Forms of address used in the United Kingdom are given below.
48-644: Sire is an archaic respectful form of address to reigning kings in Europe . In French and other languages it is less archaic and relatively more current. In Belgium, the king is addressed as "Sire..." in both Dutch and French. The words "sire" and " sir ", as well as the French " (mon)sieur ", the Spanish " señor ", and the Portuguese " senhor ", share a common etymological origin, all ultimately being related to
96-473: A man of the cloth . With respect to ecclesiastical address , many ministers are styled as " The Reverend "; however, some use "Pastor" or "Father" as a title. The Church of England defines the ministry of priests as follows: Priests are called to be servants and shepherds among the people to whom they are sent. With their Bishop and fellow ministers, they are to proclaim the word of the Lord and to watch for
144-574: A rabbi can be referred to as being a clergy member. Parson is a similar term often applied to ordained priests or ministers. The word is a variant on the English word person from the Latin persona ("mask") used as a legal term for one having jurisdiction. The similar words "Dominie", "Dominee" and "Dom", all derived from the Latin domine (vocative case of Dominus "Lord, Master"), are used in related contexts. Dominie , derived directly from Dutch,
192-549: A seminary , theological college or university . One of the clearest references is found in 1 Timothy 3:1–16 , which outlines the requirements of a bishop ( episkopos : Koine Greek ἐπίσκοπος , interpreted as elder by some denominations): This is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not
240-405: A brawler, not covetous; One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of
288-582: A higher degree or academic appointment e.g. Dr Smith or Prof. Smith. It is 'infra dig' to use the style 'Rev' and even the use of 'the Rev Mr' requires sensitivity to official style. A judge's first name only forms part of their judicial style if, at the time of their appointment, there is a senior judge with the same or a similar surname. Thus, if there is a "Mr Justice Smith", subsequent judges will be "Mr Justice John Smith", "Mrs Justice Mary Smith", etc. High Court Judges and above who are King's Counsel do not use
336-557: A military units, schools and hospitals. The Spanish word Padre ("father") is often informally used to address military chaplains, also in English and Portuguese ( Brazil ). Elders (in Greek, πρεσβυτερος [presbuteros]; see Presbyter ) in Christianity are involved in the collective leadership of a local church or of a denomination. Lay people, volunteers , pastoral agents, community leaders are responsible to bring teaching
384-526: A partly hereditary priestly class became possible, whereby wealth and clerical positions were frequently inheritable. Higher positioned clergy formed this clerical educated upper class. High Church Anglicanism and High Church Lutheranism tend to emphasise the role of the clergy in dispensing the Christian sacraments. The countries that were once a part of the Swedish Empire , i.e. Finland and
432-499: A schism in the American Anglican church . In the majority of churches, ordained ministers are styled " The Reverend ". However, as stated above, some are styled "Pastor" and others do not use any religious style or form of address, and are addressed as any other person, e.g. as Mr, Ms, Miss, Mrs or by name. In Anglican churches, the style for ordained ministers varies according to their office, as below. In all cases,
480-839: A title commonly used in times past for any person of rank, clerical or lay. The term "minister" is used by the Catholic Church in some cases, such as the head of the Franciscans being the Minister General. In the Greek-Catholic Church, all clergy are called "Father", including deacons, who are titled "Father Deacon", "Deacon Father", or simply "Father". Depending on the institution, seminarians may be titled "Brother", "Brother Seminarian", "Father Seminarian" or simply "Father". Their wives are usually addressed as "presvytera", "matushka" or "khourriyye" as in
528-422: Is disagreement between various global church denominations, and within membership of denominations, regarding whether women can be ministers. In 2021 excavations at the site of a Byzantine-era Christian basilica revealed floor mosaics which provide evidence of women serving as ministers, including deacons , in the church. There was notable contention over the issue of ordination of non-celibate gay people in
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#1732765956614576-594: Is incorrect) Together: The Baron of Edinburgh and Lady Edinburgh Lady Edinburgh Edinburgh Lady Edinburgh (if baron has territorial designation) (if baron has territorial designation) Similar styles are also applied to clergy of equivalent status in other religious organisations. The words clergy and cleric/clerk are derived from the proper term for bishops, priests and deacons still used in legal documents: Clerk in Holy Orders (e.g. " Vivienne Frances Faull , Clerk in Holy Orders") . Clergy in
624-453: Is not consistent throughout sources. The Gazette favours "The Rt. Hon.", while the government usually prefers "The Rt Hon" or "The Rt Hon." "The Most Noble", which is an abbreviation of "The Most High, Potent, and Noble", is rarely used by Dukes and Duchesses; when used, the forenames of the peer or peeress can be used after "His Grace" but before "The Duke of [...]". This style is also sometimes used without "His Grace". In regards to
