Appeal to the archpriest in an official letter. Church etiquette

His Holiness, His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Kirill

Your Holiness!

We, Orthodox Christians in Russia and abroad, ask you to pay attention to the campaign to deliberately denigrate the reputation of the famous preacher Archpriest Vladimir Golovin, as well as tens of thousands of Christians who listen to his sermons and pray by agreement with Orthodox akathists. At the XXVI International Christmas Readings, the clergyman of the Novosibirsk diocese, Archpriest Alexander Novopashin, delivered a report unannounced on the official agenda on the topic “The commercial-religious project of priest Vladimir Golovin,” which almost entirely consisted of rumors contrary to the truth, borrowed from the schismatic website vseeresi.com (vseeresi.com). ). A few days after his speech, a full-fledged persecution of Archpriest Vladimir Golovin was organized on the Internet. That every accusation in the report, from the commercial motives of prayer by agreement and its non-canonical nature to the desire of Fr. Vladimir’s attitude towards guruism and false eldership is not true, both ministers of the Russian Orthodox Church and tens of thousands of Orthodox Christians throughout Russia and beyond have already spoken out. Having ignored the 9th commandment and the gospel covenant, “if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone; If he listens to you, then you have gained your brother; But if he does not listen, take with you one or two more, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established; if he does not listen to them, tell the church; and if he does not listen to the church, then let him be to you as a pagan and a publican” (Matthew 18:15-17), Fr. Alexander cast a shadow on the unity of the Russian Orthodox Church, the image of the Orthodox priest and the reputation of tens of thousands of Orthodox Christians who, in addition to the liturgy, morning and evening rule decided to carry out prayer work in the form of cell prayer by agreement with an akathist to the Lord God, Mother of God or Orthodox saints. We live in different cities and countries, go to Orthodox churches of different dioceses, are ministered to by different spiritual fathers, teach in Sunday schools, sing in the choir, participate in parish meetings, head the audit commissions of churches and do not see our life outside the Russian Orthodox Church, but about . Alexander and his supporters call us sectarians. We approach the same Chalice, participate together in church sacraments, pray for the hierarchy and the Russian Orthodox Church, but we are called schismatics. We stand up for worldwide prayer for Russia on the day of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, and we are told that our understanding of prayer is utilitarian and does not correspond to the centuries-old experience of Orthodoxy. WE ARE ORTHODOX BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST, and they are trying to separate us from the general mass of Orthodox Christians because we decide to pray a little more, to stand up for prayer no matter what with tens and hundreds of thousands of other Orthodox Christians at a certain time every week, regardless from desire, well-being and life circumstances. Many of us came to the churches of our dioceses and became church members after the sermons of Fr. Vladimir Golovin, but can you really call him a Golovin for this? Is this what Christ teaches in the parable of the Prodigal Son? Archpriest Vladimir Golovin led many people to liturgical life with his words. Thousands of Orthodox Christians after the sermons of Fr. Vladimir reconsidered their views regarding chastity, civil marriage, abortion, and as a result of conciliar prayer they created families in the Lord. For their prayerful work, many have received from God the gift of parenthood and, importantly, from birth they raise their children in the spirit of Orthodoxy, giving them communion and teaching them to live with Christ. Sermons by Fr. Vladimir, already churchgoers, heartily experiencing the unbelief of their loved ones, were able to light the flame of faith in their hearts, lead them to the threshold of the temple, to the first confession, to Communion, and some even accepted the Orthodox faith. You once said: “People don’t come with buckets to a well where there is no water. No one would turn to Heaven if Heaven did not answer.” This is true! If the Lord had not blessed prayer by agreement, then what is described above would not have happened. Orthodox churches would not be replenished with people who have experienced how close the Lord is and how much he loves us sinners. After all, this is precisely what Fr. calls for. Vladimir. And how many people did he return to the fold of the Russian Orthodox Church from schismatic communities! Can't count. In the words of Fr. Alexander Novopashin, completely different things are happening now: believers leave prayer, become disillusioned with priests who condemn their brothers in an inappropriate rhetorical manner, people change their attitude towards fasting, watching how the Novosibirsk cleric and his supporters in the first week of Lent and Good Friday write obscene texts about their brother in Christ. Truly, “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit... Therefore by their fruits you will know them” (Matthew 7:18, 20). It is said: “Blessed are those who thirst and hunger for righteousness, for they will be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6), so we ask for your fatherly protection and intercession! We cordially ask you to familiarize yourself with the attached materials and understand what is happening with your characteristic concern for your flock. We completely trust you and rely on your objective opinion.

