| How to Introduce Pope Benedict XVI?
Dear Mr. Hickey.
I will be meeting the Pope. If I introduce him, would you say, "May I introduce the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI" or would you say, "May I present His Holiness" and not use Benedict in the introduction?
~ Meeting the Pope
Dear Meeting the Pope:
(All this is covered on page 282 in my book.)
The Holy Father is "so high" he is never introduced to anyone: individuals are presented to The Holy Father. He requires no introduction: anyone about to meet the Pope already knows who he is. Rather he is announced .... as he enters a room an aide says so all can hear "His Holiness" ... and that's it.
As to whether his name is ever used: Neither you, I, nor anyone else calls him Benedict ... he is addressed in conversation as "Your Holiness"
This not using the name is also the rule for other very high officials. For example, the Queen of the United Kingdom is never addressed as Queen Elizabeth ... she is always addressed as "Your Majesty"
-- Robert Hickey FYI: To see an interesting news story about a mistake by the President of the United States in addressing the Pope, cardinals, and bishops, click here.
How Do You Address a Bishop?
Dear Mr. Hickey.
How do I address my (Roman Catholic) bishop? "Hello, Father," while correct, doesn't convey the full respect due his office. Is he Your Excellency or Your Eminence? Are there more and less formal forms of correct address and when is each used?
~ Barbara Montgomery
Dear Ms. Montgomery:
In conversation, call your bishop Bishop (last name).
A Roman Catholic Bishop is not an Excellency -- he's a Most Reverend. So when you address an envelope, write The Most Reverend (full name) and on the second line Bishop of (diocese).
-- Robert Hickey How to Address a Pastor and a Lieutenant Commander?
My question has to do with addressing envelopes. Our Pastor, Alyson Smith, of the Presbyterian Denomination, is married to a retired Lieutenant Commander, USN, Richard. He is to be awarded his PhD soon. Regardless of the degree, I have not been able to find out how one is to address an invitation, card, or letter to the two of them, together.
--- Bobbi Sue Minton
Dear Ms. Minton:
A couple of issues here:
USE OF RANK
It's not typical for retired Lieutenant Commanders to continue to be addressed by their rank. Captains and above typically continue use of the military title in retirement ... but that said, if he prefers to be addressed as a "Lieutenant Commander Paul Smith" in writing ... and "Commander Smith" in conversation ... [full rank and basic rank] I'd follow his preference.
As a retired military officer his name is written most formally on official correspondence:
Lieutenant Commander Richard Smith, USN, Retired
As socially you would write to him as:
Lieutenant Commander Richard Smith
As a member of the clergy, her name is written:
The Reverend Alyson Smith, (followed by "DD" or whatever post-nominal initials she uses)
USE OF MORE THAN ONE "TITLE" AT A TIME
Regarding Richard getting his PhD. There is an American tradition that we only give a person one title at time. So he's either going to be Dr. Smith or Commander Smith. He would never be Commander Dr. Smith.
I say "American tradition" because the "British tradition" is to give a person EVERYTHING they would ever get ... so you see names like The Right Honourable Reverend Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Lord William Ramsey, MP, VC, PhD .... But in the US we address a person with the one "honorific" or "courtesy title" that's appropriate to the situation .... who they are to us at the moment.
USE OF DOCTOR
Usually holders of PhD's don't use Dr. (name) unless they work in academia or research. E.g., the holder of a doctorate in French who teaches would use Dr. (name) .... The holder of a PhD in finance who works at a bank wouldn't. Another example .... lawyers have a JD (Doctor of Jurisprudence) but none of them use Dr. (name).
An academic degree is never used with a military rank.
