Prior is a title, derived from the Latin adjective for 'earlier, first', with several notable uses. A title is a prefix or suffix added to a persons name to signify either veneration, an official position or a professional or academic qualification. ...

Monastic superiors

A Prior is a monastic superior, usually lower in rank than an Abbot. In the Rule of St. Benedict the term prior occurs several times, but does not signify any particular superior; it is indiscriminately applied to any superior, be he Abbot, Provost, Dean, etc. In other old monastic rules the term is used in the same generic sense. Abbots coat of arms The word abbot, meaning father, has been used as a Christian clerical title in various, mainly monastic, meanings. ... St Benedict of Nursia The Rule of St Benedict by Benedict of Nursia (fl. ...

With the Cluniac reform the term Prior received a specific meaning; it supplanted the provost (praepositus) of the Rule of St. Benedict. In the congregation of Hirschau, which arose in Germany in the eleventh century, the term Prior was also substituted for Provost, and the example of the Cluniac and Hirschau congregations was gradually followed by all Benedictine monasteries, as well as by the Camaldolese, Vallombrosians, Cistercians, and other offshoots of the Benedictine Order. The Cluniac (Clunian) Reform was a composite series of changes within the Roman Catholic and Anglo-Saxon Church[1], focused on restoring the traditional monastic life, encouraging art and caring for the poor. ... A provost is a senior official in a number of Christian churches. ... Ruins of the Monastery of St. ... Camaldolese Priory on Bielany in Kraków, Poland The Camaldolese are part of the Benedictine family of monastic communities which follow the way of life outlined in the Rule of St. ... The Vallombrosians are a Roman Catholic order of monks under the Benedictine rule, founded by St. ... Cistercians coat of arms The Order of Cistercians (OCist) (Latin: ), otherwise White Monks (from the colour of the habit, over which a black scapular or apron is sometimes worn) is a Roman Catholic order of enclosed monks. ...

Compound and Derived titles

In the Benedictine Order and its branches, in the Premonstratensian Order, and in the military orders there are three kinds of priors: the claustral prior, the conventual prior, and the obedientiary prior. The longest lasting of the western Catholic monastic orders, the Benedictine Order traces its origins to the adoption of the monastic life by St. ... The Premonstratensians are a Christian religious order founded at Prémontré near Laon by Saint Norbert around 1120. ...

The claustral prior (Latin prior claustralis), in a few monasteries called dean, holds the first place after the abbot (or grand-master in military orders), whom he assists in the government of the monastery, functioning effectively as the abbot's second-in-charge. He has no ordinary jurisdiction by virtue of his office, since he performs the duties of his office entirely according to the will and under the direction of the abbot. His jurisdiction is, therefore, a delegated one and extends just as far as the abbot desires, or the constitutions of the congregation prescribe. He is appointed by the abbot, generally after a consultation in chapter with the professed monks of the monastery, and may be removed by him at any time. In many monasteries, especially larger ones, the claustral prior is assisted by a subprior, who holds the third place in the monastery. In former times there were in larger monasteries, besides the prior and the subprior, also a third, fourth and sometimes even a fifth prior. Each of these was called circa (or circator), because it was his duty to make the rounds of the monastery to see whether anything was amiss and whether the brethren were intent on the work allotted to them respectively. He had no authority to correct or punish the brethren, but was to report to the claustral prior whatever he found amiss or contrary to the rules. In the Congregation of Cluny and others of the tenth, eleventh and twelfth centuries there was also a greater prior (prior major) who preceded the claustral prior in dignity and, besides assisting the abbot in the government of the monastery, had some delegated jurisdiction over external dependencies of the abbey. In the high days of Cluny, the abbot was assisted by a coadjutor styled Grand-Prior (Grand-prieur in French). Prior is a title, derived from the Latin adjective for earlier, first, with several notable uses. ... A dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. ... Abbots coat of arms The word abbot, meaning father, has been used as a Christian clerical title in various, mainly monastic, meanings. ... Grand Master is the typical title of the supreme head (in some national orders below the Sovereign Head of state) of various orders of knighthood, including military orders, various religious orders, and some sectarian orders such as the Ancient Order of Hibernians and the Orange Order. ... The abbey today The Abbey of Cluny (or Cluni, or Clugny) was founded on 2 September 909 by William I, Count of Auvergne, who installed Abbot Berno and placed the abbey under the immediate authority of Pope Sergius III. The Abbey and its constellation of dependencies soon came to exemplify... Archbishop Jerome Hanus of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, Dubuque, Iowa. ...