How to greet a clergyman? Should I receive a blessing from him or just make a request? Archpriest Andrei Ukhtomsky answers.

Blessing His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufria...

As a child, when I began to become a sexton, I came to the altar and greeted the priest sitting at a distance: “Hello!” In response I heard: “Didn’t they teach you how to say hello?” Having thought about what was said, I went up to the priest and took the blessing, remembering how others had done it. Now, already as a priest, during confession I have to hear the address “holy father” addressed to me. And you yourself feel uncomfortable, trying to balance your unholiness with the attempt at politeness of the confessor, realizing that the saints are in heaven, thinking about how to convey to the confessor the options for correct treatment.

Having only recently joined the church, meeting a clergyman in church and wanting to make a request, we are often lost in choosing the form of appeal. Meanwhile, these forms, which have developed traditionally, help not only to observe the rules of greeting, to express respect for the rank, and one’s spiritual disposition towards the clergyman, but also to receive God’s blessing.

First, we need to decide who is in front of us: the Primate of the Church, a priest, a deacon, a monk or a nun. To do this, you need to understand the ranks (ranks or ranks) of the clergy.

There are three degrees of clergy:

1) Episcopal. Bearers of this degree of priesthood: patriarch, metropolitan, archbishop, bishop. Appeal to the patriarch: “Your Holiness...” or “Most Holy Vladyka...”, to the metropolitan and archbishop: “Your Eminence” or “Most Reverend Vladyka...”. If the title of Metropolitan is borne by the Primate of the Church, and he also has the epithet “Most Beatitude,” then the address to him will be “Your Beatitude...” or “Most Blessed Bishop...” (Such an address is appropriate for the Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine). Address to the bishop: “Your Eminence...” or “Most Reverend Bishop...”. These addresses are also used in official correspondence and in official settings. There is a popular, “warm” address: “Vladyka...”. After the words of address follows the name of the person to whom we are addressing. Holders of the episcopal degree are called “master” because they are in charge of all other degrees of the priesthood, and they rule over the entire church clergy.

2) Priestly. Bearers of this degree of priesthood: protopresbyter, archpriest, archimandrite, abbot, priest, hieromonk. Appeal to the protopresbyter, archpriest, archimandrite, abbot: “Your Reverence, father (name) ...”, to the priest, hieromonk: “Your Reverence, father (name) ...” There is a popular, “warm” address: “father ...”. Sometimes this epithet is used only in relation to one’s confessor.

3) Deacon's. The holders of this degree of priesthood are: archdeacon, protodeacon, deacon, hierodeacon. Appeal to the arch-, protodeacon: “father of the arch-, protodeacon (name) ...”, to the deacon, hierodeacon: “father (name) ...”.

Why do we call holders of the second and third degrees of the priesthood fathers? This question is answered by the teacher of the Church, Clement of Alexandria (d. 215). He says that we call those who gave birth to us spiritually fathers. It is unethical for the priest himself to call himself: “I, father (name) ....” Usually, priests and deacons, speaking about themselves in the third person, call themselves “I am a priest (protopresbyter, archpriest, archimandrite, abbot, priest, hieromonk) so-and-so” or “I am a deacon (archdeacon, protodeacon, hierodeacon) so-and-so.” that (name).”

