Substitute, representative, proxy; one who takes the place of, or acts instead of, another. In Roman Catholic Christianity, the pope is considered the vicar of Christ. The pope (and other ecclesiastical authorities) may designate their own vicar. In the Church of England, the term is used to designate the priest who acts in a parish in place of the rector.
An ecclesiastic representing the pope or bishop, a deputy. [ 42
a Roman Catholic priest who acts for another higher-ranking clergyman
(Episcopal Church) a clergyman in charge of a chapel
(Church of England) a clergyman appointed to act as priest of a parish
a church of England priest
a priest who acts for or represents another
a priest employed as a substitute for a parish rector of for a member of a religious house, monastic, cathedral or collegiate, which had appropriated the revenue for the position
The priest, or sometimes a deacon, placed in charge of a mission church or chapel, he may or may not become the Rector when the mission attains Parish Church status.
One who acts in place of another. The pastor of a mission or a dependent parish is styled the "vicar," because he acts in place of the bishop. In England, in former times, a parish might have a nonresident rector (sometimes an institution, rather than a priest) who appropriated the tithes of the parish and hired a vicar to fulfil the pastoral duties.
priest caring for a parish
A vicar is the priest in charge of a parish or mission that is supported financially from the outside, while a rector is the priest in charge of a self-supporting church.
leader of an Anglican Church
A word from the Lation "substitute" it was a clergymen paid to act in the true parish priest's stead. A vicar was often very corrupt.
In the Episcopal Church, the title generally applies to the priest in charge of a mission congregation. The diocesan bishop is the rector, and the priest representing the bishop is the vicar. The term is derived from the Latin vicarius, "substitute."
A church deputy: in the Anglican Church, a parish priest who is not a rector and receives a stipend instead of tithes; in the Episcopal Church, a minister in charge of one parish chapel as deputy of another minister; in the Roman Catholic Church, a church officer acting as deputy of a bishop. Because the Pope is regarded as the earthly vicar of Christ, he is known as the Vicar of Christ. Vicarage is the position, residence, salary, and duties of a vicar. Vicariate is the office, authority, or district administered by a vicar. Vicar apostolic (V.A.) was formerly a bishop or archbishop to whom the Pope delegated part of his jurisdiction; titular bishop administering a vacant diocese; missionary bishop acting as a delegate of the Holy See in a region where no regular see has yet been organized. Vicar-general in the Anglican Church is a layman serving as a deputy to a bishop or archbishop; in the Roman Catholic Church, it's a priest acting as administrative deputy to a bishop or a general superior; title given to Thomas Cromwell as vicegerent of Henry VIII. Vicar forane is a dean in the Roman Catholic Church; in general, the rural part of the episcopal city.
an older English term referring to a priest in charge of a vicarage--a small parish; usually such priests were substituting for the "official" or assigned priest; sometimes but not often used by American Episcopal clergy.
A priest, serving full-time or part-time, with charge and responsibility for a mission or aided parish, appointed by the Bishop for a period of one year, and renewable. A vicar is eligible to become rector when the mission becomes a parish, or when the parish becomes financially independent of the diocese for basic expenses. A vicar has the same responsibilities as a rector, but does not have tenure.
Parish Priest. The senior priest in a parish.
In the broadest sense, a vicar (from the Latin vicarius) is anyone acting "in the person of" or for a superior (compare "vicarious"). In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant. Usually the title appears in a number of Christian ecclesiastical contexts, but in the Holy Roman Empire a local representative of the emperor, perhaps an archduke, might be styled "vicar".