| |
Using Personal
Titles
#10:
Eastern
Orthodox
ReligiousTitles
The Eastern
Orthodox Church is particularly
strong in
the Meditteranean and Central and Eastern Europe. It
also
has
a growing number of followers in the
Americas. Like
the Roman Catholic Church,
the Eastern Orthodox
Church
has many different religious offices and
different
titles for
each. Because the
different Eastern Orthodox jurisdictions
often
have particular ethnic and/or cultural
backgrounds
(Greek, Russian, Syrian,
Bulgarian,
Ukrainian, Serbian,
Romanian,
Carpatho-Rusyn, etc.), many of these
titles are
not in English. For examples of
titles in English, those
given
here are used by the Orthodox Church in
America
(which
has a Slavic
background).
Common
titles used in the Orthodox Church
in America
include those for the Metropolitan
and for archbishops,
bishops,
archimandrites, priests,
deacons,
and
members
of religious
orders:
In
speaking,
| for . .
. |
|
use this
title: |
| the
Metropolitan |
|
Your
Beatitude |
| archbishops |
|
Your Grace |
| bishops |
|
Your Grace |
| archimandrites |
|
Father (religious
name)
or
Archimandrite (religious name) |
| protopresbyters |
|
Protopresbyter (given
name)
or
Father (given name) |
| archpriests |
|
Father (given name) |
| priests |
|
Father (given name) |
| priest's
wife |
|
Matushka* (given
name) |
| protodeacons |
|
Father Deacon (given name) |
| deacons |
|
Father Deacon (given
name) |
monastics
(men) |
|
Igumen (religious name)
Father Abbot (religious name)
Brother (religious
name) |
monastics
(women) |
|
Igumena (religious name)
Mother Abbess (religious name)
Sister (religious
name) |
In writing a letter,
| for . .
. |
|
use this
title: |
| the
Metropolitan |
|
The Most Blessed
(religious name),
Metropolitan of _____
address |
| archbishops |
|
The Most Reverend
(religious name),
Archbishop of _____
address |
| bishops |
|
The Right Reverend
(religious name),
Bishop of _____
address |
| archimandrites |
|
Rev. Archimandrite
(religious name)
address |
| protopresbyters |
|
V. Rev. Protopresbyter
(name)
address |
| archpriests |
|
V. Rev. (name)
address |
| priests |
|
Rev. (name)
address |
| priest's
wife |
|
Matushka* (name)
address |
| protodeacons |
|
Rev. Protodeacon
(name)
address |
| deacons |
|
Rev. Deacon (name)
address |
monastics
(men) |
|
Igumen (religious
name)
address
Father
Abbot (religious name)
address
Brother
(religious name)
address |
monastics
(women) |
|
Igumena (religious name)
address
Mother Abbess (religious name)
address
Sister (religious name)
address |
In writing a letter,
| for . .
. |
|
use this
greeting: |
| the
Metropolitan |
|
Your Beatitude:
or
Dear Metropolitan
(religious name): |
| archbishops |
|
Your Grace:
or
Dear
Archbishop
(religious name): |
| bishops |
|
Your Grace:
or
Dear
Bishop
(religious name): |
| archimandrites |
|
Father (religious
name):
or
Dear
Archimandrite (religious name): |
| protopresbyters |
|
Protopresbyter (given
name):
or
Dear
Father (given name): |
| archpriests |
|
Father (given name):
or
Dear Father (given
name): |
| priests |
|
Father (given name):
or
Dear Father (given
name): |
| priest's wife |
|
Matushka* (given name):
or
Dear Matushka (given
name): |
| protodeacons |
|
Father Deacon (given name):
or
Dear Father Deacon (given
name): |
| deacons |
|
Father Deacon (given name):
or
Dear Father (given
name): |
monastics
(men) |
|
Igumen (religious name):
or
Dear Igumen (given
name):
Father Abbot
(religious name):
or
Dear
Father Abbot (religious name):
Brother (religious name):
or
Dear Brother (religious
name): |
monastics
(women) |
|
Igumena (religious name)
or
Dear Father (given
name):
Mother Abbess
(religious name):
or
Dear
Mother Abbess (religious name):
Sister (religious name):
or
Dear Sister (religious
name): |
_________________________________________
Special Notes:
| 1. |
|
Eastern
Orthodox Churches have both married
and
unmarried
(celibate) priests. If a priest is
married, his wife also
has a title. There is no
English title for "priest's wife," so
ethnic
titles
are used--for example:
| Slavic |
|
Matushka or Panni |
| Greek |
|
Presbytera |
| Arabic |
|
Khorea |
| Romanian |
|
Preoteasa |
|
| |
|
|
| 2. |
|
In the past,members of Eastern Orthodox
monastic
communities (monks and nuns) were
often
known only by their religious
names.
It
is becoming more common, however, to
use
a monastic's religious name and his or her
actual
surname (in parentheses),
if it is
known:
in the
past:
Abbot
Serafim
now:
Abbot
Serafim (Boyko) |
| |
|
|
| 3. |
|
The titles Protopresbyter
and
Archpriest
shower higher
"ranks" than that for a
parish
priest. They're usually granted after many
years
of service.
The title Protodeacon
is a
higher "rank" than
that for a deacon
and is also
normally granted
after
many years of service.
The monastic titles
Igumen,
Igumena, and
Archimandrite
are difficult to translate
into English.
Igumen
and Igumena are
somewhat similar to
"Father
Superior"
or
"Mother
Superior." Archimandrite is
similar
to Archpriest but is for celibate priests
who
have
taken monastic
vows. |
| |
|
|
| 4. |
|
Other Christian groups often have different
offices,
and even if the name of the office is
the same, the title might be
different. Some
of these titles will be in later
Hints. |
|
