Byzantine Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 but I was just wondering: a while ago, I asked my priest if a certain method of addressing priests in writing was proper, and his reply was basically "no, just use 'Dear Father.'" So, is this morally binding, or not? I'm heavily leaning towards no, it was only with the force of suggestion. Right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbTherese Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 I very much doubt it is morally binding. However, were it me, I would follow Father's advice unless other advice came along that I preferred. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byzantine Posted December 24, 2011 Author Share Posted December 24, 2011 [quote name='BarbaraTherese' timestamp='1324689162' post='2356620'] I very much doubt it is morally binding. However, were it me, I would follow Father's advice unless other advice came along that I preferred. [/quote] Well, I do kind of prefer another suggestion from an Orthodox site, indicating that one should begin (and end?) a letter with a request for a blessing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbTherese Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 (edited) [quote name='Byzantine' timestamp='1324691339' post='2356637'] Well, I do kind of prefer another suggestion from an Orthodox site, indicating that one should begin (and end?) a letter with a request for a blessing. [/quote] What a lovely custom! Thank you - I will try to remember it and begin and end a letter with a blessing: Dear .......... and Peace be to you! Thank you, ............ - and may The Lord ever bless you. . .......which is to ask God to bless the recipient rather than to ask the recipient to bless one. Oh dear, I cant think of a latter at the moment. Any examples? Edited December 24, 2011 by BarbaraTherese Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissyP89 Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 Note: if the title of the thread is "Maybe a scrupulous question..." then it [i]is [/i]a scrupulous question. In my understanding, it's not morally binding unless you are specifically asked to do a certain thing under obedience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byzantine Posted December 24, 2011 Author Share Posted December 24, 2011 [quote name='BarbaraTherese' timestamp='1324701399' post='2356777'] What a lovely custom! Thank you - I will try to remember it and begin and end a letter with a blessing: Dear .......... and Peace be to you! Thank you, ............ - and may The Lord ever bless you. . .......which is to ask God to bless the recipient rather than to ask the recipient to bless one. Oh dear, I cant think of a latter at the moment. Any examples? [/quote] Traditionally, apparently, one is to begin a letter to a priest with "Evlogeite!" (Greek), "Blahoslovi!" (Slavonic), or "Father, Bless!" (English; the ""Father" part is added, to my understanding, because just beginning with "Bless!" in English would be kind of awkward), etc. The traditional ending is "kissing your right hand," although I think I might have read somewhere that some ask for a blessing again at the close. For bishops, [url="http://www.orthodoxresearchinstitute.org/articles/misc/tikhon_writing_hierarch.htm"]http://www.orthodoxresearchinstitute.org/articles/misc/tikhon_writing_hierarch.htm[/url] this article says begin with "Bless, Your Grace," and this one [url="http://orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/clergy_etiquette.aspx"]http://orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/clergy_etiquette.aspx[/url] just says begin with "Bless!" apparently for all clergymen. However, I personally like the "Master, bless!" which we used at camp when the bishop came. In this case, the final salutation is another request for a blessing, although according to the first link it is different from the beginning one. Oh yeah and it's also inappropriate for a layperson to bless/ask God's blessings on clergy/religious.[quote name='MissyP89' timestamp='1324708358' post='2356888'] Note: if the title of the thread is "Maybe a scrupulous question..." then it [i]is [/i]a scrupulous question. In my understanding, it's not morally binding unless you are specifically asked to do a certain thing under obedience. [/quote] Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbTherese Posted December 25, 2011 Share Posted December 25, 2011 (edited) Your blessing please Byzantine - Thank you very much. It is a beautiful custom rich in valuing the other, courtesy and humility. I will adopt it with gratitude. Thank you too for the comment that it is also appropriate when addressing a lay person and it surely is! Please bless me this day, as I ask God's blessings on you...............Barb Oh, and The Lord's Peace and His Joy to you and to yours at Christmas and always! And to all! Edited December 25, 2011 by BarbaraTherese Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbTherese Posted December 25, 2011 Share Posted December 25, 2011 (edited) [quote name='MissyP89' timestamp='1324708358' post='2356888'] Note: if the title of the thread is "Maybe a scrupulous question..." then it [i]is [/i]a scrupulous question. In my understanding, it's not morally binding unless you are specifically asked to do a certain thing under obedience. [/quote] Sometimes people can be really unsure if something is scrupulous or if it is not - and sometimes it's not.