In the organisation of the Catholic Church and of the Anglican Communion an ordinariate is a pre- or pseudo-diocesan ecclesiastical structure, of geographical or personal nature, headed by an ordinary who is not necessarily a bishop. An ordinariate can be: an ordinariate for the faithful of eastern rites in one or more countries a military ordinariate, for the troops of a nation a personal ordinariate, also known as the Catholic Ordinariate of the Anglican Patrimony a missionary jurisdiction, the Eastern Catholic equivalent of an apostolic prefecture, e.g. the former Ordinariate of Asmara the diocesan curia (in German use [Ordinariat], cf. English chancery) an ordinariate for an academic community, notably the former (unique?) Ordinariate for foreign students in Belgium See also List of Catholic dioceses (structured view) References Catholic canonical structures