Female priests

[marciebaby]

Again, forgive my Presbyterian upbringing. If male priests are called "Father," what are female priests called?

 

[PaladinValer]

Being in a parish with two women priests, I call them "Mother."

 

[marciebaby]

Thanks, I've just never heard the term before. We didn't have Episcopal churches where I grew up.

 

[Fish and Bread]

I'm told that many Episcopalian priests who are female often prefer the term "Reverend". Since there is no official term of address for either male or female priests, though, no term is any more or less correct within the Episcopal tradition and it is fine to refer to them either way if they haven't expressed a preference.

I confess that if I had a female priest, though, I wouldn't know what to call her. I am so used to calling my male priests "Father" that I'd probably lean towards "Mother" if she didn't express a preference, even though the term kind of rings odd to my ear.

John

 

[AveMaria]

The ones I've know have preferred 'Mother' although a few preferred to be called by their first name.

 

[benedictine]

I have a question that realtes to this. Do you call the Father John, or Father Doe? (In reference to John Doe.)

 

[Colabomb]

I have a question that realtes to this. Do you call the Father John, or Father Doe? (In reference to John Doe.)

I call my priest "father (first name)" because that is how he wants to be addressed. I think it is up to the priest to decide which he prefers.

 

[Iron Sun 254]

Yes, I've know male priests who insisted on being called by there last name and some preffred being called by there first. All the female priests I've known did not want to be called "Mother" and wanted to be called by their first name (either with or without the Reverend)

 

[AveMaria]

Hmm, come to think of it, I've known both Father John's and Father Doe's.

 

[tonigrace]

I just call my priest by her first name - Amy. She's young - maybe mid-30's... I would feel odd calling her "mother". If we are in a more formal situation (such as introducing her to someone), I'd just call her Reverend Amy. I think it's a matter of the priest's personal preference. Her husband is our assistant rector and I just call him Joe. My dad calls him Fr. Joe. He doesn't seem to mind either way.

 

[PaladinValer]

I call my priests Father (or Mother) John (or Joan)

 

[pmcleanj]

I call Mother Julia "Mother Julia". It's a traditional form of address that follows easily from the address used for abbesses, who in turn carried on the tradition of female canons. Mother Hild and Mother Julian come easily to the tongue -- perhaps Mother Julia comes as easily to the tongue because of the similarity of her name to that of Saint Julian of Norwich.

 

[Fish and Bread]

I've never met a priest in either my childhood as a Roman Catholic or adulthood as an Episcopalian (Technically, I suppose I'm not one just yet, though I've been investigating for nearly two years and attending my local parish for a nearly a year... confirmation tentatively schedule for May) who has preferred anything other than "Father (first name)", so that is what I'm used to and that is my personal preferences in addressing a priest. If a priest expressed a strong preference not to be referred to in that manner, I would of course respect his wishes, though.

The same thing goes for female priests (Well, substituting "Mother" for "Father"), though I've personally never met one. The closest I've come is a couple visits to a United Church of Christ congregation that had a female pastor when I was searching for a denomination following my "reversion" to Christianity. Though by that point I had already theolgically accepted and supported the idea of women presbyters, I thought it would be an adjustment actually attending a service that was held by one. To my pleasant surprise, there was no adjustment at all. I found that a woman's voice leading the service created an experience that was in no way alien to my ears. I barely noticed she was a woman (Meaning no offense to her) and when I stopped to reflect on it, I realized that a female voice actually in some ways can create a more soothing intimate spiritual experience. They did a baptism one of the times I visited and there was something very symbolic about a woman as the representitive of the community welcoming an infant. She also introduced the baby to it's new family in Christ using words reflecting that, which was really beautiful and something I'd like to see added to the Episcopalian liturgy.

The UCC was not for me, though. I felt like yelling that "Acts of the Apostles is not a gospel and shouldn't be read in place of one, darn it!" everytime they did it, which was both weeks. ;-) Theologially, I don't feel a set liturgy is a necessity, but personally I get a little bit perturbed when there isn't one or it's done wrong. I also had issues with the UCC's congregational structure. I feel strongly that a parish or a congregation needs to be accountable to the larger body of Christ in some way. And there were other things. But the female pastor, I liked.

John

 

[PaladinValer]

I call Mother Julia "Mother Julia". It's a traditional form of address that follows easily from the address used for abbesses, who in turn carried on the tradition of female canons. Mother Hild and Mother Julian come easily to the tongue -- perhaps Mother Julia comes as easily to the tongue because of the similarity of her name to that of Saint Julian of Norwich.

Awesome! One of my parish priests is Mother Julie

Her sermons ROCK!

 

[AveMaria]

I once had a parish priest called Mother Mary, which always made me smile.

 

[PaladinValer]

Hail Mary, full of Grace...

 

[AveMaria]

*s* There's just something about Mary. . . Would you believe, when I was 6 yrs old and they were casting the Christmas pageant, I was so distressed when they picked another girl to play the Blessed Mother that I didn't eat and cried til I made myself sick?

 

[PaladinValer]

Awwww...

...well now you're a queen and you have the best Father Confessor ever

 

[AveMaria]

Aye, sire, I think I came out ahead in the end!

*pondering changing my Monty Python avatar to something more...queenly*

(And, in case anyone was wondering, they cast me as the Star of Bethlehem. I got to mince down the aisle wearing a white and gold robe, with a star shaped crown on my head.)

 

[PaladinValer]

Sire? You are the queen...you are my co-equal, silly