When speaking about a clergyman in the third person, they call him san.

In addition to clergy, there are persons in the Church who have chosen the path of monastic life: abbess, monk, nun, novice, novice. Appeal to the abbess: “mother (name)…”, “venerable mother (name)…” Address to a monk who does not have a rank, and a novice: “honorable brother (father) (name)…”, to a nun, novice: “sister (Name)…"

The rules of conversion adopted in the Church can be summarized in a table for clarity.

Secular clergy	Monastic clergy	Application form
Deacon, Archdeacon, Protodeacon	Hierodeacon	Father (name)
	Hieromonk	Your Reverence, Father (name)
Protopresbyter, archpriest	Hegumen, archimandrite	Your Reverence, Father (name)
	Abbess	Venerable Mother (name)
		Your Eminence, Most Reverend Bishop (name)
	Archbishop, Metropolitan	Your Eminence, Your Eminence Vladyka (name), (Your Beatitude, Your Eminence Vladyka (name)
	Patriarch	Your Holiness (name), Most Holy Bishop (name)
	Monk, novice	honest brother (father) (name)
	Nun, novice	sister (name)

When the laity greet a bishop, priest or abbess (especially on the territory of their monastery), they can (have the right, must) take a blessing after the words of greeting, saying: “Bless...”. In this case, it is necessary to fold the palms of the hands crosswise and present them to the blessing person, then, having received the blessing, kiss the hand or handrail.

It is customary to address the wives of priests and deacons as “Mother (name).” When I was a sexton, I told the abbot who was performing the service about the unmarried singer, calling her “mother,” to which the abbot asked: “Why is she mother? Where is her father?

The greeting can reflect a current celebrated event or time in the Church. On fasting days you can add: “with fasting, with fasting day, with Great Lent”, in Easter days- “Christ is Risen!”, on the days of the forefeasts - “with the forefeast”, in holidays or days of especially revered saints - “happy holiday”, on Holy Week- “Happy Maundy Monday, Maundy Tuesday, etc.” Congratulations on the twelfth (or great) holiday bear the name of the holiday itself: “Merry Christmas, Happy Annunciation, Happy Transfiguration...”

There is also a greeting among clergy who are equal in rank: “Christ is in our midst,” the answer: “And is, and will be.”

The expression “God bless” is more of a gratitude for something (this is where the usual “thank you” comes from) than a greeting.

The laity address each other as “brother (name)”, “sister (name)”, in the third person they call believers “slave (name)”, “slave (name)”.

All believers call themselves brothers and sisters because that is what we are in Christ.

Instructions

To avoid mistakes when contacting the clergy, you need to have certain knowledge about this. It is unlikely that a clergyman will correct you if you address him with the words “Hello, father.” However, a person needs to know and follow etiquette.

In Orthodoxy there are three degrees of priesthood. The youngest is the deacon, or assistant priest (hierodeacon in monasticism). He does not have the grace-filled power that they have, so they do not approach him for a blessing. Proper handling j – “Father Deacon.”

The next level of priesthood is occupied by priests. In the white clergy these are: priest (, presbyter), archpriest, protopresbyter. In the black clergy, that is, in monasticism, these are: hieromonk, abbot, archimandrite. When addressing a priest, ask for a blessing like this: “Bless, father.”

An address to a hieromonk, abbot and archimandrite may look like: “Bless, holy father” or “Bless, honest father.” The latter is more correct, since in Orthodoxy it is not customary to address the words “holy father,” although in practice this address is used by the laity quite often. If you know the name, contact me like this: “Bless, Father Nikolai.” Of course, the name may be different. In an official setting, as well as, the hieromonk should be addressed with the words: “Your Reverence,” and the abbot and archimandrite – “Your Reverence.”

