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Oratorian

Oratorian

1 9.9
A member of the Oratory, a Catholic community of priests
  • noun
  • /ˌɔːrəˈtɔːriən/
: oratoriano
  • In 1660, he left the Oratorians to join the Discalced Carmelites in Naples.

Examples

  • As an Oratorian at S. Maria in Vallicella, his collecting was a form of "good work" for the Catholic Church in raising alms for the poor.

    Academic text (1997)
  • As an Oratorian, he participated in various charitable activities within the community, showcasing the society's commitment to helping others.

  • Anna managed, however, to obtain from the Oratorians the heart, a nerve, a tooth, and some hair of the saint already contained in silver reliquaries.

    Academic text (1994)
  • It was indebted; that is to say, to the pedagogic program of the French colleges, the majority of which were administered by the Jesuit and the Oratorian orders.

    Academic text (1996)
  • D'Antin had attended three of them, including two of the most prestigious: the Oratorian college at Juilly and the Jesuit college of Louis-le-Grand in Paris; Jugie (as in n. 2), 351.

    Academic text (1996)
  • The Oratorian community has dedicated itself to providing educational support and spiritual guidance to the local parishioners.

  • Many Oratorians throughout history have played significant roles in advancing the mission of the Roman Catholic Church through their religious work.

Synonyms

ecclesiastic
vsOratorian
  • Formal
1 9.9

A person who works as a priest or minister in the Christian church

is narrower and names a member of a specific Roman Catholic priest society

Surface Forms

Oratorian singular
Oratorians plural

Morphology

Oratorian = oratory (semi-transparent) = oratory + ian

The morphological formation 'oratory' + '-ian' yields 'member of/related to', but knowledge that 'Oratory' names a specific Catholic society is required to get the precise meaning.

Etymology

Oratorian comes from the Oratory, which takes its name from Latin orare 'to pray' and from orator 'public speaker'. An Oratorian is a member of that group of priests, which is why the word now means a person belonging to the Oratory.