Investiture
In the Middle Ages investiture was the ceremonial transfer of a fief by an overlord to a vassal.  The lord invested the vassal with a fiefdom, by giving a symbol of the land or office.  From feudal times up to the present, the term has been used in canon law to refer to a cleric receiving the symbols of spiritual office, such as the pastoral ring, mitre and staff, signifying transfer of the office.