The third level of priesthood is occupied by bishops (). The following ranks are distinguished: bishop, archbishop, metropolitan, patriarch. All these orders are found only in the black clergy. It is customary to address a bishop with the words “Your Eminence.” K or – “Your Eminence.” To the Patriarch: “Your Holiness.” If communication takes place in a more intimate setting, the address “Vladyko” is acceptable.

The years of Soviet atheism practically eradicated official church etiquette from the lives of our fellow citizens. Many people today do not know how to address clergy. And, if such a need suddenly arises, a person who is far from observing church canons may find himself in an uncomfortable position. Especially if foreign “padres” and “holy fathers” are imprinted in his mind. In fact, to the priest of the Russian Orthodox Church, especially to to the patriarch, must be handled in accordance with special rules.

Instructions

It should be noted that you are unlikely to be able to easily chat with the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. Although His Holiness Vladyka Kirill is actively engaged in pastoral work and constantly communicates with the people, all of his public appearances are under strict control. Special services monitor the security of the head of the Russian Orthodox Church no worse than the security of the country. He blesses ordinary parishioners and tells them parting words. Long dialogues are usually preceded by preliminary preparation, one might even say - .

But if such a case does arise, contact to the patriarch follows: “Your Holiness” and “Vladyka” (or, more modernly: “Vladyka”). Since it is customary to ask for a blessing from a clergyman for all actions, including during a meeting, it would be more appropriate to say first: “Master, bless.” And then talk about the main thing, turning to to the patriarch: “Your Holiness...”

In the official writing To to the patriarch can be addressed with the words: “Your Eminence...”

However, words are not everything in the communication process. Gestures are also important; they can tell a lot about a person. It happens that a layman, wanting to show that he is not a stranger, begins to cross himself at the sight of a clergyman. It is not right. Having met a familiar clergyman in public place, well-mannered person He will definitely say hello, and a churchgoer may bow his head slightly. With closer communication it is necessary to add right palm over the left - this way you show that you are asking for a blessing. When contacting to the patriarch the same rule applies.

Listen to live speech. Particularly watch out for church regulars who are knowledgeable about routines and rules. Parishioners typically address the priest in a canonical manner. Copy it, use the same words and appeals.

For ordinary clergy who have only the rank of priest (no higher), the following formulas are applicable: “Father John”, “Father” (an obsolete form, the so-called vocative case). The address “father” is acceptable, to which you can, but not necessarily, add a name. These forms apply to clergy and, and Catholic, and.

It is customary to address bishops (bishops, archbishops) as “Vladyka”; it is also acceptable to call full name. However, if you accidentally call a high-ranking minister "father", there will be no critical error. They may reprimand you, but nothing more. In Catholicism these addresses are not used.

Formulate your requests and questions in simple terms, modern language. Father is the same person as you, lives in the same world. He will equally understand statements in archaic and simple forms, but the second option is more appropriate.

note

In official documents it is customary to call a priest by title (priest, priest, archpriest). This is followed by the letter “o” with a dot (father), first and last name in brackets. IN oral speech, as a rule, the title is not mentioned.

IN Orthodox Church apostolic reception is preserved, expressed in one of the seven sacraments, namely, ordination to the priesthood. Through the laying on of the hands of a bishop (who can be a bishop, archbishop, metropolitan, or even the patriarch himself) on the head of the protege, special divine grace descends on the latter. From the time of ordination to the priesthood, the presbyter of the Church can perform the sacraments established by the Church, as well as other sacred rites. Therefore, the attitude of the laity towards the priest is very reverent.

In a private conversation to Orthodox priest can be addressed in different “ways”. The most common is the address “father,” which reflects the people’s love for their pastor, respect for the holy order and the person’s remembrance that the priest is a spiritual mentor, a father for his flock. Such an appeal is especially appropriate when the believer does not know the name of the priest (for example, a person went to a church in another city, etc.). Another title that may not use the clergyman's name is "father."

