Church official cited over missing Mass (4)
I believe the answer is:
dean
'church official' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
I can't explain the rest of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for dean that I've seen before include "Cathedral dignitary; head of university department" , "Church or college dignitary" , "Jonathan Swift's occupation" , "Churchman" , "Senior academic administrator" .)