672-450: Is often an expectation that they and their families will shun ostentation. However, there are situations where they are well rewarded for successfully attracting people to their religious community or enhancing the status or power of the community. The ordination of women has increasingly become accepted within many global religious faith groups, with some women now holding the most senior positions in these organizational hierarchies. There
720-590: Is prevalent in canon law . Holy orders refer to any recipient of the sacrament of ordination, both the major orders ( bishops , priests and deacons ) and the now less known minor orders ( acolyte , lector , exorcist and porter ) who, save for certain reforms made at the Second Vatican Council in the Roman Catholic Church, were called clerics or clerk , which is simply a shorter form of cleric . Clerics were distinguished from
768-636: Is used in the United States, "Dominee", derived from Dutch via Afrikaans is used in South Africa as the title of a pastor of the Dutch Reformed Church . In Scottish English dominie is generally used to mean just schoolmaster. In various Romance languages , shortened forms of Dominus ( Dom, Don ) are commonly used for Catholic priests (sometimes also for lay notables as well) for example Benedictine Monks are titled Dom , as in
816-481: The Baltics have more markedly preserved Catholic traditions and introduced far less Reformed traditions, hence the role of bishops, priests and deacons are notably more visible. Bishops, priests and deacons have traditionally officiated over of acts worship, reverence, rituals and ceremonies. Among these central traditions have been baptism , confirmation , penance , anointing of the sick , holy orders , marriage,
864-549: The Episcopal Church in the United States, a parish, which is responsible for its own finances, is overseen by a rector. A bishop is nominally in control of a financially assisted parish but delegates authority to a vicar (related to the prefix "vice" meaning substitute or deputy). The term " pastor " means "shepherd" and is used several times in the New Testament to refer to church workers. Many Protestants use
912-529: The Latin senior . The female equivalent form of address is dame or dam. Forms of address in the United Kingdom Several terms have been abbreviated in the tables below. The forms used in the table are given first, followed by alternative acceptable abbreviations in parentheses. The punctuation of each abbreviation depends on the source. For example, the punctuation of "The Rt Hon"
960-534: The in the middle of two or more titles is sometimes capitalized, as in these tables. However this is controversial: traditional British guides use the lower-case the . As a single example, Debrett's gives "Major-General the Lord ...", and Pears' Cyclopaedia in the section on Modes of Address gives several examples where the definite article interior to a list of honours is lower case. Eldest sons of dukes, marquesses and earls use their father's most senior subsidiary title as courtesy titles , without "The" before
1008-457: The mass or the divine service , and coronations . These so-called "social rituals" have formed a part of human culture for tens of thousands of years. Anthropologists see social rituals as one of many cultural universals . The term rector (from the Latin word for ruler ) or vicar may be used for priests in certain settings, especially in the Catholic and Anglican traditions. In
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#17327659566141056-658: The 1980s within the United Church of Canada , and in the 1990s and early 21st century within the Presbyterian Church USA . The Episcopal Church , the United States branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion , was as of 2016 divided over the issue of ordination of non-celibate gay people. This conflict severely damaged relationships between Anglicans in North America and in the third world , especially Africa and southeast Asia , and has caused
1104-645: The 19th century, secular clergy in English-speaking countries were usually addressed as "Mister" (which was, in those days, a title reserved for gentleman, those outside the gentry being called by name and surname only), and only priests in religious orders were formally called "Father". In the early 19th century it became customary to call all priests "Father". In the Middle Ages, before the Reformation, secular priests were entitled as knights, with
1152-800: The Catholic Church, the form of address depends on the office the person holds, and the country in which he is being addressed as they are usually identical to the titles used by their feudal or governmental equals. In most English-speaking countries, the forms of address are: In France, secular priests (diocesan priests) are addressed "Monsieur l'Abbé" or, if a parish priest, as "Monsieur le Curé". In Germany and Austria priests are addressed as "Hochwürden" (meaning "very worthy") or with their title of office (Herr Pfarrer, i.e. Mr. Parson). in Italy as "Don" followed by his name (e.g. "Don Luigi Perrone"). Religious priests (members of religious orders) are addressed "Father" in all countries (Père, Pater, Padre etc.). Up until
