J
JReducation
Guest
The answer to your question is that a monk and a friar is always Brother, even if he’s ordained. When we enter the monastery or the friary, we enter to be monks or to be friars. If we just wanted to be priests, we would have entered a seminary of a diocese or a religious congregation of simple vows. But we didn’t. We entered a religious order of solemn vows.
In a religious order of solemn vows, which all friars and monks belong to, the focus is on the religious life. That’s why our vows are solemn and the Salesians are simple vows. Their focus is on the young. That’s not our focus. We help the young, if they need our help. But we don’t become friars or monks for that purpose. The Redemptorists make simple vows. Their focus is on being priests to minister Christ’s redemptive grace. That’s not the focus of a friar or a monk either.
The friar and the monk focus on one thing only, achieving intimate brotherhood with Christ, the firstborn among many brothers. This is a lifelong process of prayer, penance, solitude, silence manual labor, charitable apostolic action, sacraments and whatever else it takes to get you to that level of intimacy with Christ your brother.
The ordained monk and friar is a brother seek his first-born brother. His apostolic action is the offering of the sacrifice of the mass, while the apostolic action of another brother may be writing theology books or feeding the hungry and lonely Christ in a soup kitchen.
Therefore, not only is it appropriate to call a monk and a friar Brother, but it’s not humbling to us at all. That is what we are.
The term Father came from the religious life, not from the priesthood. Look at the older saints who were secular priests. St. Vincent de Paul is never called Father Vincent. He was Monsieur Vincent. John Bosco was Don Bosco. The first American diocesan priest was Mr. Hobart.
Father is a translation from the monastic title, Abba for the abbot. Religious superiors in monasteries and friaries are always Father, even if they’re not priests. I’m called Father and I’m not a priest. I’m always called Father General. Brother is used with my name.
This idea of spiritual fatherhood was adopted along the way for all priests. But monks and friars do not see themselves as simply priests. We see ourselves as the younger brothers of Christ the firstborn.
No one will be offended, unless he’s got a chip on his shoulder about being in priest. Then I get really nasty and I make sure that I call him Broooooother every time I meet him.
Fraternally,
Fr. JR, FFV-Gen
In a religious order of solemn vows, which all friars and monks belong to, the focus is on the religious life. That’s why our vows are solemn and the Salesians are simple vows. Their focus is on the young. That’s not our focus. We help the young, if they need our help. But we don’t become friars or monks for that purpose. The Redemptorists make simple vows. Their focus is on being priests to minister Christ’s redemptive grace. That’s not the focus of a friar or a monk either.
The friar and the monk focus on one thing only, achieving intimate brotherhood with Christ, the firstborn among many brothers. This is a lifelong process of prayer, penance, solitude, silence manual labor, charitable apostolic action, sacraments and whatever else it takes to get you to that level of intimacy with Christ your brother.
The ordained monk and friar is a brother seek his first-born brother. His apostolic action is the offering of the sacrifice of the mass, while the apostolic action of another brother may be writing theology books or feeding the hungry and lonely Christ in a soup kitchen.
Therefore, not only is it appropriate to call a monk and a friar Brother, but it’s not humbling to us at all. That is what we are.
The term Father came from the religious life, not from the priesthood. Look at the older saints who were secular priests. St. Vincent de Paul is never called Father Vincent. He was Monsieur Vincent. John Bosco was Don Bosco. The first American diocesan priest was Mr. Hobart.
Father is a translation from the monastic title, Abba for the abbot. Religious superiors in monasteries and friaries are always Father, even if they’re not priests. I’m called Father and I’m not a priest. I’m always called Father General. Brother is used with my name.
This idea of spiritual fatherhood was adopted along the way for all priests. But monks and friars do not see themselves as simply priests. We see ourselves as the younger brothers of Christ the firstborn.
No one will be offended, unless he’s got a chip on his shoulder about being in priest. Then I get really nasty and I make sure that I call him Broooooother every time I meet him.
Fraternally,
Fr. JR, FFV-Gen