An almoner (/ˈɑːmənər,ˈæl-/)[1] is a chaplain or church officer who originally was in charge of distributing money to the deserving poor. The title almoner has to some extent fallen out of use in English, but its equivalents in other languages are often used for many pastoral functions exercised by chaplains or pastors. The word derives from the Ancient Greek: ἐλεημοσύνηeleēmosynē (alms), via the popular Latinalmosinarius.[2]
Christians have historically been encouraged to donate one-tenth of their income as a tithe to their church and additional offerings as needed for the poor. The first deacons, mentioned in Acts 6:1–4, dealt with the distribution of the charity of the early Christian churches to needy members. Popes, bishops and Christian monarchs and organizations have since employed their own officers to organize their donations to the poor and needy. Such donations were referred to as alms and the officers as almoners and the position was one of considerable status.
Today in the United Kingdom, the office of Lord High Almoner still exists in the royal household and the holder of the office is responsible, amongst other things, for organizing the ceremony of the Crown's annual distribution of Maundy money. Associated with the almoner's office is the grand almoner, a hereditary title in the hands of the Marquess of Exeter.
The position of almoner within the French royal household was that of Grand Almoner of France (Grand aumônier de France) created by King Francis I.
Livery companies and Masonic lodgesedit
The almoner also remains an active and important office in the livery companies of the City of London. In Masonic lodges, the almoner's duty is to oversee the needs of the brethren within his lodge. He is the contact for charity and looks after the welfare of the members, including visits to the sick, aged and infirm.
The title almoner was also used for a hospital official who interviews prospective patients to qualify them as indigent. It was later applied to the officials who were responsible for patient welfare and after-care. This position evolved into the modern profession of medical social work.[5] Lady almoners existed in the UK from 1895 to the termination of the private medical system in 1948; their task was to determine the patients' ability to contribute towards their own medical care.[6]
^ O'Connell, Gerard (6 August 2013). "Pope tells new Almoner: 'Do this work with a lot of imagination'". La Stampa. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
^Cullen, L. T. (1 October 2013). "The First Lady Almoner: The Appointment, Position, and Findings of Miss Mary Stewart at the Royal Free Hospital, 1895-99". Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences. 68 (4): 551–582. doi:10.1093/jhmas/jrs020. PMC3792647. PMID 22474098.
^"Paying for healthcare: Life in Britain before the 'free' NHS".
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almoner, almoner, ɑː, chaplain, church, officer, originally, charge, distributing, money, deserving, poor, title, almoner, some, extent, fallen, english, equivalents, other, languages, often, used, many, pastoral, functions, exercised, chaplains, pastors, word. An almoner ˈ ɑː m e n er ˈ ae l 1 is a chaplain or church officer who originally was in charge of distributing money to the deserving poor The title almoner has to some extent fallen out of use in English but its equivalents in other languages are often used for many pastoral functions exercised by chaplains or pastors The word derives from the Ancient Greek ἐlehmosynh eleemosyne alms via the popular Latin almosinarius 2 The portrait of the almoner or The breviary 1886 by Jules Alexis Muenier Contents 1 History 2 Roman Catholic Church 3 UK royal household 4 French royal household 5 Livery companies and Masonic lodges 6 Hospital almoners 7 See also 8 ReferencesHistory editThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed November 2016 Learn how and when to remove this template message Christians have historically been encouraged to donate one tenth of their income as a tithe to their church and additional offerings as needed for the poor The first deacons mentioned in Acts 6 1 4 dealt with the distribution of the charity of the early Christian churches to needy members Popes bishops and Christian monarchs and organizations have since employed their own officers to organize their donations to the poor and needy Such donations were referred to as alms and the officers as almoners and the position was one of considerable status Roman Catholic Church editMain article Dicastery for the Service of Charity The papal almoner formally titled the Almoner of His Holiness is responsible for performing works of mercy on behalf of the pope He is one of a small number of Vatican officials who continue in office when a pope dies or resigns 3 Until June 2022 he was a member of the papal household since then he heads the Dicastery for the Service of Charity an administrative unit of the Roman Curia Cardinal Konrad Krajewski has held this post since late 2013 4 UK royal household editSee also Royal Almonry Today in the United Kingdom the office of Lord High Almoner still exists in the royal household and the holder of the office is responsible amongst other things for organizing the ceremony of the Crown s annual distribution of Maundy money Associated with the almoner s office is the grand almoner a hereditary title in the hands of the Marquess of Exeter French royal household editFurther information Grand Almoner of France The position of almoner within the French royal household was that of Grand Almoner of France Grand aumonier de France created by King Francis I Livery companies and Masonic lodges editThe almoner also remains an active and important office in the livery companies of the City of London In Masonic lodges the almoner s duty is to oversee the needs of the brethren within his lodge He is the contact for charity and looks after the welfare of the members including visits to the sick aged and infirm Hospital almoners editMain article Medical social work Britain and Ireland The title almoner was also used for a hospital official who interviews prospective patients to qualify them as indigent It was later applied to the officials who were responsible for patient welfare and after care This position evolved into the modern profession of medical social work 5 Lady almoners existed in the UK from 1895 to the termination of the private medical system in 1948 their task was to determine the patients ability to contribute towards their own medical care 6 See also edit nbsp Christianity portalAlmonryReferences edit almoner The Chambers Dictionary 9th ed Chambers 2003 ISBN 0 550 10105 5 Harper Douglas almoner Online Etymology Dictionary Universi Dominici gregis 22 O Connell Gerard 6 August 2013 Pope tells new Almoner Do this work with a lot of imagination La Stampa Retrieved 10 June 2017 Cullen L T 1 October 2013 The First Lady Almoner The Appointment Position and Findings of Miss Mary Stewart at the Royal Free Hospital 1895 99 Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences 68 4 551 582 doi 10 1093 jhmas jrs020 PMC 3792647 PMID 22474098 Paying for healthcare Life in Britain before the free NHS nbsp This Christianity related article is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Almoner amp oldid 1132380564, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
