Origins and Usage
The term arose from the monastic practice of organizing monks in very large monasteries into groups of ten, headed by a decanus, a senior monk among the ten. The term then came to be used for clerics in various positions of seniority. Rural deans were appointed to oversee sections of a diocese far removed from the bishop, who was located in the large city of the area. Although once universal, the title has been legally altered to Area Dean in certain urban Anglican dioceses where the older version had become an archaic oddity. In the Roman Catholic Church, such clerics are usually just referred to as a dean.
Read more about this topic: Rural Dean
Famous quotes containing the words origins and, origins and/or usage:
“Lucretius
Sings his great theory of natural origins and of wise conduct; Plato
smiling carves dreams, bright cells
Of incorruptible wax to hive the Greek honey.”
—Robinson Jeffers (18871962)
“Grown onto every inch of plate, except
Where the hinges let it move, were living things,
Barnacles, mussels, water weedsand one
Blue bit of polished glass, glued there by time:
The origins of art.”
—Howard Moss (b. 1922)
“Girls who put out are tramps. Girls who dont are ladies. This is, however, a rather archaic usage of the word. Should one of you boys happen upon a girl who doesnt put out, do not jump to the conclusion that you have found a lady. What you have probably found is a lesbian.”
—Fran Lebowitz (b. 1951)