Whose name is listed first? PRECEDENCE IF HE'S BEING ADDRESSED AS A LIEUTENANT COMMANDER
An active duty or retired military person has higher precedence than a civilian so is listed first. So in most circumstances the joint form would be:
Lieutenant Commander Richard Smith
and The Reverend Alyson Smith
BUT if she is the invited guest ... and he is invited as her escort, then as the guest her name would appear first:
The Reverend Alyson Smith
and Lieutenant Commander Richard Smith
PRECEDENCE IF HE'S BEING ADDRESSED AS A DOCTOR
If he's using Dr., then both are civilians, and she as clergy would be listed first:
The Reverend Alyson Smith
and Dr. Richard Smith
I have spelled out "Lieutenant Commander" every time above, to avoid the whole issue of how to abbreviate his rank. I cover that in my book (service-specific abbreviations) if you need that information.
-- Robert Hickey
How To Address a Pastor and His 'Professor' Wife?
How do I address a thank-you note to a pastor and his wife when both hold doctorates and she is a college professor?
-- Lucy Hendershott, Great Falls, Virginia
Dear Ms. Hendershott:
If it's a thank-you note .. it's social correspondence (as opposed to official correspondence to one or the other's office) so it's easier .... because you don't use their post-nominal initials on social correspondence.
Put each name a line of its own ... so each gets their full name just right
The Reverend Dennis Winslow
and Dr. Marilyn Winslow
Street Address
City, State, ZIP
His name would be first .... as a member of the clergy. Clergy has higher precedence than a private citizen. Even as a professor with a doctorate ... she's a still private citizen.
You definitely want to avoid forms such as The Reverend and Dr. Winslow or The Reverend Dennis and Dr. Marilyn Winslow
"The Reverend" always precedes a full name. .... and since she get's "Dr." she'd get her own name. If she didn't have a doctorate .. then this would work:
The Reverend Dennis Winslow
and Mrs. Winslow
Street Address
City, State, ZIP
-- Robert Hickey
How to Address a Muslim teacher -- a Shaykh?
How do you address (in a e-mail) a Muslim religious teacher who self-identifies himself as a “shaykh”?
-- Paul in California
Dear Tonyalee:
Shaykh is a form of address used by some Shiite Islamic clerics. Both Sheikh and Shaykh (and many other variations) are attempts to write the Arabic word in phonetically English. It's sort of equivalent to Catholic clergy using Father or protestant clergy using Pastor. On a e-mail you could address him as:
Dear Shaykh (surname),
(Text of your letter)
Sincerely,
Paul (your last name)
My book has a section that includes forms for the highest to lowest Shiite and Sunni Islamic clergy ...which is as far as I know the only book in English to include them.
-- Robert Hickey
How to Address a Pastor with a Doctorate?
I need to mail something to my pastor, Rev. Calvin Cole who has received his doctorate - How do I address the envelope or even introducing him?
-- Marsha Talltree
Dear Ms. Talltree:
You don't mention the denomination, but in many denominations (Episcopal, Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran...) they use The Reverend as a courtesy title (other courtesy titles include The Honorable and His/Her Excellency), not as an honorific like Dr. or Pastor or Mr. In the US it's our tradition not to use compound honorifics, so I would avoid The Reverend Dr. Calvin Cole.
In those denominations the envelope is addressed with the courtesy title:
The Reverend Calvin Cole
e.g., The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.
and in a salutation (and conversation) he's addressed with an honorific:
Dr. Cole
e.g., Dr. King
NOTE: Sometimes clergy DO use Rev. as an honorific, liking to be addressed as Rev. Calvin Cole ... On Monday of this week I visited an African-American Baptist church that uses Rev. (Name) for ordained clergy who preach but are not the pastor, and Minister (Name) for those who preach but are not ordained! I'd never seen that before, but they were very consistent within their community.
My mother's Presbyterian pastor likes to be addressed as Rev. Bob, which is not precisely traditional, but of course I address him as Rev. Bob.
But that said, I'd use the first suggestions, unless I knew he had another preference.
-- Robert Hickey
Is a Roman Catholic Bishop Addressed as "Your Excellency"?
Your site says Bishops and Archbishops are addressed in conversation as Bishop So-and So or Archbishop So-and-So. Bishops and Archbishops are NEVER addressed in conversation as Bishop So-and So or Archbishop So-and-So. They are properly addressed as Your Excellency or simply Excellency. In Ireland, according to their custom, Bishops are addressed as Your Grace; however, even in this case, Bishop is not used in conversation. Your book appears to imply that only nuncios are referred to and addressed as Excellency. This is not the case.
