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50 Church Roles Trivia Questions, Answers, and Fun Facts

How much do you know about Church Roles? This category is for trivia questions and answers related to Church Roles (Religion). Each one is filled with fun facts and interesting information.
Related Questions & Answers:   Roman Catholicism   
1 Who, otherwise known as the Reader, is the person who reads from the Lectionary in the liturgical assembly?
Answer: Lector

Although the Lector reads the first and second readings in the Mass, only a Deacon or Priest may read the Gospel.
  From Quiz: Ten Roles in the Catholic Mass
2 What is the typical "dress code" of Cistercian monks, commonly known as Trappists?
Answer: a black apron or scapular over a white robe

Benedictine monks (also known as Black Monks) wear "black on black".
Cistercian monks criticised their luxury of having "black dyed" robes
and replaced those black robes with cream-coloured robes of undyed sheep's wool. Yet, out of respect for their ultimate founder St. Benedictine, they kept the black scapular.
  From Quiz: Priests, Monks, Nuns And Other Saintly Stuff
3 Who is responsible for electing the new Pope?
Answer: College of Cardinals

The new Pope is chosen by the College of Cardinals, usually from within the group of Cardinals. The last time a Pope was elected from outside the College of Cardinals was in 1378. In a secret meeting, called a Conclave, they decide who is to fill the vacancy of the Holy See.
  From Quiz: Electing A Pope
4 Which people can serve as Ordinary Ministers of Holy Communion at Mass?
Answer: Deacon, Priest, Bishop

Deacons, Priests and Bishops are ordained clergy in the Catholic Church. They are the ordinary ministers of Holy Communion. Instituted acolytes are also ordinary ministers of Holy Communion, but in most parishes, instituted acolytes do not exist.
    Your options: [ Sacristan, Priest, Bishop ] [ Lector, Deacon, Priest ] [ Deacon, Priest, Bishop ] [ Priest, Bishop, Pope ]
  From Quiz: Ministry in the Catholic Church
5 What early Rule for monks was written in the 6th century and has been the most significant guide for Roman Catholic monks up to this day?
Answer: The Rule of St. Benedict

St. Benedict of Nursia became tired of the lack of morality in Rome and left around 500 AD to live as a monk. After many trials he founded the monastery of Monte Cassino in about 534 AD and soon after he wrote his Rule. It combined the needs of a monk to pursue God as an individual with the necessary demands of a stable community life. Today St. Benedict is considered to be the Father of Western Monasticism.

The many Christian principles that are found within the Rules of St. Augustine, St. Pachomius, and St. Basil all inspired Benedict when he wrote his Rule.
  From Quiz: Roman Catholic Monks
6 Who is the chief singer and is in charge of leading the singing?
Answer: Cantor

In the Divine Office, the Cantor intones the antiphones and starts the songs.
  From Quiz: Ten Roles in the Catholic Mass
7 What does the term "Camaldulenses" refer to in the world of the Church?
Answer: a joint order of hermits and cenobites founded at the Camaldoli hermitage

The Camaldulenses were founded by St. Romuald at the beginning of the eleventh century. The Bogomils were Bulgarian heretics (early 12th century).
  From Quiz: Priests, Monks, Nuns And Other Saintly Stuff
8 Where do Papal Elections take place?
Answer: Sistine Chapel

Meeting in the Sistine Chapel, the College of Cardinals traditionally uses secret ballots to choose the new pontiff. There have been times when the elections were conducted by the cardinals saying their choice out loud, but this is a rare occurence.
  From Quiz: Electing A Pope
9 People who (usually) belong to a religious order and try to live out the charism(s) of that order in service to the Church are called by what title?
Answer: Consecrated Religious

Consecrated Religious are vowed men (Brothers, Friars, Monks, and in some cases, Priests) and women (Sisters or Nuns) who usually belong to a particular religious order. Some examples of religious orders are the Dominicans, the Franciscans, and the Benedictines.
  From Quiz: Ministry in the Catholic Church
10 What is the name for the group of singers who perform the music during the Mass?
Answer: Choir

