Hierarchy of the Catholic Church distinct from the general apostolate or ministry of the laity described above. The consultative leadership of the church, in both the diocese and the parish, usually comprises a Pastoral Council and a Finance Council, as well as several Commissions usually focusing on major aspects of the church's life and mission, such as Faith Formation or Christian Education, Liturgy, Social Justice, Ecumenism, or Stewardship. Religious—who can be either lay people or clergy—are members of religious institutes, societies in which the members take public vows and live a fraternal life in common. This is a form of consecrated life distinct from other
Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature to the End of the Sixth Century Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature to the End of the Sixth Century A Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature to the End of the Sixth Century A.D., with an Account of the Principal Sects and Heresies is a 1911 religious encyclopedia of biographies. Edited by William C. Piercy and Henry Wace, Dean of Canterbury (1836–1924) in English-language version, it is in the public domain . The Christian Classics Ethereal Library has scanned the original printed copy. In 1999, Hendrickson Publishers reprinted it under the title "A Dictionary of Early Christian Biography". Its predecessor was "A Dictionary of Christian Biography,