Feel free to add your own.
“Eucharistic Minister” – only the ordained are eucharistic ministers.
True. Although I must say that I don’t think that the term “Eucharistic minister” is part of some conspiracy to blur the line between ordained and lay Catholics; people say it simply because it is shorter and easier to say than the much more cumbersome, “Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion.”
I fully admit, however, that “Eucharistic minister” is inaccurate.
“Reconciliation Room” – not to be confused with the Romper Room, this was formerly known as the “confessional”.
Actually, there’s a difference. Not every confession is heard in an actual confessional. It would be inaccurate to call a room in which the Sacrament of Penance is celebrated a “confessional” if it is not.
“Catholics and Christians” – implies that Catholics are not Christians. A better alternative would be “Catholics and other Christians.”
Very good point. I must say, however, that in my experience
Catholics don’t usually speak of “Catholics and Christians.” Usually Protestants use that phrase.
And most of the time, the Protestants who use that phrase do so because they do not think of themselves as “Protestants,” but rather as merely Christians. They are, of course, Protestant, but especially with the non-denominational types, they often just call themselves “Christian” and don’t realize what
kind of Christian they are.
So in the
vast majority of cases, the Protestants who use that term are doing so out of honest ignorance,
not out of a desire to imply that Catholics are not Christian.
But I agree nonetheless that it is a misleading phrase.
“Worship Space” – as compared to what, “Outer Space?” Why not simply call it the “church,” or more accurately, the “nave”?
Well, sometimes Mass is not celebrated inside an actual church. Perhaps someone should come up with a better name for “a place Mass is celebrated that’s not a church” besides “worship space,” though.
“Roman Catholic Church” – there is no such thing. See here:
ewtn.com/library/ANSWERS/HOWNAME.HTM
I agree that it’s irritating - and rather demeaning to Eastern Rite Catholics - when people use the term “Roman Catholic Church” to refer to the Catholic Church. Still, I think in its proper context (i.e. as a reference to the Latin Rite), it is appropriate.
At least Pope Benedict (even as Cardinal Ratzinger) cleared up the “seperated brethren” by calling them what they really are: Protestant ecclesial communities. He does refer to the Orthodox as Sister Churches.
You make a good point that Protestant Christian “churches” are technically “ecclesial communities.”
Still, the term “separated brethren” is perfectly accurate. You may not like the fact that it’s associated with an attempt to give warm fuzzies, but there’s nothing
untrue about it.
And one mustn’t deny that validly baptized Protestants (in other words, most of them)
are true Christians.
Please re-read what I said carefully this time: I said that the word “heretic” is a technical distinction, not a pejorative. Do you disagree with this? Moreover, I didn’t suggest anything about the merits of its use. It is a canonical term, and hence it has its use. There are heretics today – it’s not just a historical term
He didn’t misunderstand you.; he was simply trying to explain that even though “heretic” is not a pejorative, that does not negate the fact that today it is
almost always interpreted as one. We would do well, then,
not to give unintended insult by referring to Protestants as heretics, especially since a typical modern-day Protestant was - in all likelihood - never actually a Catholic in the first place. Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, et al, can be fairly considered heretics.
I had a priest stand in my office and argue with me that EMHCs are now the ordinary ministers of Communion. Say what??? This same priest stood up enraged at a liturgy committee meeting when I said that having 2 priests sit down and watch 3 EMHCs distribute communion flew in the face of at least 3 Vatican documents. “We’ve never paid attention to those documents and we’re not about to start now!”
Wow. That’s absolutely horrendous. Why would such a man even
want to be a priest in the first place? He clearly doesn’t take his job or the faith itself very seriously.
I’m not sure what you’re getting at here. The GIRM refers to them as ministers and to ministries as does Redemptionis Sacramentum. If it’s good enough for the documents, it’s good enough for me.
Good point. Even if a term is overused or trite, that doesn’t make it
inaccurate. I personally get bored to tears by all the talk of different “ministries” and agree that the word loses its value when thrown around so much today, but there’s nothing
incorrect about it. As you put it, “if it’s good enough for the documents, it’s good enough for me.”
They do much better with Traditional stuff. 
. I told her, “The last time I checked, Jesus was a Man, a Son, and a Savior. He referred to His Father in Heaven”. I then told her perhaps she hadn’t noticed that I was a woman, and I wasn’t offended a bit.