Choir is also the name given to define the Orders of Angels, hence a Choir of Angels. The Orders of Angels include Cherubim and Seraphim.
  From Quiz: Ten Roles in the Catholic Mass
11 What does the Church understand by "cephalophorous" saints?
Answer: saints represented as carrying their heads under their arms

"Cefalo" is Greek for "head". And "phorous" relates to "phorein" , the equivalent of Latin "ferre": to bear. Compare "Christo-phorous" the Greek for Christ-bearer (vide. the legend of St. Christopher).
  From Quiz: Priests, Monks, Nuns And Other Saintly Stuff
12 At what age are Cardinals excluded from participating in the electoral process?
Answer: 80

In 1975, Pope Paul VI decreed that no Cardinal over the age of 80 was eligible to participate in papal elections. He made this rule in an addendum to the Church's Constitution entitled "Romano Pontifico Eligendo".
  From Quiz: Electing A Pope
13 The person at Mass who usually leads the congregation in song is called by what title?
Answer: Cantor

The ministry of Cantor is exercised when someone who has the gift of singing and gift of leading others in song, does so in service to the assembly.
  From Quiz: Ministry in the Catholic Church
14 How are cenobites and eremites different?
Answer: Cenobites live in community and eremites live in solitude.

Eremites, who can also be considered hermits, were the first type of monk and their tradition started in the Egyptian deserts. St. Pachomius is given the credit for having begun the first communities of monks or monasteries in the third century. He was called "Abbe" by his community brothers, a word which means "father". From this word came the word "abbot", which is what the head of all monasteries came to be called.
  From Quiz: Roman Catholic Monks
15 What role in the Catholic Mass is not played by a mere mortal?
Answer: God

Although God took human form, He is the only supernatural role in the Catholic Mass. He is considered to play a fundamental role in the Catholic Mass, especially in the sacrament of the Eucharist, and the perception of his role can vary from individual to individual.
  From Quiz: Ten Roles in the Catholic Mass
16 What is the maximum number of Cardinal Electors permitted to elect the Pope?
Answer: 120

For this reason, and in order to abide by the above mentioned rule, only 120 clergymen younger than age 80 are allowed to be raised to the level of Cardinal at any one time. Of course, papal conclaves can occur with fewer than 120 voting cardinals.
  From Quiz: Electing A Pope
17 Although these volunteers do not play an official role in the Mass, they are important in many modern-day churches. These people are sometimes referred to as Ushers. What is their other name?
Answer: Greeter

The Greeters are not only responsible for welcoming people as they enter, but also take up the collection as well.
  From Quiz: Ten Roles in the Catholic Mass
18 Traditionally, how is the Pope's death verified?
Answer: Calling his name three times

The Pope's death is verified by the Cardinal Camerlengo calling his baptismal name three times without a response. Traditionally, the Pope's forehead is also tapped with a small mallet. At this point, a death certificate is prepared and the Cardinal Camerlengo prepares for the funeral and burial of the Pope. He also prepares for the election process and the conclave.
  From Quiz: Electing A Pope
19 Serving those in need, especially the poor, is an integral part of the mission of the Catholic Church. At the parish level, those who participate in this ministry are generally referred to as being involved in what ministry?
Answer: Outreach

Outreach to those in need, particularly the poor and vulnerable, is at the heart of ministry within the Catholic Church. Many parishes exercise the ministry of Outreach to help address the needs of the poor, and often to empower those who are poor and vulnerable.
  From Quiz: Ministry in the Catholic Church
20 In 1084 St. Bruno started a quiet but highly respected monastic order that survives to this day. This order is known as what?
Answer: the Carthusians

The Carthusians are named for the Chartreuse mountains in the French Alps where St. Bruno built his original hermitage. The monks are split into two groups: (1) the choir monks (who are priests or are studying to be so) that spend their lives mostly in the solitude of their cells, and (2) the lay brothers who quietly work the various tasks needed to be performed around the monastery.

The Camaldolese were founded by St. Romuald around 1012; this order exists today in both monasteries and hermitages.

The Carmelites were founded in the 12th Century on Mount Carmel as a group of hermits, supposedly by one St. Bertold. Today they continue to serve God, although more so as nuns than as monks.

