Editing Almoner

{{short description|Chaplain in charge of assisting the poor}}
[[Image:La retraite de l'aumônier ou Le bréviaire.jpg|upright=1.35|thumb|''The portrait of the almoner'' or ''The [[breviary]]'' (1886) by [[Jules-Alexis Muenier]].]]
{{Catholic Church hierarchy sidebar}}
An '''almoner''' ({{IPAc-en|"|A:|m|@|n|@r|,_|"|{|l|-}})<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Chambers Dictionary|publisher=Chambers|year=2003|isbn=0-550-10105-5|edition=9th|chapter=almoner}}</ref> is a [[chaplain]] or church officer who originally was in charge of distributing money to the deserving poor. The title ''almoner'' has to some extent fallen out of use in English, but its equivalents in other languages are often used for many pastoral functions exercised by chaplains or [[pastor]]s. The word derives from the {{langx|grc|ἐλεημοσύνη}} ''{{lang|grc|eleēmosynē}}'' (alms), via the [[popular Latin]] ''{{lang|la|almosinarius}}''.<ref>{{OEtymD|almoner}}</ref>

==History==
{{refimprove section|date=November 2016}}

Christians have historically been encouraged to donate one-tenth of their income as a tithe to their church and additional offerings as needed for the poor. The first deacons, mentioned in Acts 6:1–4, dealt with the distribution of the charity of the early Christian churches to needy members. [[Popes]], [[bishop]]s and Christian monarchs and organizations have since employed their own officers to organize their donations to the poor and needy. Such donations were referred to as alms and the officers as almoners and the position was one of considerable status.

==Catholic Church==
{{Main|Dicastery for the Service of Charity}}
The papal almoner, formally titled the "Almoner of His Holiness", is responsible for performing [[works of mercy]] on behalf of the pope. He is one of a small number of [[Holy See|Vatican]] officials who continue in office [[Sede vacante |when a pope dies or resigns]].<ref>''[[Universi Dominici gregis]]'', 22</ref> Until June 2022, he was a member of the [[papal household]]; since then he heads the [[Dicastery for the Service of Charity]], an administrative unit of the [[Roman Curia]]. Cardinal [[Konrad Krajewski]] has held this post since late 2013.<ref>
{{cite news
 | work = La Stampa | access-date = 10 June 2017 | date = 6 August 2013 | url = http://www.lastampa.it/2013/08/06/vaticaninsider/eng/the-vatican/pope-tells-new-almoner-do-this-work-with-a-lot-of-imagination-TqADA31fgDYpB51HYsP4zH/pagina.html | first = Gerard | last = O'Connell | title= Pope tells new Almoner: 'Do this work with a lot of imagination'
}}</ref>

==French royal household==
{{see|Grand Almoner of France}}
The position of almoner within the French royal household was that of [[Grand Almoner of France]] (''Grand aumônier de France'') created by King  [[Francis I of France|Francis I]].

==British royal household==
{{See also|Royal Almonry}}
Today in the [[United Kingdom]], the office of [[Lord High Almoner]] still exists in the [[Royal Almonry|royal household]] and the holder of the office is responsible, amongst other things, for organizing the ceremony of the Crown's annual distribution of [[Maundy money]]. Associated with the almoner's office is the grand almoner, a hereditary title in the hands of the [[Marquess of Exeter]].

==Livery companies and Masonic lodges==
The almoner also remains an active and important office in the [[livery companies]] of the [[City of London]]. In [[Masonic lodge]]s, the almoner's duty is to oversee the needs of the brethren within his lodge. He is the contact for charity and looks after the welfare of the members, including visits to the sick, aged and infirm.

==Hospital almoners==
{{main|Medical social work#Britain and Ireland}}

The title almoner was also used for a hospital official who interviews prospective patients to qualify them as [[wikt: indigent|indigent]]. It was later applied to the officials who were responsible for patient welfare and after-care. This position evolved into the modern profession of [[medical social work]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cullen |first1=L. T. |title=The First Lady Almoner: The Appointment, Position, and Findings of Miss Mary Stewart at the Royal Free Hospital, 1895-99 |journal=Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences |date=1 October 2013 |volume=68 |issue=4 |pages=551–582 |doi=10.1093/jhmas/jrs020 |pmid=22474098 |pmc=3792647 }}</ref> Lady almoners existed in the UK from 1895 to the termination of the private medical system in 1948; their task was to determine the patients' ability to contribute towards their own medical care.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.historyextra.com/period/20th-century/nhs-history-pay-healthcare-free/|title=Paying for healthcare: Life in Britain before the 'free' NHS}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Christianity}}
*[[Almonry]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Christian religious occupations]]
[[Category:Ecclesiastical titles]]
[[Category:Catholic ecclesiastical titles]]
[[Category:Almoners| ]]
[[Category:Alms in Christianity]]