Consecration

Consecration, an ecclesiastical word of Latin derivation denoting the blessing or setting apart of a person, place, or thing for divine worship or other ecclesiastical purpose. The consecration is often solemnised by a bishop, as in the consecration of bishops, priests, and deacons, or of a church or churchyard or cemetery. At other times the function is discharged by a priest, as, for instance, in the operative words of the mass or the communion service, or the blessing of holy water or incense.