Lastly, the Friars Minor were begun by St. Francis as poor mendicants but not as monks.
  From Quiz: Roman Catholic Monks
21 What is the name for a layperson who has been trained to administer the Sacrament of Communion?
Answer: Eucharistic Minister

Extraordinary Eucharistic Ministers can be trained to administer the Bread and Wine at Mass. They also help the Priest (an Ordinary Eucharistic Minister) put the Sacrament away at the end of the service, in what is called the Tabernacle.
  From Quiz: Ten Roles in the Catholic Mass
22 In Jesuit churches you often will find the letters I.H.S. as a symbolic and decorative element. What is the true origin of those letters?
Answer: Three first letters of the name of Jesus in Greek

Jesus Hominum Salvator is a later Latin re-interpretation, and means s "Jesus is the Saviour of Mankind".The first use of IHS was as a monogram of the three first letters of the name of Jesus (in Greek). In Hoc Signo Vinces is the inscription which Constantine claimed to have seen in a cross of light, just before he was to fight a decisive battle. Another famous "monogram" were the two first letters in Greek of "Christos": CHI(X)- RO(P).
Jesus Habemus Socium would mean: we have Jesus as our companion.
  From Quiz: Priests, Monks, Nuns And Other Saintly Stuff
23 An Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion is someone who is trained and formally commissioned to distribute Communion to the assembly. This minister is typically what sort of person?
Answer: Lay Person

Where there is a shortage of Ordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (bishop, priest, deacon, or instituted acolyte), others may be commissioned in this ministry as approved by local ecclesial authority. (Technically, nuns or sisters are lay people, in that they are not ordained ministers of the Church.)
  From Quiz: Ministry in the Catholic Church
24 Who is the most common Celebrant of the Catholic Mass, and consecrates and offers the Body and Blood of Christ in the Mass?
Answer: Priest

The Apostles were the first Priests of the Catholic church.
  From Quiz: Ten Roles in the Catholic Mass
25 What colour is the cassock worn by Cardinals?
Answer: red

White is for the Pope and purple for bishops.
  From Quiz: Priests, Monks, Nuns And Other Saintly Stuff
26 What color of smoke rises from the chapel's chimney once a new Pope has been chosen?
Answer: white

During each election, the Cardinals write the name of their candidate on paper ballots. After each election, the ballots are burned. If a new Pope has not been chosen, straw is burned with the ballots in order to create black smoke. If a decision has been made, the paper is treated so that it will burn white. At this point, the world knows that a new Pope has been chosen.
  From Quiz: Electing A Pope
27 According to local custom, females or males may participate in which liturgical ministry that is specifically designated to assist the Priest or Bishop with practicalities during the celebration of the Mass?
Answer: Altar server

An altar server is usually a boy or girl or other person (adult) who assists the priest or bishop at Mass. In the United States, a local bishop has the authority to allow males or females to minister in this role. There are also instituted acolytes (male only), who, through a rite of the Church, are authorized to serve in this role.
    Your options: [ Sacristan ] [ Deacon ] [ Altar server ] [ Catechist ]
  From Quiz: Ministry in the Catholic Church
28 What group of people, appointed to the position by a bishop, serve at the Mass and help the Celebrant with various tasks?
Answer: Acolytes

Acolytes can also serve at Vespers and other liturgical functions.
  From Quiz: Ten Roles in the Catholic Mass
29 How many votes must a Cardinal receive before he is elected as Supreme Pontiff?
Answer: two-thirds majority

During the first 30 elections, a two-thirds majority is required. If, after 30 attempts to elect a Pope a candidate has not been selected, a simple majority (51%) is all that is needed.
  From Quiz: Electing A Pope
30 When was the Roman Catholic Order of St. Benedict formed as an internationally united order?
Answer: 1893 A.D.

Pope Leo XIII created the Benedictine Confederation, or Order, in 1883. Although St. Benedict wrote his widely used Rule in about 535 A.D., it had each monastery acting autonomously. Today the Benedictine Order works to support other monasteries within their Confederation while respecting each monastery's right of self government.
  From Quiz: Roman Catholic Monks
31 Which person may prepare the altar for Mass and clean the vessels afterward, bless rosaries and lead funeral vigils, but may not consecrate the Bread and Wine?
Answer: Deacon

The role of Deacons is to assist Priests in preaching, the conferral of Baptism, the performance of Marriage, the administration of parishes, and similar duties.
    Your options: [ Priest ] [ Acolyte ] [ Eucharistic Minister ] [ Deacon ]
  From Quiz: Ten Roles in the Catholic Mass
32 What is a Canon in the Roman-Catholic Church?
Answer: A priest who has been rewarded with a title for long and dedicated service.