When a person knows a priest, it is quite appropriate to address the latter by name. It should be noted that in this case the name of the priest is pronounced according to the pronunciation with the “prefix” “father”. For example, “Father Sergius” (and not “Father Sergei”), Father John (and not “Father Ivan”).

There is another practice of addressing an Orthodox priest, which is used more often at official events, conferences or other similar meetings. So, you can address a priest as “Your” or “Your Reverence.” It is worth considering that priests of the Orthodox Church, depending on their length of service or awards, have the rank of priest, and for the monastic clergy - hieromonk, abbot or archimandrite. The address “Your Reverence” is appropriate for priests and hieromonks, and archpriests, abbots and archimandrites should be addressed as “Your Reverence.”

Video on the topic

How to greet a clergyman? Should I receive a blessing from him or just make a request? Archpriest Andrei Ukhtomsky answers.

Blessing of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry...

First, we need to decide who is in front of us: the Primate of the Church, a priest, a deacon, a monk or a nun. To do this, you need to understand the ranks (ranks or ranks) of the clergy.

There are three degrees of clergy:

When speaking about a clergyman in the third person, they call him san.

The rules of conversion adopted in the Church can be summarized in a table for clarity.

Secular clergy	Monastic clergy	Application form
Deacon, Archdeacon, Protodeacon	Hierodeacon	Father (name)
	Hieromonk	Your Reverence, Father (name)
Protopresbyter, archpriest	Hegumen, archimandrite	Your Reverence, Father (name)
	Abbess	Venerable Mother (name)
		Your Eminence, Most Reverend Bishop (name)
	Archbishop, Metropolitan	Your Eminence, Your Eminence Vladyka (name), (Your Beatitude, Your Eminence Vladyka (name)
	Patriarch	Your Holiness (name), Most Holy Bishop (name)
	Monk, novice	honest brother (father) (name)
	Nun, novice	sister (name)

The greeting can reflect a current celebrated event or time in the Church. On days of fasting you can add: “with fasting, with fasting day, with Great Lent”, on Easter days - “Christ is Risen!”, on days of forefeasts - “with forefeast”, on holidays or days of especially revered saints - “happy holiday ”, during Holy Week - “Happy Maundy Monday, Maundy Tuesday, etc.” Congratulations on the twelfth (or great) holiday bear the name of the holiday itself: “Merry Christmas, Happy Annunciation, Happy Transfiguration...”

There is also a greeting among clergy who are equal in rank: “Christ is in our midst,” the answer: “And is, and will be.”

The expression “God bless” is more of a gratitude for something (this is where the usual “thank you” comes from) than a greeting.

The laity address each other as “brother (name)”, “sister (name)”, in the third person they call believers “slave (name)”, “slave (name)”.

All believers call themselves brothers and sisters because that is what we are in Christ.

Before considering how to address clergy in conversation and in writing, it is worth familiarizing yourself with the hierarchy of priests that exists in the Orthodox Church.

The priesthood in Orthodoxy is divided into 3 levels:

– deacon;

- priest;

- bishop.

Before stepping onto the first stage of the priesthood, devoting himself to serving God, the believer must decide for himself whether he will marry or become a monk. Married clergy are classified as the white clergy, while monks are classified as the black clergy. In accordance with this, the following structures of the priestly hierarchy are distinguished.

Secular clergy

I. Deacon:

– deacon;

– protodeacon (senior deacon, usually in the cathedral).

II. Priest:

- priest, or priest, or presbyter;

– archpriest (senior priest);

– mitered archpriest and protopresbyter (senior priest in the cathedral).

Black clergy

I. Deacon:

– hierodeacon;

– archdeacon (senior deacon in the monastery).

II. Priest:

– hieromonk;

– abbot;

- archimandrite.

III. Bishop (bishop).

- bishop;

- archbishop;

- metropolitan;

- patriarch.

