Concepts and Terminology in Book of Burials, Puerto Rico

Lexicon of Concepts and Terminology Frequently used in the

Book of the Deceased or the Books of Burials found in Parish Archives in Puerto Rico

Acompañados, Acompañantes	Individuals who with habits or other identifying symbols and/or lit candles who accompanied the coffin of the deceased. Frequently provided for in a last will and Testament.
Agua de Socorro	A baptism of emergency performed by the mid-wife, god parent or other ideal person who sees the newborn or un baptized child and/or bozal as weak or sickly.
Ángel	Deceased boy or girl (child) who has not reached the age of reason (seven years).
Benditas almas o ánimas del Purgatorio	Personas considered blessed because even though they must purge their sins in Purgatory ¹ they were believed to be assured of heaven.
Bienes de Difunto	That which belonged to those who died overseas without having their legal heirs present.
Bozal ²	Name with which the newly arrived African slave who did not speak the language was described.
Camposanto	Originally the place chosen to bury once the cemeteries ceased to be used in and next to the churches - known as such because the were blessed sites outside of the towns (campo - santo).³
Capa (pluvial)	A large and loose cape, without sleeves, open in the front, which was (and is) worn over other vestments by the prelate or celebrating priest in solemn acts of divine cult and in solemn occasions (including funerals).
Capellán	A presbyter who has under his charge a shrine, quasi parish, hospital (or other).
Capellanía	The charge given to a Chaplain which entails diverse pastoral ministries but not the parish. Also, was used to designate certain material beneficence, subjected to the direct fulfilling of pre determined religious and pious acts.
Cura	Although used as an irrespective comment, the phrase is more correctly Cura de Almas indicating the vocation of the presbyters to whom has been given the parochial or chaplaincy ministries.
Cura.....	Ecónomo: Literally, economist. Priest named to substitute a pastor who because of illness or necessity would have to absent himself from the parish without this meaning that the substitute would have any type of permanency in the function. Párroco: Priest named to be in charge of the parish as pastor of souls whose ministry as such is ordinary.⁴ Rector: Equivalent to the Pastor, this is name used of one who stands for the Bishop in a special situation: Rector of the Cathedral, of the Seminary, etc. Teniente: Auxiliary priest who helps in the care of souls in a given parish who usually would be the one to exercise the role of the ecónomo in case of death, sickness or absence of the pastor. Seems silly today but in days when it could take weeks to get a response from the Bishop or Vicar General, it was necessary. Vicario: A person who is named as substitute or alter ego of another and in whose name has powers and faculties not exercised by virtue of his own order or office. Thus, a Vicar General is alter ego of Bishop and is in charge while this one is away. When he is removed from office, he no longer can exercise the authority he had as Vicar.
Derecho de Fábrica	In the context of death and burial, it is the stipend or offering given in order to pay for the removing and resetting of floor and or pavement within and around the church for the burial of the dead.
Entierro Doble	Any burial which included a vigil, mass with the body present and two solemn processions: one from the house of the deceased to the Parish Church and the other to the site of burial.
Escribano	Person who was empowered to be official witness to the writing, signing and enactment of deeds, testaments, etc.
Eucaristía	Commonly called the Mass and also Communion, it is the rite of the mystery in which, by means of the words of consecration pronounced by the priest, occurs the transubstantiation⁵ of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ.
Exequias	Funerary Honors. In the ecclesiastical sense, the Christian Celebration of Mass or Response for the benefit of the deceased.
Féretro y andas	In Puerto Rico, especially the poor and slaves were carried in a coffin (that had removable bars held by porter), which was owned by the parish or confraternity⁶ and buried in a shroud.
Fiebre Amarilla	Yellow fever, endemic illness of tropical zones and which was commonly known as vómito prieto, dark vomit.
Fiebre Palúdica (Malaria)⁷	An infectious illness transmitted to a person by the mosquitos of the Anopheles genus caused by microbes of swampy areas and manifested by fevers, growth in and anemia.
Fiel Difunto	The faithful who have died without being excommunicated and who have not committed suicide. They were given ecclesiastical burial in blessed grounds.
Intestado	One who dies without making a legal last will and testimony.
Lado Epístola, Lado Evangelio	When the Liturgy of the Mass was celebrated with the priest’s back to the people, the left side of the altar as one faces it (and from which the Gospel was read) was given its name. In the same way, the right side, from which the Epistle was read, was known by that name. The various burial tracts were subdivided by the Gospel and Epistle sides, the Gospel being favored by all.
Liberto	Person who having been a slave was liberated by whatever means.
Libre	Person who has never been a slave even if a person of color.
Libro de Defunción, de Entierro	The Volumes in which are written the religious funerary celebrations after the death and before the ecclesiastical burial of the faithful.
Limosna	Stipend given to the celebrant for the celebrating of some religious rite or that which is charitably given in order to help in any given necessity⁸ .
Mandas - Pías, Forzosas	"Enforced donations given by the person making the last will and testimony. The amount of the donation, left up to the person, was for the Holy House in Jerusalem, The Redemption of Captives, and the two annexed to the Ordinary’s Tribunal or Episcopal See... It was also an enforced donation to see to the marriage of orphans when this was willed⁹
Misa	The Sacrifice of the Mass is the (unbloody) memorial in which the priest, under the species of bread and wine, moved by the Spirit of God, offers the Eternal Father, in union with Christ as Head of the Church and in the name of Christian Community, the Body and Blood of Christ, in expiation of the sins of the whole world.
Misa llana cantada	A mass in which simple Gregorian Chant is used.
Misas Gregorianas	30 masses on 30 consecutive days in suffrage of the deceased.
Misa rezada	A mass without any chant whatsoever.
Mocezuelo	Infantile tetanus. In newborn usually caused by the use of dirty or rusty objects to cut the umbilical cord at the moment of birth.
Mortaje	Those pertaining to Third Order or Confraternity Societies and even the Military could be shrouded in those habits or uniform or simply because of a promise or penance.
Muerto y Velado	Phrase used to signify that the deceased was laid out and "watched" before being buried¹⁰
Novenario de Misas	Nine masses usually celebrated in the morning for the express intention of praying for the deceased.
Novenario de Rosarios	Nine Rosaries prayed for the Repose of the Soul of the deceased with the intention that friends and family would arrive.
Obras Pías	Established for the greater honor and glory God and the exercise of a corporal and spiritual work of mercy.
Parroquia	Vulgarly used for the temple-office building, the word is more correctly used to designate all the territory beneath the jurisdiction of the pastor.
Patrón, Patrona	Saint which is chosen by a town or congregation and which is considered a protector and defender; the titular of the temple.
Presbítero¹¹	The second of the Holy Orders contained in the Sacrament of Orders and whose function is to sanctify during ecclesiastical rites or divine cuts. (Presbyter)
Testamento Mancomún	A last will and testament made by more than one person, usually a married couple and whose benefice is reciprocate or for the inheritors.
Toque de Agonía	Church bells were tolled to announce to the faithful that someone was dying and they should come to the Church to accompany the Viaticum that would be taken to the person.¹²
Tramos de Entierro	Name used to designate the various places in which whether within or around the church, the faithful were buried. The first was the area surrounding the main altar, the second, the aisles and adjacent outside area and the third the area closest to the main or central entrance in the front of the church. The preferred side of burial was the Gospel side of each. Slaves and the insolvent were buried on the Epistle side of the third.

