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Top Secret Roman Catholic Codes

This information is for Roman Catholics only. It must not be divulged to non-Catholics.
The less they know about our rituals and top secret code words, the better off they are.

Amen: The only part of a prayer that everyone knows.

Bulletin: Your receipt for attending Mass.

Choir: A group of people whose singing allows the rest of the Parish to lip-sync.
Holy Water: A liquid whose chemical formula is H2OLY.

Hymn: A song of praise usually sung in a key three octaves higher than that of the entire
congregation's range.

Recessional Hymn: The last song at Mass often sung a little more quietly, since most of the
people have already left.

Incense: Holy Smoke!

Jesuits: An order of priests known for their ability to find colleges with good basketball teams.

Jonah: The original Jaws story.

Justice: When kids have kids of their own.

Kyrie Eleisen: The only Greek words that most Roman Catholics can recognize besides gyros
and baklava. (for you non-Catholics it means Lord have mercy)

Magi: The most famous trio to attend a baby shower.

Manger: Where Mary gave birth to Jesus because Joseph wasn't covered by an HMO.
(The Bible's way of showing us that holiday travel has always been rough.)

Pew: A medieval torture device still found in Catholic churches.

Procession: The ceremonial formation at the beginning of Mass consisting of altar servers,
the celebrant, and late parishioners looking for seats.

Recessional: The ceremonial procession at the conclusion of Mass led by parishioners trying
to beat the crowd to the parking lot.

Relics: People who have been going to Mass for so long, that they actually know when to sit,
kneel, and stand.

Ten Commandments: The most important Top Ten list not given by David Letterman.

Ushers: The only people in the parish who don't know the seating capacity of a pew.

Little known facts about the Roman Catholic Church in Las Vegas:
There are more churches in Las Vegas than casinos. During Sunday services at the offertory,
some worshippers contribute casino chips as opposed to cash. Some are sharing their winnings
and some are hoping to win. Since they get chips from so many different casinos, and they are
worth money, the Catholic churches are required to send all the chips into the diocese for sorting.
Once sorted into the respective casino chips, one junior priest takes these chips and makes the
rounds to the casinos turning chips into cash. He, of course, is known as The Chip Monk.

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