The form of appeal to the Christian clergyman was formed from the beginning of the existence of religion itself. Today, despite the schism, priests of Orthodox, Catholic and other churches can be called the same titles.
Instruction manual
1
Western films and some Soviet Westerns have instilled the view that Catholic priests should be called the "holy father." Try to contact the pastor in this manner and immediately understand what was wrong. Most likely, he will give you a quote from the Old Testament: "No one is holy except God." This form is not acceptable in any Christian church.
2
Traditional forms of treatment are embodied in biographical documents, notes of the disciples of a priest. Familiarize yourself with them (for example, Motovilov’s book about Seraphim), pay special attention to the forms of appeal to the holy elders.
3
Listen to live speech. In particular, watch out for regular church visitors who understand the rules and regulations. Parishioners, as a rule, turn to the priest in a canonical manner. Copy it, use the same words and treatment.
4
For ordinary priests who have only the rank of priest (no higher), the following formulas apply: "Father John", "Father" (obsolete form, the so-called vocal case). The reference "father" is permissible, to which it is possible, but not necessary, to add a name. These forms are applicable to clergy and the Orthodox Church, and the Catholic, and Protestant.
5
“Bishop” is usually addressed to bishops (bishops, archbishops), it is also permissible to give a full name. However, if you accidentally call a high-ranking minister a “father, ” there will be no critical error. You can make a remark, but nothing more. In Catholicism, these appeals are not used.
6
Formulate your requests and questions in a simple, modern language. Father - a person like you, lives in the same world. He will equally understand the statements in an archaic and simple form, but the second option is more appropriate.
note
In official documents it is customary to call a priest by title (priest, priest, archpriest). This is followed by the letter “o” with a period (father), first and last name in parentheses. In spoken language, as a rule, the title is not mentioned.