Thus, only a minister belonging to the black clergy can become a bishop. In turn, the white clergy also includes ministers who, along with the rank of deacon or priest, have taken a vow of celibacy (celibacy).

“I beseech your shepherds... feed the flock of God which is yours, overseeing it not under compulsion, but willingly and pleasing to God, not for vile gain, but out of zeal, and not lording it over God’s inheritance, but setting an example for the flock.”

(1 Pet. 5:1–2).

Nowadays, monastic priests can be seen not only in monasteries, but also in parishes where they serve. If a monk is a schema monk, that is, he has accepted a schema, which is the highest degree of monasticism, the prefix “schema” is added to his rank, for example, schema-hierodeacon, schema-monk, schema-bishop, etc.

When addressing someone from the clergy, you should use neutral words. You should not use the address “father” without using this name, as it will sound too familiar.

In church, clergy should also be addressed as “you.”

In close relationships, the address “you” is allowed, but in public it is still better to adhere to the address “you,” even if this is the wife of a deacon or priest. She can address her husband as “you” only at home or in private, but in the parish such an address can belittle the authority of the minister.

In church, when addressing clergy, one must say their names as they sound in Church Slavonic. For example, you should say “Father Sergius” and not “Father Sergei”, “Deacon Alexy” and not “Deacon Alexey”, etc.

When addressing a deacon, you can use the words “father deacon.” To find out his name, you need to ask: “Excuse me, what is your holy name?. However, in this way you can address any Orthodox believer.

If a deacon is addressed by his proper name, the address “father” should be used. For example, “Father Vasily”, etc. In a conversation, when mentioning a deacon in the third person, you should call him “Father Deacon” or by a proper name with the address “father”. For example: “Father Andrei said that...” or “Father deacon advised me...”, etc.

A deacon in a church is approached to ask for advice or to ask for prayer. He is an assistant priest. However, a deacon does not have ordination, and therefore does not have the right to independently perform the rites of baptism, wedding, unction, as well as serve the liturgy and confess. Therefore, you should not contact him with a request to carry out such actions. He also cannot perform services, such as consecrating a house or performing a funeral service. It is believed that he does not have special grace-filled power for this, which the minister receives only during his ordination to the priesthood.

When addressing a priest, the word “father” is used. IN colloquial speech It is permissible to call a priest priest, but this should not be done in an official speech. The minister himself, when introducing himself to other people, should say: “Priest Andrei Mitrofanov,” or “Priest Nikolai Petrov,” “Hegumen Alexander,” etc. He will not introduce himself: “I am Father Vasily.”

When a priest is mentioned in a conversation and spoken of in the third person, one can say: “Father the rector advised,” “Father Vasily blessed,” etc. Calling him by his rank will not be very euphonious in this case. Although, if priests with same names, to distinguish them, next to the name they put the rank corresponding to each of them. For example: “Hegumen Pavel is now holding a wedding, you can address your request to Hieromonk Pavel.” You can also call the priest by his last name: “Father Peter Vasiliev is on a business trip.”

The combination of the word “father” and the priest’s surname (for example, “Father Ivanov”) sounds too official, so it is used very rarely in colloquial speech.

When meeting, the parishioner must greet the priest with the word “Bless!”, while folding his hands to receive a blessing (if the greeter is next to the priest). It is not customary in church practice to say “hello” or “good afternoon” to a priest. The priest responds to the greeting: “God bless” or “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” At the same time, he makes the sign of the cross over the layman, after which he places his palms on his folded palms to receive the blessing. right hand, which the layman must kiss.

The priest can bless parishioners in other ways, for example, by making the sign of the cross on the bowed head of a layman or blessing from a distance.

Male parishioners may also receive the priest's blessing differently. They kiss the hand, the cheek, and again the hand of the minister who blesses them.

When a priest blesses a layman, the latter should under no circumstances at the same time cast a spell on himself. sign of the cross. This action is called "being baptized by the priest." This behavior is not very decent.

