ROCOR...

[Priest Siluan]

Dear John Haluska,

God Bless!

are you a priest, a bishop or starets to be able to give a blessing?

Dear Father Siluan,

Code: Select all

   I believe our new poster, Tikhon, is an inquirer in to Orthodoxy and may not understand all of the minute details of praxis and greeting etiquitte of Orthodoxy at this point. I do not think he intended in any impropriety scandal with his comment.  :D[/quote]

Dear Tikhon and All:

Forgive me, if I cause any confusion with my last post. Now I understand better the whole matter.

[Br. Tikhon]

Dear Priest Siluan, Katya and all

I apologise most profusely if my presence and mode of speaking have caused an uproar. That was, is and never shall be my intent. I now know that I must curb my tongue at all times lest my superiors, brothers and sisters stumble and are caused grievous injury and harm to their personhood.

Grace, Mercy and Peace to all, now and forever more.

Unworthiest servant Tikhon

[Ekaterina]

Dear Tikhon:

Don't let this upset you. This is normal for us. As to Fr Siluan's remark....well everyone, every once in a while suffers from "foot-in-mouth" disease....priests are not exempt. It helps with the humility factor.

Please don't think that we are above you, you certainly are not beneath us. We are all walkers of the same path, helping each other as best as we can.

God Bless,
Katya

[Priest Siluan]

Can someone please tell me where it is written that someone cannot ask God to Bless another? Where is it written that this is the priviledge of only the priesthood?

The above reprimand by Fr Siluan is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. For my part Tikhon can ask God to bless me anytime.

Katya

I think that you should know which are the orthodox customs.

[Priest Siluan]

HOW-TO: Addressing Orthodox Clergy and Monastics
Adapted from Priest David Cownie and Presbytera Juliana Cownie's "A Guide to
Orthodox Life".

The following is a guide for properly addressing Orthodox clergy. While the
titles may not exactly correspond to the terms used in Greek, Russian, or
the other native languages of the national Orthodox Churches, they have been
widely accepted as the traditional English usages.

Greeting Clergy in Person

When we address Deacons or Priests, we should use the title "Father." When
we approach an Orthodox Presbyter or Bishop (if a monastic: first make a bow
by reaching down and touching the floor with our right hand) place your
right hand over the left (palms upward), and say: "Father, Bless" ("Master,
Bless", "Vladyka [Vlá—dee—ka], Bless" or "Bless, Despota [Thés—po—ta]" for a
bishop). The Clergyman then answers, "May the Lord bless you," blesses us
with the Sign of the Cross, and places his right hand in our hands. We kiss
then his hand.

We should understand that when the Priest or Bishop blesses us, he forms his
fingers to represent the Christogram "ICXC" a traditional abbreviation of
the Greek words for "Jesus Christ" (i.e., the first and last letters of each
of the words "IHCOYC XRICTOC"). Thus, the Priest's blessing is in the Name
of Christ, as he emphasizes in his response to the believer's request for a
blessing. We should also note that the reason that a layperson kisses the
hand of a Priest or Bishop is to show respect to his Apostolic office. More
importantly, however, since both hold the Holy Mysteries in their hands
during the Divine Liturgy, we show respect to the Holy Eucharist when we
kiss their hands. In fact, Saint John Chrysostomos once said that if one
were to meet an Orthodox Priest walking along with an Angel, that he should
greet the Priest first and kiss his hand, since that hand has touched the
Body and Blood of our Lord. While a Deacon in the Orthodox Church holds the
first level of the Priesthood (Deacon -> Presbyter -> Bishop); his service
does not entail blessing the Mysteries. [1] For this latter reason, many do
not normally kiss the hand of a Deacon. When we take leave of a Priest or
Bishop, we should again ask for a blessing, just as we did when we first
greeted him.

