for the same cause during the Mexican Revolution,
the Masonic-Bolshevik takeover of their country which led to the suppression
of Catholicism and the massacre of priests, religious and laymen. The Spanish
upside-down exclamation mark is made by holding the ALT KEY while typing
0161 on your number pad. |
Viva il Papa!
|
Long live the
Pope! (Italian) |
Vive Christus
Rex! |
Long live Christ
the King! (You may see this also as "Vivat Christus Rex," but I've been informed
that the use of the subjunctive, "vivat," would be used on birthdays of living
men, such as a wish for their longevity, while the imperative, "vive," is
best for ceremonies celebrating the coronation of a monarch or other ceremonies
celebrating his reign.) |
Zelo Zelatus
Sum Pro Domino Deo Exercituum |
"With Zeal
have I been Zealous for the Lord God of Hosts." The motto of the Carmelite
Order. |
†
|
Cross character
made thusly:
Turn Number Lock (Num Lock) Key on, press ALT key and hold down while typing
0134 on your Number Pad (the HTML is: † )
Crosses should not be used with signatures made by a layman; they are used
by Bishops (who place the Cross before the signature) and priests (who place
the Cross after the signature) and convey a blessing in the Name of
Jesus. |
+ |
Greek Cross,
made by a plus sign. (See above entry, too). |
+-(:-) |
The Pope emoticon,
made with a plus sign, a dash, left parenthesis, colon, dash, and right
parenthesis |
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