At first a Dean or Decanus was the head of exactly ten parishes. Later the head of "a number of parishes". A Canon need not be specialized in Canon Law. The title of Canon has been called the only "meliorative" of a non-ens because in the structure of the Church they hardly have a clearly defined function apart from being "key advisers to the bishop". They also are entitled to giving their advice on the choice of new bishops but in those roles they are far from exclusive. Whether they can be called the only loose cannon of the Catholic Church is another matter.
  From Quiz: Priests, Monks, Nuns And Other Saintly Stuff
33 Who chooses the name for the newly-elected Pope?
Answer: Himself

Once a candidate has been selected, he is asked if he accepts his election to the Papal Throne. If so, he then selects the name by which he will be called as Pope. The tradition of choosing a papal name originates from several ideas. As early as the Sixth Century, a priest named Mercurius took the name of John II, not wishing to keep his pagan birth name once he ascended the Papal Throne. Gregory V, elected in 996, was a German whose birth name was Bruno. Other stories mention the papacy of Pope Sergius IV, who reigned from 1009-1012. His birth name was Peter, and legend has it that he did not wish to be compared to St. Peter, the original Pope. Whatever the reason, it has been centuries since any Pope retained his birth name once accepting election.
  From Quiz: Electing A Pope
34 Vatican II, in its Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium), said these people are called to holiness. And, that quest for holiness should lead to ministry of some type in the church and/or in the world. Which people was the Council describing?
Answer: All of these

All Catholics are called to holiness, each in their own particular vocations. Whether they be married, single, ordained, non-ordained, consecrated religious, bankers, teachers, administrators, construction workers, etc., they are all called to participate in the mission of Jesus. That mission is to transform the world to Christ - to help bring about the Kingdom of God. All ministry, whether it be official church ministries (ordained or non-ordained) - or ministries as parents, friends, teachers, students, authors, etc. - affords the baptized an opportunity to be the hands of Christ to all God's people wherever they are.
    Your options: [ Lay People ] [ Clergy ] [ All of these ] [ Consecrated Men and Women ]
  From Quiz: Ministry in the Catholic Church
35 What twentieth-century American monk helped to bring a positive perspective to Roman Catholic monasticism through his prolific spiritual writings?
Answer: Thomas Merton

Thomas Merton lived a life without much moral focus as a youth, he had a conversion as a young man that brought to him a great desire to serve the Lord. Eventually he became a Trappist at Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky, where he wrote numerous Christ-centered books until his death in 1968.

Denis the Carthusian lived in the fourteenth century in Belgium and was also a great writer who is especially respected for his mystical theology.

Joesph C. Martin was a priest in the state of Maryland who had given his life to especially help people who suffered from drug and alcohol addiction. Sadly he passed shortly before this quiz was written.

Fulton J. Sheen was an American bishop who had used both his radio and television shows to bring people to Christ through his intelligence and charisma.

Thank you for taking my quiz.
  From Quiz: Roman Catholic Monks
36 Which person recites the Psalms between the readings in the Catholic Mass? Note: Sometimes the Cantor is responsible for this duty.
Answer: Lector

Although the Psalm may be read, in which case it is done by a lector, it may also be chanted or sung, in which case it is performed by a cantor.
    Your options: [ Leader ] [ Priest ] [ Acolyte ] [ Lector ]
  From Quiz: Ten Roles in the Catholic Mass
37 Who announces the election results to the waiting crowds?
Answer: Senior Cardinal Deacon

Once the new Pope is elected, the Senior Cardinal Deacon announces his election to the world. From the balcony of the Vatican, he proclaims, 'Habemus Papam!' ('We have a Pope'). And the crowd goes wild. :)

Much thanks to newadvent.com for some of the information in this quiz.
  From Quiz: Electing A Pope
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