ASKED AT THE CHURCH DOOR

Q : Why is there always a special chair for the bishop?
What does it mean?

Bill Joyner's reply: The word for the church of the bishop, cathedral, comes from the Latin cathedra, meaning chair. A chair was the ancient sign of the authority to teach, so the bishop's chair is a symbol of the bishop's teaching and pastoral office in the diocese. (Sometimes the bishop's chair had two stools on either side for deacons, who serve directly under the bishop.) Some parish churches, such as the Chapel of the Cross, have also adopted the custom of a bishop's chair which is traditionally on the (liturgical) north wall of the sanctuary (the part of the church inside the altar rail). At the Chapel of the Cross, there is also a bishop's chair in the chapel, which we bring to the church for confirmations and ordinations. This chair is decorated with the seal of the Diocese of North Carolina.

These chairs are not used except by the bishop; their empty presence reminds us that the bishop is our chief priest and pastor, our link to the apostles and to the universal church, and the principal celebrant of the Eucharist.

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