The conventual prior (Latin prior conventualis) is the independent superior of a monastery that is not an abbey (and which is therefore called a "priory"). In some orders, like the Benedictine, a monastery remains a priory until it is considered stable and large enough to be raised to the status of abbey; in others, like the Carthusians, there are no abbots and the ordinary superior of a monastery is a prior. He rules in temporals and spirituals just like an abbot, but does not have the degree of prestige or certain liturgical privileges (for instance, the use of the mitre). Ordinarily he is elected by the chapter of his monastery and holds his office for life, though in former times he was often elected for a specified period of time. He may be assisted by a subprior, whose office is similar to that of the claustral prior in an abbey. This article is about the ceremonial head-dress; see also mitre (disambiguation). ...

The obedientiary prior (prior simplex 'simple prior' or prior obedientiarius) is the superior of a monastic establishment which is a dependency of an abbey - abbeys, particularly in the Benedictine tradition, may create satellites when the "mother" abbey gets too crowded or unwieldy, or when there is perceived a need for a new monastery in other places. The usual hope is that the dependent priory, originally populated by monks from the mother abbey, will become successful, stable and begin drawing its own vocations and eventually reach the status of abbey itself. The prior is an obedientiary of the abbot of the mother abbey, is appointed by him, and may be removed by him at any time. Obedientiaries, the plural of Obedienciary, from the Latin Obediantiarius, meaning someone in an obedient, i. ...

The Augustinian Hermits, Carmelites, Servites and Brothers of Mercy have three kinds of priors: the conventual prior, the provincial prior and the prior general. These orders have a centralized system of administration, so convents and provinces are houses and areas of the order but they do not have the same independence or autonomy that an abbey enjoys. The Augustinians, named after Saint Augustine of Hippo (died AD 430), are several Roman Catholic monastic orders and congregations of both men and women living according to a guide to religious life known as the Rule of Saint Augustine. ... The Order of Our Lady of Mt. ... The Servite Friars or Servants of Mary are one of the five original mendicant orders. ... The Brothers of Our Lady of Mercy, or in full Brothers of Mercy of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, are a Catholic religious order The order was founded at Mechlin (Flanders, capital of the ecclesiastical province coinciding with Belgium) in 1839 by Canon J. B. Cornelius Scheppers for the instruction...

• In these orders, the conventual prior is the first superior over a friary. He is generally elected by the chapter of the friary for a specified time, and his election requires the approbation of the provincial prior.
• The provincial prior is the superior over a number of friaries that are united into what is called a religious province, a geographical and administrative subdivision of the order. He is generally elected for a specified time by the conventual priors and delegates from the various friaries of the province, and his election requires the approbation of the prior general.
• The prior general is the superior over the whole order; he is elected in the general chapter for a specified time and resides in Rome.

The Dominicans also have conventual and provincial priors, but the superior of the whole order is not called prior general, but master general. This article incorporates text from the Catholic Encyclopedia, which is in the public domain. ... An ecclesiastical province is a unit of religious government existing in certain Christian churches. ... Chapter (Latin capitulum) designates certain corporate ecclesiastical bodies in the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Nordic Lutheran churches. ... Master general or Master-general can refer to: the Superior general of certain orders and congregations, such as the Crosiers the Dominicans the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy the Order of Saint Lazarus the Society of the Holy Cross the Trinitarian Order certain secular titles and offices...

The Carthusians have conventual priors and a prior general, but no provincial priors. Their prior general is the only superior of an order who does not reside in Rome. Before their suppression in France, the prior of the mother house Grande Chartreuse was always prior general, an office now filled by the prior of Farneta near Lucca in Central Italy. A Carthusian Monastery in Jerez, Spain The Carthusians are a Christian religious order founded by St Bruno in 1084. ... Grande Chartreuse Grande Chartreuse is placed in a remote mountain valley. ... Chrono Trigger character, see Lucca (Chrono Trigger). ...

In all these orders the second superior of a monastery is called subprior and his office is similar to that of the claustral prior in the Benedictine Order.

Other orders

Compound and Derived titles

• In some orders there is only one Grand prior, e.g. in the Portuguese Order of Christ; in other orders there are several, each in charge of a geographical province called grand priory after him, as in the Order of Malta

This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The Knights Hospitaller (the or Knights of Malta or Knights of Rhodes) is a tradition which began as a Benedictine nursing Order founded in the 11th century based in the Holy Land, but soon became a militant Christian Chivalric Order under its own charter, and was charged with the care...

Sources and references

• This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913.