In the pre-
Reformation church, a
parson is the priest of an independent
parish church, that is, a parish church not under the control of a larger ecclesiastical or monastic organization. The term is similar to
rector and is in contrast to a
vicar, a cleric whose
revenue is usually, at least partially, appropriated by a larger organization. Today the term is normally used for some parish clergy of non-Roman Catholic churches, in particular in the
Anglican tradition in which a parson is the
incumbent of a
parochial benefice: a parish
priest or a
rector; in this sense a parson can be compared with a vicar. The title
parson can be applied to clergy from certain other Protestant denominations. A parson is often housed in a church-owned home known as a
parsonage.