1200-455: The Church of England are never addressed as "Revd (Surname)". The Church of Scotland, as a Presbyterian church, recognizes state-awarded titles only as courtesy. In court (assembly, presbytery and session) a person may only be addressed as Mr, Mrs, Miss, Dr, Prof, etc. depending on academic achievement. Thus ministers are correctly addressed as, for example, Mr Smith or Mrs Smith unless they have
1248-523: The Church of England there are nearly as many non-ordained licensed lay ministers as there are paid clergy. In other traditions such as Baptist , Methodist , and Reformed groups like Congregationalists and Presbyterians , the term "minister" usually refers to a member of the ordained clergy who leads a congregation or participates in a role in a parachurch ministry; such a person may serve as an elder ( presbyter ), pastor , preacher, bishop , or chaplain . Ministers are also described as being
1296-515: The Lord's table and lead his people in worship, offering with them a spiritual sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. They are to bless the people in God's name. They are to resist evil, support the weak, defend the poor, and intercede for all in need. They are to minister to the sick and prepare the dying for their death. Guided by the Spirit, they are to discern and foster the gifts of all God's people, that
1344-562: The Orthodox world and also by their first names. Greek-Catholic Patriarchs are addressed as Your Beatitude . Eastern clergy are usually addressed by their Christian or ordination name, not their surname. The form of address for Orthodox clergy varies according to order, rank and level of education. The most common forms are the following: The form of address to the clergy of the Armenian Apostolic Church (belongs to
1392-652: The absolution and forgiveness of their sins. With all God's people, they are to tell the story of God's love. They are to baptize new disciples in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and to walk with them in the way of Christ, nurturing them in the faith. They are to unfold the Scriptures, to preach the word in season and out of season, and to declare the mighty acts of God. They are to preside at
1440-507: The appropriate secular title (Mister, Doctor, etc.) for that person, particularly in the Evangelical tradition; it is also increasingly common to dispense with formal addresses and titles in favour of verbal address simply by given name. Bishops may be addressed as "My Lord", and less formally as "Bishop". Similarly, archbishops may be addressed as "Your Grace", and less formally as "Archbishop". The titles "My Lord" and "Your Grace" refer to
1488-627: The community. The term is taken from Latin minister ("servant", "attendant"). In some church traditions the term is usually used for people who have been ordained , but in other traditions it can also be used for non-ordained. In the Catholic Church , the Eastern Orthodox Church , the Oriental Orthodox Church , Anglicanism and Lutheranism , the concept of a priesthood is emphasized, though in
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1536-571: The devil. Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre; Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless. Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things. Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. The Catholic , Eastern Orthodox , Anglican , Lutheran , Reformed and some Methodist denominations have applied
1584-687: The formal style should be followed by a Christian name or initial, e.g. the Reverend John Smith, or the Reverend J. Smith, but never just the Reverend Smith. These are formal styles. In normal speech (either addressing the clergy or referring to them) other forms of address are often used. For all clergy, this may include the titles "Father" (male) or "Mother" (female), particularly in the Anglo-Catholic tradition, or simply
1632-482: The formal, church-based leadership or an ordained clergy in matters of either the church or broader political and sociocultural import. The churches have three orders of ordained clergy: Until the Reformation, the clergy were the first estate but were relegated to the secular estate in Protestant Northern Europe . After compulsory celibacy was abolished during the Reformation, the formation of
1680-421: The gospel in the forefront helping the clergy to evangelize people. Agents ramify in many ways to act and be in touch with the people in daily life and developing religious projects, socio-political and infrastructural. Monsignor is an ecclesiastical title of honor bestowed on some priests . There are contrasting views on the level of compensation given to ministers relative to the religious community. There
1728-440: The individual is the eldest son of a Duke, Marquess or Earl, then he uses the appropriate courtesy title, as noted above. If a daughter of a peer or courtesy peer marries another peer or courtesy peer, she takes her husband's rank. If she marries anyone else, she keeps her rank and title, using her husband's surname instead of her maiden name. Knights and Baronets are distinguished by the use of "Bt" (or, archaically, "Bart") after
1776-458: The laity by having received, in a formal rite of introduction into the clerical state, the tonsure or corona (crown) which involved cutting hair from the top and side of the head leaving a circlet of hair which symbolised the Crown of Thorns worn by Christ at his crucifixion. Though Christian in origin, the term can be applied by analogy to functions in other religious traditions. For example,
