# Patriarch ## Catechism of the Catholic Church A title given to the venerable ancestors or "fathers" of the Semitic peoples, [[abraham|Abraham]], Isaac, and Jacob, who received God's promise of election ([[1.1.2.1.pg#^ccc-61|61]], [[1.2.1.1.p16#^ccc-205|205]]). In the Church hierarchy, and especially among the Churches of the East, a patriarch is a senior bishop with jurisdiction over a larger unit of particular churches (patriarchate) of a certain rite or region or liturgical tradition ([[1.2.3.9.p2a#^ccc-887|887]]).