-- SM in California
Dear SM:
This is an interesting issue. There always many respectful forms of address ... I don't attempt to list them all, but The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops suggests that to address bishops and archbishops as "The Most Reverend" ... and "Bishop (name)" and "Archbishop (name)' .... is O.K. With what I know about titles and forms of address ... their advice makes sense.
All the "His/Your" courtesy titles are used in direct address:
Courtesy title / Form used in direct address
His Holiness / Your Holiness
His Eminence / Your Eminence
His Beatitude / Your Beatitude
His/Her Excellency / Your Excellency
All the "The" courtesy titles are not used in direct address:
Courtesy title / Form used in direct address
The Honorable / Senator/Mayor/whatever
The Very Reverend / Father
The Right Reverend / Father/Deacon/Presbyter
The Reverend / Father/Pastor/Dr.
"His/Her Excellency" is a courtesy title used by accredited diplomats who have presented their credentials to a foreign head of state as the single designated representative from another head of state. So the Papal Nuncio (who would always have the rank of bishop) is addressed as "Your Excellency" ... but other bishops would not be. I know there are books that suggest "His Excellency" is the form for bishops ... but the bishops themselves say to address them as "Bishop Name" with the courtesy title "the Most Reverend" See: http://www.usccb.org/directory.shtml
Addressing a "Most Reverend" as "Your Excellency" is especially strange to me .... not saying it's not done ... there are many things done I wouldn't recommend. But it's unlike any other pattern in formal address I've see anywhere: To address someone as "The Most Reverend" then switch to a form of address used for another "rank of official" is really, really, really odd to those how study forms of address.
I think the source of suggesting the conversational direct address for bishops as "Your Grace" is from British etiquette books which suggest "Your Grace." In the UK bishops are granted the precedence of a Duke ... and dukes are addressed as "Your Grace." So there it's right, but we don't follow it in the USA.
-- Robert Hickey
How to Address a Military Chaplain?
Robert, Regarding the form on you site: We actually have chaplains with a another title: Chaplain (Colonel) John Smith, USA, PhD.
-- Chaplain Matt in DC
Dear Chaplain Matt:
Well, I'd say a chaplain using this form is turning his name into a bit of a resume. So while every person is entitled to create and to present their name anyway they want, one won't find precedence for the formal use of this free-style form. The forms I include on page 246 of my book are well received when I've had them checked by numerous Chaplains.
Use of a ranks in parentheses OR use of a post-nominal abbreviation for an academic degree with a post-nominal abbreviation for a branch of service -- are both incorrect.
1) Ranks are never put in parentheses. A rank is a part of an officer's name, It is proudly put in front the name -- without parentheses, quotation marks, brackets or sort of embellishment. If it can't be included correctly, it is not included.
2) In DOD guidelines branch-of-service post-nominals abbreviations are correctly combined with Ret. or Retired. Thus USA, Ret. and USA, Retired are both O.K., but that's it.
3) DOD guidelines (as well as the all the editorial style books -- Chicago, New York Times, AP, etc.) specifically note that academic post-nominal abbreviations are not used with branch-of-service post-nominal abbreviations.
No Colonel John Smith, USA, MBA
No General John Smith, USAF, PhD
No Admiral John Smith, USN, MD
-- Robert Hickey
How to Address a Pastor Who is Also a Chaplain?
Regarding my pastor, who is also a military chaplain:
I must write a sentence in our summer worship schedule for the church newsletter regarding the pastor's “Godspeed Celebration” we are holding before his deployment to Afghanistan. Which of these would be considered correct? Are any of them simply not correct at all?
The Rev. (full name), chaplain of the ..., Indiana Army National Guard.
The Rev. Lieut. Col. (full name), chaplain of the ....
Lieut. Col. (full name), chaplain of the .... and pastor of ....
Is there another form that would be more preferred?