1824-786: The latter's names (and by the use of the appropriate post-nominal letters if the former are members of an Order of Chivalry). Esquires are distinguished by the use of "Esq" except in the case of a Scottish laird, whose territorial designation implies the rank of esquire. Barons in Scotland are non-peerage nobles in the Baronage of Scotland . The Scottish equivalent to an English baron is Lord of Parliament . (The Much Hon) (The) Baron of Edinburgh (Incorrect: Baron Edinburgh) [of Edinburgh] if baron has territorial designation (The Much Hon) (The) Baroness of Edinburgh or (The) Lady Edinburgh Dear Lady Edinburgh ("Dear Baroness Edinburgh"
1872-529: The nobility, Mary Brown represents a woman who married John Brown, while Jane Smith represents an unmarried woman. Spouse to Queen suo jure (in the case of Prince Philip ) The preposition of may be omitted in the form of Marquessates and Earldoms and included in the form of Scottish Viscountcies. It is not often present in peerage Baronies and Lordships of Parliament, though always present in Dukedoms and Scottish feudal Baronies. The definite article
1920-545: The places held by these prelates in the Church of England within the order of precedence of the state; however, the same titles are also extended to bishops and archbishops of other Anglican churches, outside England. As Anglicanism represents a broad range of theological opinion, its presbyterate includes priests who consider themselves no different in any respect from those of the Catholic Church , some parishes and dioceses in " Low Church " or Evangelical circles prefer to use
1968-690: The post-nominal letters following appointment or after retirement. A member of the Bar (but not a solicitor) addresses a circuit judge or higher, out of court, as "Judge". The forms of address used for academics can, in most cases, be either formal or social. Clerk in Holy Orders In Christianity , a minister is a person authorised by a church or other religious organization to perform functions such as teaching of beliefs; leading services such as weddings , baptisms or funerals ; or otherwise providing spiritual guidance to
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2016-786: The prefix "Sir". See examples in Shakespeare's plays like Sir Christopher Urswick in Richard III. This is closer to the Italian and Spanish "Don" which derives from the Latin "Dominus" meaning "Lord;" in English, the prefix "Dom" is used for priests who are monks , a prefix which was spelled "Dan" in Middle English. The French "Monsieur" (like the German "Mein Herr", the Italian "Signor" and the Spanish "Señor") also signifies "My Lord",
2064-478: The signs of God's new creation. They are to be messengers, watchmen and stewards of the Lord; they are to teach and to admonish, to feed and provide for his family, to search for his children in the wilderness of this world's temptations, and to guide them through its confusions, that they may be saved through Christ forever. Formed by the word, they are to call their hearers to repentance and to declare in Christ's name
2112-480: The style Dom Knight . Dom or Dominus, as well as the English equivalent, Sir were often used as titles for priests in England up to the 17th century who held Bachelor of Arts degrees. Chaplain as in English or almoner (preferred in many other languages) or their equivalents refer to a minister who has another type of pastoral "target group" than a territorial parish congregation (or in addition to one), such as
2160-404: The term as a prenominal title (e.g., Pastor Smith) or as a job title (like Senior Pastor or Worship Pastor). The English word clergy derives from the same root as clerk and can be traced to the Latin clericus which derives from the Greek word kleros meaning a "lot" or "portion" or "office". The term Clerk in Holy Orders is still the official title for certain Christian clergy and its usage
2208-464: The title presbyter or "minister" in order to distance themselves from the more sacrificial theological implications which they associate with the word "priest". While priest is the official term for a member of the presbyterate in every Anglican province worldwide, the ordination rite of certain provinces (including the Church of England ) recognizes the breadth of opinion by adopting the title The Ordination of Priests (also called Presbyters) . In
2256-450: The title. If applicable, eldest sons of courtesy marquesses or courtesy earls also use a subsidiary title from their (great) grandfather, which is lower ranking than the one used by their father. Eldest daughters do not have courtesy titles; all courtesy peeresses are wives of courtesy peers. Heirs-apparent and heirs-presumptive of Scottish peers use the titles "Master" and "Mistress"; these are substantive, not courtesy titles. If, however,
2304-463: The whole Church may be built up in unity and faith. Ministers may perform some or all of the following duties: Depending on the denomination, the requirements for ministry vary. All denominations require the minister to have a vocation , a sense of calling . In regards to training, denominations vary in their requirements, from those that emphasize natural gifts to those that also require advanced tertiary education qualifications; for example, from
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