Curate

A curate /ˈkjʊərᵻt/ is a person who is invested with the care or cure (cura) of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term curate is commonly used to describe clergy who are assistants to the parish priest. The duties or office of a curate are called a curacy.

Etymology

From the Latin curatus (compare Curator)

Roman Catholicism

In the Catholic Church, the English word "curate" is used for a priest assigned to a parish in a position subordinate to that of the parish priest. The parish priest (or in the United States the "pastor") is the priest who has canonical responsibility for the parish. He may be assisted by one or more other priests, referred to as curates, assistant priests, parochial vicars or (in America) "associate/assistant pastors".

In other languages, derivations from curatus may be used differently. In French, the curé is the chief priest of a parish, as is the Italian curato, the Spanish cura and the Filipino kura paroko, which is derived from the Spanish term.