What, exactly, is a Monsignor, and what is his role in the Church?

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I find this interesting.

The priest who baptised me has connections to Rome and is the cousin of the bishop, yet he is not a Monsignor.

One would assume that 60 years ago, he would have been made one.
 
JanR said:
I’ve always understood a Monsignor as higher than a priest but lower than a Bishop in the hierarchy. What role does a Monsignor play? What exactly does he do that is different than what a priest does?
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It actually depends. Most priests you encounter who are monsignori will be diocesan priests. They have been given that style of address as the result of being made an honorary member of the Papal Household. Most are made Chaplain to His Holiness, the most junior rank. Above them is Prelate of Honour, and the highest is Protonotary Apostolic supernumerary. All are honorary positions. They entitle the priest to the style of address 'Monsignor; they have purple piping on their cassocks and they receive a purple fascia. When precedence matters, e.g. in a procession, they take precedence over ordinary priests.

There are other monsignori who do have powers that go with the title. They hold offices in the Curia of the Holy See, e.g. Protonotaries Apostolic de numero.
JanR said:
How would one address a Monsignor? Would we still call him “Father”, or call him “Monsignor”?

Or would we address him along the lines of how we would address a bishop, “Your Excellency”?
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It would be correct to address him as ‘Monsignor’. It would not be wrong to call him ‘Father’ but he is entitled to the higher style of Monsignor’. I suppose it is possible one may be precious about the title and insist on it. They should not be addressed as Your Excellency/Your Lordship as one would address a bishop.
Mr.Phoenix said:
What do they do and why stop having monsignoures but still have canons?
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We have not stopped having monsignori. It is simply that Pope Francis has decided to cut back on the number of priests given one of the honorary titles that permits him to use the style ‘Monsignor’.

Canons are priests who are members of cathedral and collegiate churches. I think all our dioceses in England and Wales have a chapter attached to their cathedral. As I understand it no cathedral in the USA has a chapter. Since the 1983 Code of Canon Law chapters are now purely honorific. The functions they used to have were passed to colleges of consultors. However, a bishop can give the powers of the college of consultors to his chapter and a few here in England and Wales have. Canons can put the word ‘canon’ in their name, and are addressed as, e.g. Very Reverend John Frederick Canon Smith. If one is both a canon and a monsignor one is ‘Very Reverend Monsignor John Frederick Canon Smith’. A canon should be addressed as ‘Canon’ rather than ‘Father’ but if he is also a monsignor he should be addressed as ‘Monsignor’. This is because the style ‘canon’ is conferred by a bishop whereas ‘monsignor’ is conferred by the pope.
 
Traditionally we address a Monsignor as “Right Reverend” when writing a letter
 
I also knew a Monsignor who acted as a sort of part time assistant priest at my Ordinariate group. He was formerly one of the Church of England’s “flying bishops”.
 
Yes, I think former Anglican bishops who “came over” were granted the style “Monsignor” and the right to wear the mitre.
 
I only know (knew) 4; one was my mother’s uncle, and the other my father’s uncle.

One I sat elbow to elbow with in the seminary (and he now has a parish of 3,000+ families) and the other is now retired; one or two years ahead of me in the seminary. They were and are all priests who “put their pants on like everyone else, one leg at a time”, meaning none of them seem to be the least affected by the title. All were or are parish priests.
 
Yes, most are former Anglican priests/bishops, not too sure if they are allowed to be bishops, even if they aren’t married. Not too sure what is Canon Law on them.
 
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An Anglican priest who is recieved into the Catholic Church can become a bishop. Saint John Henry Newman would be a good example. However, while a married man can be ordained exceptionally, and this exception has been extended to Anglican priests converting through the Ordinariate, a bishop can never be married, so married bishops who convert are given the title Monsignor instead.
 
OldCAFMember said:
But not since 1968.
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I agree in general. I don’t know if this is a general norm throughout the entire Latin Church or whether things are decided on a country by country basis. I do believe that priests who were originally Right Reverend Monsignor could keep that style. It was simply new monsignori who had to use the new styles. There are several priests in my diocese who are Right Reverend Monsignor. Admittedly, they are old men and getting fewer as the years go by.
 
Yes, that has generally happened. Most former Church of England bishops who were received into the Catholic Church are ordained first deacon and then priest. They can be ordained as bishops but not if they’re married. Most are married so can be priests but not bishops. They have I believe all been made monsignori. I was unaware they could wear the mitre unless he is actually the ordinary of the ordinariate.
 
I believe it is only the ordinaries who, by special permission, may wear the mitre and the ring as they are essentially bishops in terms of their role if not in terms of having actually been ordained as such.
 
TomH1 said:
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OldCAFMember:
But not since 1968.
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I agree in general. I don’t know if this is a general norm throughout the entire Latin Church or whether things are decided on a country by country basis. I do believe that priests who were originally Right Reverend Monsignor could keep that style. It was simply new monsignori who had to use the new styles. There are several priests in my diocese who are Right Reverend Monsignor. Admittedly, they are old men and getting fewer as the years go by.
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Pre-1968, papal chamberlains, now called chaplains of honor to His Holiness (the lowest rank) were titled The Very Rev. Monsignor. Domestic prelates (now called prelates of honor) and protonotaries apostolic were styled The Rt. Rev. Monsignor. Those who already held those titles were permitted to keep them, but since 1968, all three are titled The Rev. Monsignor.
 
I can see how all those changes in later years could cause confusion. Especially to the laity.
 
Thank you for the clarification. I was sure monsignori could keep their old styles because as I said we have several in our diocese who have. I did not know if the Holy See had made this a universal rule, which it may have done, as these titles are conferred by the pope or if perhaps we in England had an indult permitting this. I now know it is a universal rule. Thanks! 😃
 
I suppose The Very Reverend Monsignor would still apply to a Monsignor who is also a cathedral rector or the Vicar General, as those positions already carry the style “very reverend”.
 
twf said:
I suppose The Very Reverend Monsignor would still apply to a Monsignor who is also a cathedral rector or the Vicar General, as those positions already carry the style “very reverend”.
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I believe so, as I once had a pastor who was a monsignor, and was also the vicar forane (which also carries The Very Rev. as a title), and I sometimes saw that used for him, though only in the most formal diocesan documents.
 
Pretty sure there’s a Most Reverend, though I couldn’t say off hand who gets that title.
 
It is an honorary title in the Roman rite!
I know that in the Maronite Church there is an ordination attached to becoming a Monsignor.
I guessing it is more than an honorary thing for Maronite priests otherwise why would an ordination ceremony be attached to it, but not exactly sure on that myself.
 
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