vicar-general

American  

[vik-er-jen-er-uhl] / ˈvɪk ərˈdʒɛn ər əl /

noun

plural

vicars-general

1. Roman Catholic Church. a priest deputized by a bishop to assist him in the administration of a diocese.

2. Church of England. an ecclesiastical officer, usually a layperson, who assists a bishop or an archbishop in the discharge of his judicial or administrative duties.

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vicar general British  

noun

1. an official, usually a layman, appointed to assist the bishop of a diocese in discharging his administrative or judicial duties

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Other Word Forms

• vicar-generalship noun

Etymology

Origin of vicar-general

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400

Example Sentences

Monsignor Stephen Doktorczyk, vicar-general for the Diocese of Orange, said McElroy’s leadership skills have been impressive.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 22, 2022

The project has personal significance for the Rev. Alex Karloutsos, longtime vicar-general for the archdiocese.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 8, 2021

Rossi was for years the vicar-general to DiNardo, the Catholic archbishop of Galveston-Houston and president of the U.S. bishops conference who has been leading the U.S. hierarchy’s response to the sexual abuse scandal.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 21, 2019

In 1962, Julius Cardinal D�pfner appointed him vicar-general of the Munich and Freising archdiocese.

From Time Magazine Archive

His likeminded scholar, friend, and vicar-general, the Suffragan-bishop Wittmann, was designated his successor in Regensburg, but he died before receiving papal confirmation.

From Church History, Vol. 3 of 3 by Kurtz, J. H.