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Ray98362
Guest
Where I grew up, all the parish priests were called Father. I’ve been noticing other titles such as Reverend, Pastor etc. What are the differences in these titles?
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Ghoti
Guest
Generally*, all priests, AFAIK, are called “Father” – even the Pope is called “Father” in the confessional.
*There are exceptions. Monsignors are addressed as “Monsignor”, bishops are (IIRC) addressed as “Your Excellency”, archbishops as “Your Grace”, cardinals as “Your Eminence”, and Papa Benni as “Your Holiness”. I believe that another user here (Br JR?) stated that Brothers who are ordained are still still generally addressed as “Brother”.
So “Father” is a form of address.
“Reverend” is a title that is also used, but not as a form of address (at least in Catholicism; it seems to be used in some Protestant churches). Father Bob over at Gonzaga might be formally spoken/written of as “Rev Robert Smart, SJ”. Should he become a Monsignor, he would be listed as “Very Rev. Robert Smart, SJ”, and normally addressed as Monsignor (in my neck of the woods, it’s pronounced “Mon’snr” (two syllables)). If he becomes Bishop, he becomes “Most Rev Robert Smart, SJ”. If he gets his hat, he becomes “Robert Cardinal Smart”. Should he be elected by a conclave, he might be, say, “Pope Hilary II” or “Hilarius II, Pont. Max.”
“Pastor” is a particular office, equivalent to “parish priest”. It’s not used as a form of address in Catholic Church, but is in some Protestant circles.
So if we look at the possible Sunday Bulletin over at (the fictional) St Aloysius Gonzaga Church, we see:
As for other forms of address:
“Padre” is an acceptable form of address for any clergyman who is a military chaplain, including Catholic priests (in the Canadian Forces, it’s preferred). I use the term “padre” when addressing any man with a Roman collar whom I don’t know for sure is a priest.
“Dom” is a title reserved for some Benedictines and Carthusians – but I don’t know if it is applied to those that are ordained.
A priest who ran a home for boys in Canada back in the fifties or earlier was addressed as “Pere” (pronounced “peer”) – can’t remember the full story, I’ve been trying to find it for years.
That’s all I can come up with off the top of my head. I’ve only been exposed to diocesan priests (all “Father”, one “Monsignor”), Jesuits and Redemptorists (“Father”), and Capuchins (normally “Brother”, I am told). I addressed the Capuchin as “Father” (he had just said Mass), and addressed the former Archbishop of my archdiocese as “Father” (I didn’t know he was an archbp; they don’t always wear an obvious rank insignia). Neither seemed to mind, and both greeted me warmly when I addressed them.
Look at it this way: When you address God, you call Him “Father”: so if it’s good enough for Him, I don’t see too many clergy complaining.
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DavidFilmer
Guest
Any priest may be called “father.”
“Reverend,” when used without modifiers, usually refers to a priest (ie, the Rev. Eric Filmer - my brother). Modifiers are used to distinguish a particular position - “Reverend Mister” is a deacon, and “Very Reverend” is a priest who is in a position of leadership over the Pastor of a parish. This would often be the case if a parish was tended to by members of a Religious Order - the parish would have a pastor, but the order would have a prior (above the pastor) who would be a “very reverend.”
“Most reverend” would be a Bishop (or, in Anglican parlance, a regular bishop would be “right reverend” and an archbishop would be “most reverend,” but Catholics do not make this distinction).
A Pastor is a priest who is in charge of a parish. He may (or, usually, may not) have associate pastors. Associate pastors (AKA “Parochial Vicars”) are often newly-ordained priests. Pastors enjoy certain rights with respect to their parish, in a similar fashion that Bishops enjoy with respect to their diocese (if you think of a diocese as a state, a parish would be a county).
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Ray98362
Guest
Thank you both for the answer!
I was confused and not sure the title reflected an ordained priest. So thanks again for the clarification.
I was confused and not sure the title reflected an ordained priest. So thanks again for the clarification.
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