-- Lynn Harriman, Indianapolis
Dear Ms. Harriman,
I think you are saying he is the pastor of your church ... AND he is also a chaplain?
There is a tradition in American forms of address that we only give a person one title at time.
** As a chaplain he'd use the form I have on Chaplain Armed Services
** As you pastor he'd use the form I have on Pastor
I say "American" because the British tradition is to give a person EVERYTHING they would ever get ... so you see names like The Right Honourable Reverend Lieutenant Colonel Lord William Ramsey, MP, VC .... But in the US we address a person with the one "honorific" or "courtesy title" that's appropriate to the situation .... who they are to us at the moment.
So I your first option is the most formally correct for you at his church:
The Reverend (full name), (degrees held)
If it's a sentence you can include more information ..
The Reverend (full name) is a Chaplain of the Indiana Army National Guard holding the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
And when he's on active duty with the National Guard they will use his chaplain form of address and note is also the pastor of your church.
-- Robert Hickey
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Do Clergy Ever Give Themselves an Honorific?
I trust you’re doing well? I’m envious that you’re in NYC! I’ve been doing a few seminars here and there and have been having a lot of fun. I have a question that hasn’t come up yet, but I had lunch today with a rabbi and a minister, so it made me think. Are the titles Pastor, Rabbi and Father considered to be honorifics and as such shouldn’t be used when referring to oneself?
-- Loren -- Protocol School Grad in West Virginia
Dear Loren:
I love the idea you are thinking about these things!
One does not normally give oneself an honorific. I wouldn't write my name or introduce myself as Mr. Robert Hickey.
But sometimes professionals do give themselves an honorific ... e.g., a doctor entering an exam room will introduce himself as Dr. Wilson since it is useful for the patient sitting in a backless paper gown to know what the function is of this person entering the room.
"Dr." does that.
So a Rabbi, Pastor, or Father might well do it when in a situation when they are in their professional mode. It provides useful info to the person he is greeting -- especially if not in "uniform."
But that same Rabbi, Pastor, or Father might not do it when their status as clergy was not pertinent ... like when meeting the neighbors at his sister's when visiting her at her house.
Some clergy do think they are always in their professional mode and are always Rabbi, Pastor, or Father. But, I know a Father Sheehan who introduced himself as Tom Sheehan at family events ... thus inviting the others to call him "Tom."
-- Robert Hickey
How to Address a Retired Monsignor?
We are working on our Honor Roll of Donors and do include our donor’s title in their listing. I actually came across your website a few days ago and used the information on the site to clarify a retired military question I had. I bookmarked the page and went back to it when I came across the retired Monsignor donor. How should I handle him?
-- Valerie
Dear Valerie:
Clergy continue to be addressed as clergy when they retire. So while a retired monsignor might be identified in an introduction as being "retired from (a specific job or position)" -- his forms of address stay the same.
I have all the forms of address for a monsignor ... business, social, place cards, introductions, conversation ... in my book on page 287.
-- Robert Hickey
How to Address a Superior of a Religious Order?
I'm writing a letter to the Provincial Superior of a religious order - I'm not sure what the salutation should be - Dear ____________: Could you answer this question? Any ideas? Thanks so much for your help.
-- Lisa W.
Dear Lisa W.:
I include that form on page 289 of my book. A superior of a Roman Catholic order is addressed in a salutation as:
Dear Mother (name):
or
Dear Mother:
-- Robert Hickey
How to Address a Two Pastors?
What is the proper way to address a letter to my pastor and his wife is also a pastor? Thank you in advance.
-- Susan Wise
Dear Ms. Wise:
You didn't mention if they both use the same last name ... so I will assume the do.
And I will also assume you address each as Pastor (surname) in conversation rather than Dr., Father, or something else.
That said ... on the envelope ... address it to "your pastor" first ... and put the name of "his spouse" on the second line:
The Reverend Clinton Jones
and The Reverend Susan Jones
(address)
On the salutation to both use:
Dear Pastors Jones,
-- Robert Hickey
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