[quote] In my understanding, it's not morally binding unless you are specifically asked to do a certain thing under obedience.[/quote] I agree. It would be morally binding if it was part of a penance in Confession, in which case we are under obedience to complete our penance for a Confession that is valid. Of course, for a religious with a vow of obedience, they have a moral obligation to obey The Rule and their superior. Sometimes a directee may make a vow of obedience to a spiritual director then their spiritual advice, as determined by the director, would become morally binding, I dont think this is done very often today although unsure. We have a certain obligation of obedience to any person legitimately in authority over us without being scrupulous over every little thing said - and insofar as nothing contradicts God's Laws. St Paul "all authority comes from God" How to address correspondence to clergy or religious is not a moral question but a "courtesy question" - hence the answer to me would not be morally binding but could be termed "informed advice" but still not morally binding. Peace and Joy to you and yours and to all this Christmas, in 2012 and beyond................Barb Edited December 25, 2011 by BarbaraTherese Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byzantine Posted December 26, 2011 Author Share Posted December 26, 2011 [quote name='BarbaraTherese' timestamp='1324813194' post='2357339'] Your blessing please Byzantine - Thank you very much. It is a beautiful custom rich in valuing the other, courtesy and humility. I will adopt it with gratitude. Thank you too for the comment that it is also appropriate when addressing a lay person and it surely is! Please bless me this day, as I ask God's blessings on you...............Barb Oh, and The Lord's Peace and His Joy to you and to yours at Christmas and always! And to all! [/quote] Erm.. perhaps I wasn't quite clear... I'm not a priest, so you wouldn't request my blessing. And it is [b][i][u]in[/u][/i][/b]appropriate for a layperson to bless a priest Merry Christmas! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbTherese Posted December 26, 2011 Share Posted December 26, 2011 Thank you - I misread and apologies..........getting there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byzantine Posted December 26, 2011 Author Share Posted December 26, 2011 (edited) [quote name='BarbaraTherese' timestamp='1324865119' post='2357487'] Thank you - I misread and apologies..........getting there! [/quote] The ":D" doesn't work on here... I guess I'll have to weaken it to Edited December 26, 2011 by Byzantine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbTherese Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 [quote name='Byzantine' timestamp='1324865355' post='2357488'] The ":D" doesn't work on here... I guess I'll have to weaken it to [/quote] I have learnt another something new........... :D ............thank you again, Byzantine! Must confess it took me a bit of time to figure it out though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissScripture Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 [quote name='Byzantine' timestamp='1324865355' post='2357488'] The ":D" doesn't work on here... I guess I'll have to weaken it to [/quote] If you're looking for something like this the code is : smile2 : (without the spaces for the colons, of course) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MithLuin Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 Unless, of course, you are writing to the priest whose advice you asked, in which case, it would be most polite to address the letter 'Dear Father.' Because asking someone's advice and then ignoring it blatantly is not terribly respectful. If you were planning to use what you had found on the website anyway, it's not entirely clear to me why you tried to ask his advice in the first place? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byzantine Posted December 29, 2011 Author Share Posted December 29, 2011 [quote name='MissScripture' timestamp='1325004341' post='2358098'] If you're looking for something like this the code is : smile2 : (without the spaces for the colons, of course) [/quote] Thanks! [quote name='MithLuin' timestamp='1325186110' post='2359435'] Unless, of course, you are writing to the priest whose advice you asked, in which case, it would be most polite to address the letter 'Dear Father.' Because asking someone's advice and then ignoring it blatantly is not terribly respectful. If you were planning to use what you had found on the website anyway, it's not entirely clear to me why you tried to ask his advice in the first place? [/quote] Umm... Uh... Ya know, ya make a good point! Oh wait... Yeah this came up when I needed to contact an Orthodox priest. None of our priests seem to expect the formality (except perhaps some of the ones "imported" from Slovakia)... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now