¹
State of being in which the holy souls where considered to expiate.

²
By extension, black “bozal”, negro bozal

³
Eventually camposanto and cementerio were used as synonyms.

⁴
In the sense that his ministry is common, regular and usually occurs.

⁵
Total conversion of something into another even though the outward appearance does not change.

⁶
Angel López Cantos, Los Puertorriqueños: Mentalidad y actitudes (Siglo XVIII), (Ed. UPR, S.J., P.R.), p. 360.

⁷
There are three types, one which has febrile occurrences every three days or so, another with intermittent fevers and a third with febrile occurrences every four days.

⁸
Se le da limosna al pobre como obra corporal de misericordia que ayuda a expiar la pecaminosidad.

⁹
Concepción de la muerte, pp. 10-11.

¹⁰
Not to be confused with Velación matrimonial, i.e., the simple rite after the nuptial ceremony in which a white veil was placed over the head of the bride and over the shoulders of the groom and the nuptial blessing was pronounced over the couple, (for that reason also called the yoke). It was expected that the pastor include whether or not the blessing was received either at the marriage ceremony or on another day - due to the marriage being celebrated on a festive day when blessing was prohibited. After beginning of the XIX century, the phrase used was bendición nuncial (nupcial).

¹¹
The word itself comes from Greek and signifies the ancient one, in the sense that he/she is the most prudent or wise, and as such the most qualified to lead a community, not necessarily the eldest individual.

¹²
Repeated at the death of the agonizante.

Bio:
Father José Antonio Oquendo Pabón, known to many as simply Fr. Tony, is from Vega Baja, PR., the son of Don José Antonio and Doña Rosa María, and a priest of the Diocese of Caguas. He has been a family genealogist since June of 1980 and is a member of PRHGS, HGSNY and SPG contributing with articles and/or lectures about genealogy (in general) and his investigations(in particular) to the societies, Rootsweb, PR en breve, Nuestra Herencia, the HGSNY newsletter and his own Muertito Heaven (in spanish)
( http://www.onward.to/elpadre ). He has conceived and begun a series named Familias de mi Terruño (Families of My Homeland) of which he has published a first book concerning Genealogía, Consanguinidad y Endogamia: Los Parentescos de la Familia de Rivera of Toa Alta, Corozal, Ciales and Morovis and will soon be able to offer the second book, Tras las Huellas de la Familia Pabón y sus Parientes).

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