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A modern dictionary of Catholic terms, both common and obscure. Find accurate definitions of words and phrases.

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CILICIUM

A hair shirt worn under the clothing. It is made of cloth woven from hair and has been used at all periods of the Church's history as a means of discipline and mortification. (Etym. Latin cilicium, a hair shirt.)

All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

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