Meeting the Bishop

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As everyone else has said. Personally I love the concept of kissing the ring and the formal title. While I may not genuflect usually if it seemed appropriate I would love to. I have only met our Bishop once and I did a half bow handshake sort of deal. I have previously opened with “Your Excellency” and then said “sir” after that. I do the same thing with my priest. I open with “father” and then out of habit usually use “sir” for the rest of the conversation. That way the respect if shown for the office and they don’t have to head “father” a hundred times during a single conversation.

I think in this age it is very important to bring back the physical signs of respect since so many have lost that sense. My bishop is the highest form of authority for my area short of the Pope and if any position deserves a bow in our society it is the Bishop. I personally don’t like it when someone says not to because they misconstrue the person for the position. Saying “don’t bow to me” implies I was ever bowing to them in the first place, when in fact it is their office I am bowing to. But that’s just me
 
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That’s not accurate. Archbishop Miller is my Ordinary. We definitely address him as “your grace”. I have done so on more than one occasion… including when I was discerning the priesthood several years ago (now happily married and a father haha) and had lunch with His Grace.
 
twf said:
That’s not accurate. Archbishop Miller is my Ordinary. We definitely address him as “your grace”. I have done so on more than one occasion… including when I was discerning the priesthood several years ago (now happily married and a father haha) and had lunch with His Grace.
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I never said people don’t call him “Your Grace”

So are you saying Wikipedia is wrong regarding his preferred Style? (Which wouldn’t be the first time Wikipedia is wrong)
 
Yes. I’ve only ever heard “your grace” used in reference to the Archbishop of Vancouver… including at formal events and with his predecessor.
Part of the confusion could be that Archbishop Miller was an archbishop before coming to Vancouver… he was an official in the Roman Curia. “Your excellency” was probably the proper address for him at that time. Local custom, however, dictates that the archbishop be addressed as “your grace”.
 
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I asked to kiss the Bishop’s ring when I met him. He said okay and then he gave me a blessing after I kissed the ring. There is an indulgence (under the usual conditions) attached to kissing the Bishop’s ring. I received a spiritual benefit from doing it, so it was a valuable exercise for me. Father Z explains the etiquette of kissing the Bishop’s ring on his blog. Of course, it’s not for everyone.
 
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