 A commissary is a priest who represents a bishop on particular issues or in regions outside of the bishop's country.Historically, parish clergy have been given the "cure of souls" of the bishop, and hence are perpetual curates, and the temporal freehold of the parish, and hence are incumbents or parsons.Depending on the tithes they received, they were either rectors (receiving both the greater and lesser tithes), vicars (receiving just the lesser tithes) or perpetual curates (receiving no tithes).