What is the correct title for a priest?

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Apryl

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For some reason, I’ve seen people having items in print where the priest is listed as “Rev. Fr.”. This confuses me.

I know that Deacons are “Rev. Mr.”, but since when was a priest “Rev. Fr.”? :confused:

I am aware that all priests are reverends, but not all reverends are priests, so when I don’t know whether a cleric is Catholic or not, I will use “Reverand”… but when I KNOW he’s a priest, I won’t use both. 😉

Is this something that’s ok, and I’m stressing over nothing? Or is this some one trying to be politically correct, and making something where there is nothing? 🤷

Where can I look this up? I do want to know before I go ‘correcting’ any one else.

TIA
 
I always say Fr when addressing a priest…so does everyone else that I know
 
I was under the impression that ‘Rev Fr’ was a more formal way of addressing a priest or possibly the written form.
 
Eastern priests (Catholic and Orthodox) prefer to be called “Fr. Firstname”, and bishops “Bp. Firstname” or “Your Grace.”

Eastern deacons are “Fr. Deacon Name.”
 
tee_eff_em said:
Wikipedia seems to indicate this is correct.
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Wikipedia??? Um… that’s no real source of authority!:eek:

Maybe that’s where these people got it from, and they are spreading it. Oh, boy.😊

And this address is in written communication.

“Rev. Fr. John Q. Doe”

Where can I find some authoritative direction on this use?

(I recently had a ‘spat’ with the local paper as they were referring to the cardinal as Cardinal John Doe, when I said it’s John Cardinal Doe. They did it a few more times, but they’ve stopped of late!)
 
For priests, I always refer to them as Fr. Last Name, especially if I don’t know them very well. The priests who served at my university Catholic Student Center were always referred to as Fr. First Name, mostly because they were less formal with the students.

At the more traditional parishes I’ve been to, the deacons were officially referred to as Rev. Mr. Last Name, while the priest was Rev. Fr. Last Name. Of course, in speaking terms we just called them Fr. or Deacon Last Name.
 
Drilling4Truth said:
At the more traditional parishes I’ve been to, the deacons were officially referred to as Rev. Mr. Last Name, while the priest was Rev. Fr. Last Name. Of course, in speaking terms we just called them Fr. or Deacon Last Name.
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But since when??? :eek: :confused: :eek:

I’m serious: I’ve been Catholic my WHOLE life (ok, I was old when I was baptized, but I can’t recall anything before I was two) :o

I have been around NON-Catholics, and Lapsed Catholics, and never, ever NEVER NEVER EVER have I heard or seen any ‘Father Reverand’, or ‘Reverand Father’ until at least a year ago. 😊

When did that change? Where do they get it from? I was thinking it was wrong… but if I’m wrong, I need to be corrected. If they are wrong, they need to be corrected. :rolleyes:

Which is it? When did it change? WHO changed it? (ok, that last question ain’t that important) 😛

But is it SUPPOSED to be Rev. Fr Lastname, or is it SUPPOSED to simply be Fr. Lastname, with it being OK to be Rev. Lastname? 🤷
 
Sorry, sorry. In speaking terms we use Fr. Last Name and Deacon Last Name. Written in the bulletin, announcements, letterheads, etc. we use Rev Fr. Last Name and Rev. Mr. Last Name. It’s just a more formal way than many are used to.

I personally don’t use just Rev. Last Name because that was how my old Methodist preachers liked to be called. Except for one who insisted on being referred to as Brother First Name, but he was really weird.
 
Drilling4Truth said:
Written in the bulletin, announcements, letterheads, etc. we use Rev Fr. Last Name and Rev. Mr. Last Name. It’s just a more formal way than many are used to.
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Ok… you do it… BUT WHY??? When did that become correct? Or is it? Is it just something some one did? Or is it how it’s SUPPOSED to be? :confused:

I’M CATHOLIC… I REQUIRE GUIDELINES! :eek:
 
As Catholics, the PROPER way of referring to a priest is: Reverend Father Lastname

The PROPER way of speaking to a priest is:
Father Lastname

Just because society hates being proper doesn’t mean it’s wrong 😉

Never refer to a Catholic priest as simply reverend. if you use reverend it MUST be accompanied by Father, that way he isn’t confused with protestant ministers who frequent the use of reverend.
 
It’s customary. If you look in an English handbook (like the one we had to buy in college) it’ll give hundreds of formal and semi-formal ways to properly address churchmen, politicians, royalty, government officials, etc, etc. That’s where I would go to first for “official” rules.
 
Cruikshank_s said:
Just because society hates being proper doesn’t mean it’s wrong 😉
.
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… ok… but I have never seen that. I actually went LOOKING for it when I first saw it in print. :rolleyes:

Now… Please… I’m begging you… I’m begging SOMEONE… where do I find this? In writing (other than Wikipedia) 😊
 
Apryl said:
Ok… you do it… BUT WHY??? When did that become correct? Or is it? Is it just something some one did? Or is it how it’s SUPPOSED to be? :confused:

I’M CATHOLIC… I REQUIRE GUIDELINES! :eek:
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It’s the way it’s ALWAYS been. I assume it started in the 60’s and 70’s, but in the end priests became uncomfortable with the respect given them. They started to request that they be referred to by their first name, it’s less formal, they started to object to such pious traditions like kissing the hand of a priest etc. etc.

If and when you start becoming proper, your priest will almost undoubtably insist you don’t. That’s most likely why you’ve never heard it used.
 
Cruikshank_s said:
quick look on googe gave me this:
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:bowdown2: :bowdown: :bowdown2: :bowdown:

See… I was looking for this.

… I don’t know why I didn’t find it, but that’s why I asked here.

Thank you, thank you thank you

“My mother thanks you, my father thanks you, and my brother”
 
Apryl said:
Wikipedia??? Um… that’s no real source of authority!:eek:
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It may be no real source of authority, but neither should it be dismissed out of hand. I could have sworn I’d written “FWIW”, but I must have erred. Mea culpa. Sed haec hactenus.

How about this one?
A religious should be addressed as “Reverend Father” or “Most Reverend Father” (“Reverendo padre” or "Reverendissimo Padre’ '), according to his rank in his order, and the words “Vostra Paternita” or “Vostra Riverenza”, “Your Paternity” or “Your Reverence”, used in the letter itself.
Ecclesiastical Addresses entry of the Old Catholic Encyclopedia
(It is in the ITALY section, which is referred from the ENGLISH-SPEAKING COUNTRIES section)

tee
 
Apryl said:
:bowdown2: :bowdown: :bowdown2: :bowdown:

See… I was looking for this.

… I don’t know why I didn’t find it, but that’s why I asked here.

Thank you, thank you thank you

“My mother thanks you, my father thanks you, and my brother”
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Haha You’re very welcome! 👍
 
tee_eff_em said:
It may be no real source of authority, but neither should it be dismissed out of hand. I could have sworn I’d written “FWIW”, but I must have erred.
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I apologize if I offended you with my comments on Wikipedia… it wasn’t personal, and whether or not you used ‘FWIW’, the feeling is the same. 😊

I seldom take information from any source easily. I need sources for my resources :o

Again, I’m sorry if I offended you

(BTW: I responded the same way when I asked my pastor another question, and he suggested Wikipedia! 🙂 )
 
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