Greeting Clergy Wives

In the case of married clergy, the wife of a Priest or Deacon is also
informally addressed with a title. Since the Mystery of Marriage binds a
Priest and his wife together as "one flesh," [2] the wife shares in a sense
her husband's Priesthood. This does not, of course, mean that she has the
very Grace of the Priesthood nor its office, but the dignity of her
husband's service certainly accrues to her. [3] The various titles used by
the national Churches are listed below:

• Greek: Presbytera [Pres—vee—té—ra]
• Russian: Matushka [Má—toosh—ka]
• Serbian: Papadiya [Pa—pá—dee—ya]
• Ukrainian: Panimat(ush)ka [Pa—nee—mát(—toosh)—ka]
• Syrian: Khouria [Hou-ree-ya]

The wife of a Deacon is called "Diakonissa [Thee—a—kó—nees—sa]" in Greek.
The Slavic Churches commonly use the same title for the wife of a Deacon as
they do for the wife of a Priest (i.e. Matushka). In any case, the wife of a
Deacon or Priest should normally be addressed with both her title and her
Baptismal name in informal situations (e.g., "Presbytera Ioanna," "Matushka
Maria," "Diakonissa Helena," etc.).

Greeting Clergy on the Telephone

Whenever you speak to Orthodox clergy of the rank of priest or higher, you
should always begin your conversation by asking for a blessing: "Father,
bless." When speaking with a Bishop, you should say "Bless, Despota
[Thés—po—ta]" (or "Vladyka [Vlá—dee—ka], Bless" in Slavonic, "Master, Bless"
in English. It is also appropriate to say, "Bless, Your Grace" (or "Your
Eminence", etc.). Though all Bishops are equal in the Orthodox Church, they
do have different administrative duties and honors that accrue to their rank
in this sense. Thus, "Your Eminence" is the proper title for Bishops with
suffragans or assistant Bishops, Metropolitans, and most Archbishops (among
the exceptions to this rule is the Archbishop of Athens and some
First-Hierarchs of Slavic Churches, who are addressed as "Your Beatitude").
You should end your conversation by asking for a blessing again.

Addressing Clergy in a Letter

When we write to a clergyman, we should open our letter with the greeting,
"Father, Bless" At the end of the letter, it is customary to close with the
following line: "Kissing your right hand," It is not appropriate to invoke a
blessing on a clergyman, such as: "May God bless you." Not only does this
show a certain spiritual arrogance before the image of the cleric, but
laymen do not have the Grace of the Priesthood and the prerogative to bless
in their stead. Even a Priest properly introduces his letters with the
words, "The blessing of the Lord" or "May God bless you," rather than
offering his own blessing. Though he can do the latter, humility prevails in
his behavior, too. Needless to say, when a clergyman writes to his
ecclesiastical superior, he should ask for a blessing and not bestow one.
Clergymen of the same office (Deacon, Presbyter, Bishop) greet one another
with "Christ is in our midst!" and respond to this greeting with, "He is and
ever shall be!".

Formal Letter Address

Deacons in the Orthodox Church are addressed in formal letters as "The
Reverend Deacon," if they are not monastic Deacons. If they are Deacons who
are also monks, they are addressed as "The Reverend Hierodeacon." If a
Deacon holds the honor of Archdeacon or Protodeacon, he is addressed as "The
Very Reverend Archdeacon/Protodeacon." Deacons hold a rank in the Priesthood
and are, therefore, not laymen as subdeacons and readers are. As members of
the Priesthood, Deacons should be addressed, as noted above, as "Father".

Orthodox Priests are addressed in formal letters as "The Reverend Priest,"
if they are not monastics. If they are Hieromonks (monks who are also
Priests), they are addressed as "The Reverend Hieromonk." Priests with
special honors are addressed in this manner: an Archimandrite (the highest
monastic rank below that of Bishop), "The Very Reverend Archimandrite" (or,
in some Slavic jurisdictions, "The Right Reverend Archimandrite"); and
Archpriests or Protopresbyters, "The Very Reverend
Archpriest/Protopresbyter." In personal address, as we noted above, all
Deacons and Priests are called "Father," usually followed by their
Baptismal/Monastic names (e.g., "Father Anastasios").

Bishops in the Orthodox Church are addressed in formal letters as "The Right
Reverend Bishop," followed by their first name in all caps (e.g., "The Right
Reverend Bishop JOHN"). Archbishops and Metropolitans are addressed as "The
Most Reverend Archbishop/Metropolitan". All ranks of Archpastors (Bishops,
Archbishops, Metropolitans), because they are also monastics, are addressed
by their first name or first name and sees (e.g., "Bishop JOHN of Chicago").
It is not correct to use the last name of a Bishop — or any monastic for
that matter. Though many monastics and Bishops use their family names, even
in Orthodox countries like Russia and Greece, this is absolutely improper
and a violation of an ancient Church custom.