Asking for a blessing and receiving it are basic components of church etiquette. These actions are not a mere formality. They testify to an established relationship between the priest and the parishioner. If a lay person asks for a blessing less often or stops asking for it altogether, this is a signal to the minister that the parishioner has some problems in his earthly life or on a spiritual plane. The same applies to the situation when the priest does not want to bless a layman. In this way, the pastor tries to make it clear to the parishioner that something contrary to Christian life is happening in the latter’s life, that the church is not blessing him.

“...Youngers, obey the shepherds; Nevertheless, being submissive to each other, clothe yourself with humility, because God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. So, humble yourself under strong hand May God exalt you in due time."

(1 Pet. 5:5–6).

Usually, refusal of a blessing is painfully endured by both the priest and the laity, which suggests that such actions are not purely formal. In this case, both should try to smooth out the tension in the relationship by confessing and asking for forgiveness from each other.

From the day of Easter and for the next forty days, parishioners should first of all greet the pastor with the words “Christ is Risen,” to which the priest usually responds: “Truly He is Risen” and gives his blessing with the usual gesture.

Two priests greet each other with the words “Bless” or “Christ is in our midst,” to which the answer follows: “And it is, and it will be.” They then shake hands, kiss the cheek once or thrice, and then kiss each other's right hand.

If a parishioner finds himself in the company of several priests at once, he should ask for a blessing first from the senior priests, and then from the younger ones, for example, first from the archpriest, then from the priest. If a layman is not familiar with them, the rank can be distinguished by the cross that the priests wear: the archpriest has a cross with decorations or is gilded, and the priest has a silver cross, sometimes gilded.

It is customary to take a blessing from all nearby priests. If this is difficult for any reason, you can simply ask: “Bless, honest fathers” - and bow. The address “holy father” is not accepted in Orthodoxy.

“The blessing of the Lord - it enriches and does not bring sorrow with it”

(Prov. 10:22)

If several people approach the priest at once for a blessing, the men should apply first, according to their seniority, and then the women. If church ministers are present in this group of people, they are the first to ask for blessings.

If a family approaches the priest, the husband comes out first for the blessing, then the wife, followed by the children in order of seniority. At this time, you can introduce someone to the priest, for example, your son, and then ask him to bless him. For example: “Father Matthew, this is my son. Please bless him."

When parting, instead of saying goodbye, the layman also asks the priest for a blessing, saying: “Forgive, father, and bless.”

If a layman meets a priest outside the church walls (on the street, in transport, in a store, etc.), he can still ask for a blessing if he does not distract the pastor from other matters. If it is difficult to take the blessing, you just need to bow.

In communicating with a priest, a layman must show respect and reverence, since the minister is the bearer of special grace, which he receives during the sacrament of ordination to the priesthood. In addition, the priest is appointed to be a shepherd and mentor of the believers.

When talking with a clergyman, you should watch yourself so that there is nothing indecent in your gaze, words, gestures, facial expressions, or posture. The speech of a layman should not contain rude, abusive, slang words, with which the speech of many people in the world is full. Addressing a priest in an overly familiar manner is also not allowed.

When talking to a clergyman, you should not touch him. It is better to be at a distance that is not very close. You cannot behave cheekily or defiantly. There is no need to stare or grin at the priest’s face. The look should be meek. It’s good to lower your eyes a little when talking.

“The highest honor should be accorded to worthy elders who rule, especially to those who labor in the word and in doctrine. For the Scripture says: do not load it, give mouth to the threshing ox; and: the worker is worthy of his reward"

(1 Tim. 5:17–18).

If the priest is standing, the lay person should not sit in his presence. When the priest sits down, the lay person can sit down only after being asked to sit down.

When talking with a priest, a layman must remember that through a pastor who is involved in the sacraments of God, God Himself can speak, teaching the truth of God and righteousness.