Pope (Bishop of Rome) - The bishop of Rome is head of the Roman Catholic Church. In Western Church, “pope” applied especially to the Bishop of Romesince the time of Leo the Great (440-461) and claimed exclusively by them from 1073. The pope is believed by his church to be the successor to the Apostle Peter. He is bishop of Rome and lives in atiny nation within Rome called the Vatican.
Bishop - Bishops were the leaders of the church, serving under the pope. Most bishops were noblemen. Bishops supervised the church's priests, monks and nuns and administered its business. In many parts of Europe the church owned vast areas of land and commanded a large number of knights. In the early Middle Ages, it was not unusual for a bishop to lead his own knights into battle.
Arch Deacon - An ecclesiastic, ranking next below a bishop and having charge of the temporal and external administration of a diocese, with jurisdiction delegated from the bishop.
Abbot - A man who is the head or superior, usually elected, of a monastery.
Prior - An officer in a monastic order or religious house, sometimes next in rank below an abbot.
Dean - The head of the chapter of a cathedral or a collegiate church. A priest in the Roman Catholic Church appointed by a bishop to take care of the affairs of a division of adiocese.
Priest - Priests provided spiritual instruction and conducted religious ceremonies in local, orparish, churches.
Monk - Monks and nuns were men and women who gave up their possessions and left ordinary life to live in monasteries and convents. They lived very simply, could not marry and devoted themselves to prayer, study, and helping the poor. They also served as doctors. Members of special male groups whose lives are devoted to the service of the church, especially in Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Orthodox denominations. A monk is properly a member of a monastery, under a superior; he is bound by a vow of stability, and is a co-owner of the community property of the monastery. Since the Reformation, monk and friar have been used as if they were the same. A friar is, however, strictly speaking, a member of a mendicant order, whose members are not attached to a monastery and own no community property.
Friar - Friars were traveling preachers who lived by begging and spread the teachings of St.Francis of Assisi. A member of a mendicant order, whose members are not attached to a monastery and own no community property.
Cleric - A member of the clergy.
Vicar - A word from the Latin "substitute" it was a clergymen paid to act in the true parish priest's stead. A vicar was often very corrupt.
Barber Surgeon - A monastic who shaved faces/heads and performed light surgery.
Chaplain - An ecclesiastic attached to the chapel of a royal court, college, etc., or to a military unit. A person who says the prayer, invocation, etc., for an organization or at an assembly.
Confessor - A priest authorized to hear confessions.
Scribe - A person who copied books by hand before the invention of printing.
Culdees - Meaning "servant of God," they were Irish/Scottish preservers of old Gaelic customs.