Addressing a Monastic in a Formal Letter

All male monastics in the Orthodox Church are called "Father," whether they
hold the Priesthood or not, and are formally addressed in formal letters as
"The Reverend Monk (name)," if they do not have a Priestly rank. If they are
of Priestly rank, they are formally addressed as "The Reverend
Hieromonk/Hierodeacon". Monastics are sometimes formally addressed according
to their monastic rank; for example, " The Reverend Rasophore-monk," " The
Reverend Stavrophore-monk," or " The Reverend Schemamonk." The Abbot of a
monastery is addressed as "The Very Reverend Abbot," whether he holds
Priestly rank or not and whether or not he is an Archimandrite by rank. The
term "Brother" is used in Orthodox monasteries in one instance only: to
designate novices who are given a blessing, in the strictest tradition, to
wear only the inner cassock and a monastic cap.

Again, as we noted above, a monk never uses his last name. This reflects the
Orthodox understanding of monasticism, in which the monastic dies to his
former self and abandons all that identified him in the world. Lay people
are also called to respect a monk's death to his past. (In Greek practice, a
monk sometimes forms a new last name from the name of his monastery. Thus a
monk from the Saint Gregory Palamas Monastery [Mone Agiou Gregoriou Palama,
in Greek] might take the name Agiogregorites.)

The titles used for male monastics also apply to female monastics. In fact,
a community of female monastics is often called a "monastery" rather than a
convent. Women monastics are addressed in formal letters as "The Reverend
Nun" or " The Reverend Rasophore—nun," etc., and the Abbess of a convent is
addressed as "The Very Reverend Abbess." Though traditions for informal
address vary, in most places, Rasophore nuns, and in all places, novices,
are called "Sister," while any monastic above the rank of Rasophore and the
abbess is always called "Mother. When greeting an Abbess, a layperson
should, just as we do with an Abbot, ask for a blessing, saying, "Mother,
Bless" rather than "Father, Bless". Abbots and Abbesses can often be
indentified by their wearing of a pectoral cross.

There are, as noted, some differences in the way that Orthodox religious are
addressed. What is given above corresponds to a reasonably standardized
vocabulary, as one would find it in more traditional English-language
Orthodox writings and among English-speaking Orthodox monastics.

Endnotes

[1] It is permissible to kiss the hand of a Deacon, just as we do that of an
Abbot (even if not a Priest) or Abbess of a monastery out of respect or as a
sign of dedication. In the Greek tradition, Deacons' hands are often kissed
because the deacon takes the Body of Christ in exactly the same way as a
priest does — in the palm of his right hand. He, like an Abbess, however
does not bless with the Christogram.

[2] Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:6; Mark 10:8.

[3] See Presbytera Juliana Cownie's, "A Share in the Priesthood" in Orthodox
Tradition, Vol. 13, No. 1 (1996).

[Ekaterina]

Fr Siluan wrote:

I think that you should know which are the orthodox customs.

Father, forgive me , but I do know the customs, quite well infact, but you have misunderstood my point. No where in what you posted does it say that an individual may NOT invoke God's bless on another individual. I am not speaking about clergy. I am speaking about someone like me or even Tikhon or Theophane or Spiridon or TOMS or whomever. There is nothing that says we cannot wish God's blessing on another of our brothers or sisters.

Katya

[Priest Siluan]

Fr Siluan wrote:

I think that you should know which are the orthodox customs.

Father, forgive me , but I do know the customs, quite well infact, but you have misunderstood my point. No where in what you posted does it say that an individual may NOT invoke God's bless on another individual. I am not speaking about clergy. I am speaking about someone like me or even Tikhon or Theophane or Spiridon or TOMS or whomever. There is nothing that says we cannot wish God's blessing on another of our brothers or sisters.

Katya

Katya, I agree on this point but this is not the case:

Dear Deacon Nikolai,

God Bless!

Father Nikolai is a clergyman. Anyway. I made a mistake and I apologized in the fact that Tikhon is not still orthodox so that he knows these questions. I also noticed the Russian Christmas greeting and now we are on Nativity Fast.