BENEFICE, in an ecclesiastical sense, a church endowed with a revenue for the performance of divine service; or the revenue itself assigned to an ecclesiastical person, by way of stipend, for the service he is to do that church.
All church-preferments, except bishoprics, are called benefices; and all benefices are, by the canonists, sometimes styled dignities: But we now ordinarily distinguish between benefice and dignity, applying dignity to bishoprics, deanries, archdeaconries, and prebendaries; and benefice to parsonages, vicarages, and donatives.
Benefices are divided by the canonists into simple and sacerdotal: In the first there is no obligation but to read prayers, sing, &c. such are canonries, chaplainships, chantries, &c.: The second are charged with the cure of souls, or the direction and guidance of consciences; such are vicarages, rectories, &c.
The Romanists again distinguish benefices into regular and secular.
Regular or titular benefices are those held by a religious, or a regular, who has made profession of some religious order; such are abbeys, priories, conventuals, &c.; or rather, a regular benefice is that which cannot be conferred on any but a religious, either by its foundation, by the institution of some superior, or by prescription: For prescription, forty years possession by a religious makes the benefice regular.
Secular benefices are only such as are to be given to secular priests, i. e. to such as live in the world, and are
are not engaged in any monastic order. All benefices are reputed secular, till the contrary is made to appear. They are called secular benefices, because held by seculars; of which kind are almost all cures.