What's The Difference?

[PrinceJeff]

My late father grew up in a Lutheran home and my grandfather and his wife (my step grandmother.....grandma died when I was a baby) are Lutherans and have been at the same church for years, and one of my aunts and uncle are Catholic. I have only been to 3 services at my grandfather's church but loved it each time, plus my father's funeral was there as well. Forgive me if I have assumed wrong, but I notice quite a few similarities, like my grandfather's pastor answers to a bishop and there is a vicar in his church, and one day when I had a chat with him, his collar looked like that of a priest (I do not know what that part of the shirt is called please forgive my ignorance).

Like I said I enjoyed each and every service I had there (Easter 2001 was a real blessing) and have only been to 1 mass in my life with a friend in 1993. I was wondering what is a vicar and what are really the differences other than than the obvious? Just thought I would ask my friends here. Thanks kind folks!



Jeff
"You can't have everything; where would you put it?"
Steven Wright

 

[Wolseley]

My late father grew up in a Lutheran home and my grandfather and his wife are Lutherans and have been at the same church for years, and one of my aunts and uncle are Catholic. Forgive me if I have assumed wrong, but I notice quite a few similarities, like my grandfather's pastor answers to a bishop and there is a vicar in his church, and one day when I had a chat with him, his collar looked like that of a priest (I do not know what that part of the shirt is called please forgive my ignorance).

That's called a Roman collar, or sometimes a clerical collar, worn by all Catholic clergy and a variety of Reformation Protestant clergy; usually Lutherans and Anglicans, but sometimes by others as well. The Lutheran church uses ornate altars, candles, and a standardized liturgy, but their vestments, IIRC, only come in Basic Black, whereas Catholic vestments change with the liturgical season from violet to green to red to white. Black used to be used on Good Friday and for funerals, but that's passe' these days.

Lutheran churches in the U.S. are usually (but not always) associated with a Synod; Missouri Lutheran Synod and Wisconsin Lutheran Synod are the two biggest. I'm not sure of their hierachical structure, but I do believe some of them have bishops, although I don't think they answer to a higher authority (such as the Pope in the Catholic Church). So, yes, there are a lot of similarities.

I was wondering what is a vicar and what are really the differences other than than the obvious? Just thought I would ask my friends here. Thanks kind folks!

In the Catholic Church, a vicar is a priest who performs a variety of administrative functions for the Diocesan bishop. IIRC, in the Lutheran church, a vicar is a young man who is studying for the ministry, and is doing his internship at a local church under the direction of the pastor---sort of like an apprentice, or a deacon in the Catholic Church in the old days; a student priest. (Don't quote me on that, however---I am not Lutheran, and I may have it wrong. ) In the Anglican church, a vicar is the same thing as a pastor, I believe.

Does this help?

 

[Kotton]

The Lutheran churches in this area are Missouri Synod and their liturgy is very similar to the Catholic Mass, including the responses by the congregation. There are no bishops in the LCMS, but they do have a president of the state jurisdiction. Just this past weekend I attended the service in the neighboring town, with the service conduced by my step son-in law, a deacon. Since my wife was raised Lutheran, I know more about them than other denominations.

The pastors here usually wear the clerical collar, although back in my hometown in my highschool days I never saw it done. The local pastor wears an alb with various color stoles. Just ten years ago, before the pastor retired, the service was conducted with the altar at the wall and his back to the people, like the Tridentine Mass. The new pastor moved the altar out and faces the people.

Kotton