Often, parishioners of Orthodox churches make inaccuracies at the time of addressing the clergy. There is no sedition in this, and so that this does not happen, something should be understood. In the Orthodox Church, the following degrees of priesthood are distinguished: deacon, priest and bishop, and each of them is entitled to a corresponding appeal.
Instructions
Step 1
The first step is to find out who you are going to contact. If you have a deacon in front of you, refer to him as "Father deacon", for example, "Father deacon, tell me, please, what time will the service begin tomorrow?"
Step 2
You can address by name, but always in combination with the word "father". If you speak of the deacon in the third person, then use the following form: "Father Eugene is now in the altar." In accordance with the Russian Orthodox tradition, you can safely call a priest "father". An example of such an address: "Father, can I ask you?" In the third person it looks something like this: "Father is a day off today."
Step 3
A more formal form of addressing a priest is by name, combined with the word "father." For example, "Father Dmitry, I ask for your blessing." When a priest is mentioned in the third person, they say about him: "The Father Superior performed the sacrament of baptism."
Step 4
It is not customary to combine the rank of a priest and his name, for example, Archpriest Nicholas. The use of a combination of the priest's surname with the word "father" - "Father Semikolenov" is very rarely allowed.
Step 5
All clergy should be addressed exclusively to “you”. In relation to the bishop, there is an address "lord". If you ask him for a blessing, then you should turn to "Master, bless."
Step 6
And, finally, an appeal to the representatives of the higher clergy. If you have the privilege of communicating with an archbishop or metropolitan, then your address should begin with the words "Your Eminence" or "Most Reverend Vladyka."
Step 7
The address to the Patriarch is somewhat different: “Your Holiness” or “His Holiness Vladyka”. In addition to oral appeals, many written ones are made. In this case, you start the letter with the address “Master, bless”. If the letter is addressed to the archbishop, then the first phrase will look like this: "Your Grace (Eminence), bless."
