Addressing a priest

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I’m just curious about the practice some people have of addressing a priest using his first name, such as “Father Bill”. I learned to address a priest using his last name (i.e. Father Johnson) and have heard most people do it that way until about 15 years ago. Now it seems everyone uses the first name.

I just can’t bring myself to use his first name. Seems weird, like calling a regular guy “Mr. Bill” or “Mr. Tom”.

I’m just curious how this came about. How do you all address your priest?

Merry Christmas!!

Simon
 
Yah, I have to adjust the way I say each time I meet different priests … but mostly, if they call themselves by firstname, I am glad to call them by firstname.
 
I’m just curious about the practice some people have of addressing a priest using his first name, such as “Father Bill”.

**This is normal practice in the Eastern Churches.

Furthermore, bishops are “Bp. Firstname”.

Properly in both places, it’s the ordination name.

Monastics and Friars are generally Fr. Firstname too, even in the Latin Church.**
 
I’ve had priest ask me to address them with their first name instead of their last. Especially my current and last pastor. Of course my last pastor had a Lithuanian name which most people would mangle anyway.

My friend who is a priest, I just address him as Faddah. 😃

He gets the joke behind it BTW.

Jim
 
I normally go with whatever they introduce themselves as. Or ask them their preference.

Our current priest, Father Firstname, told everyone to call him that. I didn’t know the first name of our previous priest. I always called him, Father Lastname. And so did everyone else.
 
We ought to go along with whatever the priest prefers.

When we call the priest Father firstname, we are not just call him the first name. We call him Father firstname. That is OK. That still shows our respect. And that is what we call our current pastor in our parish.
 
Though it is a real trend here in Australia to call priests by their first name, I always call a priest “Father”. I have only called two priests by their first names and they were both new priests and very young (compared to me) and very much finding their feet in a new parish. They asked all parishioners to call them by their first name. Both nowadays have advanced to quite important positions in the Australian Church here.

Barb:)
 
I usually address them by Fr. First name and there are a few priests that I call by their first name only. There are a few new priests who prefer to be called by their last name, but I think in that case they should refer to their parishioners by their last name as well. I call my doctor by his last name and he affords me the same respect. I think it should work the same way with priests, espcially with priests who are young enough to be your children.
 
here as long as i’ve been in the church they have always been introduced as Father firstname it would seem strange to me to be Father lastname especially as our current pastor calls everyonone by their firstname
 
BarbaraTherese said:
Though it is a real trend here in Australia to call priests by their first name, I always call a priest “Father”. I have only called two priests by their first names and they were both new priests and very young (compared to me) and very much finding their feet in a new parish. They asked all parishioners to call them by their first name. Both nowadays have advanced to quite important positions in the Australian Church here.

Barb:)
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Yeah, my priests growing up were all Father Lastname.

I don’t actually refer to any of the current mob by first or last name, just ‘Father’. Most of the parishes are one priest, so there’s never any doubt as to WHICH ‘Father’ I’m talking about.

If I had to use a name … well I guess it would just depend on whether I remember the surname more quickly than the first name or vice versa. None of them would object to either, as best I can judge.
 
My priest insists that we call him Fr Ed ( I always think of Fr Ted lol )
I hate that though. I always call any other priest Fr (lastname) it seems disrespectful to call them just by their first name, but thats just me.

pax vobiscum
 
IrishDude45 said:
My priest insists that we call him Fr Ed ( I always think of Fr Ted lol )
I hate that though. I always call any other priest Fr (lastname) it seems disrespectful to call them just by their first name, but thats just me.

pax vobiscum
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Why would it seem disrespectful if that is what they choose to be called?
 
in this diocese all priests are called Fr. Firstname, except the rare cases where we have two priest with the same name, then they are still called Fr. Jim directly, and Fr. Jim Smith when speaking about them to third persons. If you said Fr. Smith a lot of people would not know who you are speaking of. I don’t even know the last names of a lot of priests, and I know quite a few just because of my work. our former pastor had to patiently instruct new office workers to address him as Father, not Sir (people are very courteous down here) and teaching them that Father is a more reverent and exalted title than Sir.
 
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