secular clergy
Preserved but no longer current.
The Roman Catholic parish clergy who live in daily contact with the world, in contradistinction to monks, etc., who live in monasteries. Hierarchically they take prece- dence of regular clergy, and bishops are usually chosen from seculars.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “secular clergy” mean?
The Roman Catholic parish clergy who live in daily contact with the world, in contradistinction to monks, etc., who live in monasteries. Hierarchically they take prece- dence of regular clergy, and bishops are usually chosen from seculars.
Is “secular clergy” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.