In the Roman Catholic and some other churches, a cleric acting as local representative of a higher ranking member of the clergy
In the Anglican Communion in the United States, if a church is not financially self-supporting and is unable to pay a full-time pastor, the bishop is nominally the pastor The bishop appoints a priest to do the actual work Since this priest is only functioning as a stand-in for the bishop, he or she is called a vicar from the Latin word for stand-in When the church becomes self-supporting, it forms a vestry, which calls and elects a rector to take the place of the vicar
One deputed or authorized to perform the functions of another; a substitute in office; a deputy
A vicar is a priest who is in charge of a chapel that is associated with a parish church in the Episcopal Church in the United States. a priest in the Church of England who is in charge of a church in a particular area (vicarius , from vicarius (adjective); VICARIOUS)
a Roman Catholic priest who acts for another higher-ranking clergyman (Church of England) a clergyman appointed to act as priest of a parish (Episcopal Church) a clergyman in charge of a chapel
A priest or religious appointed by the bishop for administering a specific territory within the diocese, a group of persons or a specific rite, or a type of apostolic work within the diocese Episcopal Vicars serve as assistants to the bishop; Parochial Vicars serve as assistants to pastors in parishes There are five Episcopal Vicars in the Diocese of San Jose: the Vicar General, the Judicial Vicar, and Vicars for Clergy, Parish, and Religious
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