You know, what you’re saying about pride is probably very true. There are some people who think that their way is the only way. I know that our friars are often annoyed with reporters on EWTN, especially, because they should know better. Fra. Reiniero Cantalamessa, OFM. Cap, the official preacher and spiritual director of the Papal Household is a very popular figure. The Capuchins, with the exception of the Americans, alway use Friar or Frater, both of which mean Brother. But EWTN always changes the man’s title to Brother. Recenlty they had the Prior General of the Dominicans. The Dominicans outside the USA also use Friar and Frater, not Father and the man introduced himself as Brother and they insisted on putting Father on the screen.
We have many friars who are not Americans. They come from Latin America, Europe, South Africa and two Australians. One friar from South Afriaca once asked the American friars sitting in the room, “Why are you Americans so arrogant?” We were a little stunned. We asked why and he pointed to the broadcast that we were watching from the Vatican and pointed out that the Italian commentator was clearly saying Frater Reiniero and that the American correspondent kept calling him Father Cantalamessa. I asked another quesion and this friar explained that from the perspective of someone from another culture this appeared to be an impossition of our system of doing things.
Two our our bishops are also treated the same way. The Archbishop of Denver is always referred to as Archbishop Chaput. But his actual name is Archbishop Charles, OFM Cap. And the Archbishop of Boston is always called Cardinal O’Malley. His actual name is Cardinal Sean Patrick, OFM Cap. None of the Franciscan obediences use last names with the title. In fact, the last name thing began in 1970 when the friars experimented by dropping the use of a religious name. Now it is disappearing again, because the use of a religious name is gradually coming back one province and one obedience at a time. The point is that some people done follow cues. When you see the Cardinal’s blog or his signature he always signs, Cardinal Sean. That is in keeping with the Franciscan tradtion.
The Missionary Brothers of Charity founded by Mother Teresa all go by Brother. They opened a house in the last diocese where I was out west. People kept wanting to call them Father. First of all, not all of them are odained. Second, the reason that they go by Brother is because, like the Franciscans, the founding community had no priests. They were all known as brother. As priests joined them, they became Brother. The same is true for the Little Brothers of Jesus.
This is an example of what I call someone insisting on doing something because we’ve always done it this way. I call it annoying, but you brought up the issue of pride, which I had not considered. I also think that there is another situation here. We, especially Americans, have to realize that the world is smaller than it was. We are no longer as far from other cultures and other parts of the Church as we were. Once upon a time, we were in the most remote part of the Church. The Church was in Europe and we were in America. Travel and communication have shortened the distances and the number of religious and clergy going back and forth, as well as the contact via the internet, TV, periodicals and journals, etc has exposed us to diversity. We have to begin to accept the diversity.
This has nothing to do with the last name and the Father title. But it is a cute anecdote. I love John Paul II and Benedict XVI, not because they are great popes (that too), but their scholarly work is fascinating to study. I’ve tried to keep up with them and I keep a scrap book on each one. It’s a hobby. I have several pictures of both men when they were professors. In Europe, priests and brothers who are university professors dress like morticians: black suit and tie with a white shirt. That is the accepted dress of clergy and religious in academia, especially in northern Europe. It may have something to do with the climate. I have not idea.
I have pictures of both men in suits and ties. A lady at Resepct Life had asked to see my scrap books and she was horrified to see the two popes in suits and ties. I explained that they were not popes at the time and that it was the custom in Northern Europe. She kept insisting that it was a horrible modernist custom. I explained over and over again that it was not modernist, because the custom preceeds modernism. Before shirts and ties, they wore whatever other scholars wore. It was a hard sell. I don’t know if I ever made a sale.
It was not that important to me, but I found it interesting to observe the rigidity that many American Catholics have. I wonder if that is because we were so far from the hub of Catholicism (Europe) that we were not exposed to these differences until the end of the 20th century when communication and travel exploded.
Just out of curiosity, I ask one of our South African brothers and our Australian brother about this thread… The both said that this would not be a topic of conversation in either country, because they have had a lot of exposure to European culture and customs. And they still have many clergy and religious who are from other countries. They can tell them apart by little things like the use of titles as well as the manner of dress. It was interesting. I know that our Australian brother calls our local superior Father Guardian. We simply call him Father Alex. He’s not a priest. But he is the local superior. Father Guardian or Father Superior is the proper title. Sometimes we just call him Alex. The laity calls him Father.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
