# A question for those who have spoken with Catholic priests... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 28, 2012, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-those-who-have-spoken-with-catholic-priests/639143 "2012-10-28T16:50:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-those-who-have-spoken-with-catholic-priests/639143/21 "2012-10-29T00:11:19Z")
I know a priest who tends to say “Greetings, child of God!” but he only uses it on adult friends and it is just his irony-brushed style. My current pastor appears to call children “buddy”. He’s from Brooklyn with the accent to match. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-those-who-have-spoken-with-catholic-priests/639143/22 "2012-10-29T00:27:29Z")
Perhaps if we got a social worker to hold a doll, we might get children to tell us how they were talked to by the priest. Or maybe its a case of “Oh no he never called me my son, while he was buggering me senseless !” ---
**Author:** ![Szlater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-those-who-have-spoken-with-catholic-priests/639143/23 "2012-10-29T00:55:35Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Also, every movie Catholic does the Sign of the Cross backwards. Wait what? Is that true? ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-those-who-have-spoken-with-catholic-priests/639143/24 "2012-10-29T01:12:01Z")
No, but it does narrow down which church \*\*thelurkinghorror \*\*learned from. > [@](#): > > There are two principal forms: the one—three fingers, right to left—is exclusively used in the Eastern Orthodox churches and the Eastern Rites of the Catholic Church of the Byzantine and Chaldean Tradition; the other—left to right, other than three fingers—is the one used in the Latin, Syriac, Syro-Malankara, Armenian, Coptic, Maronite, and Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, Anglicanism, Lutheranism and Oriental Orthodoxy (see below). > **[Sign of the cross](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sign_of_the_Cross)** > > Making the sign of the cross (Latin: signum crucis), also known as blessing oneself or crossing oneself, is both a prayer and a ritual blessing made by members of some branches of Christianity. It is a very significant prayer because Christians are acknowledging their belief in the triune God, or the Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. There are three variants of the sign of the cross, including a large sign of the cross made across the body, a small sign of the c... Most “Hollywood Catholics” do it left to right. More information with a generous dose of WTF here: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpRzqXG1dhc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpRzqXG1dhc) ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-those-who-have-spoken-with-catholic-priests/639143/25 "2012-10-29T01:26:29Z")
Never had a priest say “My son/My child” to me. Couldn’t speak for Irish accents since all the priests I can think of were of Polish lineage. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-those-who-have-spoken-with-catholic-priests/639143/26 "2012-10-29T01:38:15Z")
nope. I’ve only ever heard that on TV/radio/film, where the “priest” uttering those phrases inevitably also had an Irish accent. ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-those-who-have-spoken-with-catholic-priests/639143/27 "2012-10-29T02:07:52Z")
“My child” no, Irish yes. The longtime Monsignor at my parents’ church is an Irishman. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-those-who-have-spoken-with-catholic-priests/639143/28 "2012-10-29T02:08:58Z")
I’ve never heard a priest call anyone “child” or “son” and I have known many priests. I grew up Catholic and went to a Catholic university. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-those-who-have-spoken-with-catholic-priests/639143/29 "2012-10-29T02:26:30Z")
> [@missred](#): > > Grew up RC. Out of all the priests from the parish over the years, none used the “my child” or “my son” thing. Although very few had accents, most had Irish or Polish surnames. I don’t recall “my child” or “my son,” either, although I wouldn’t say I’m 100% sure. Just 99%. My parish was mostly Polish priests. We did have a Father Killian, who you would probably think was Irish but, no. Heavy Polish accent, first name Waldemar. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-those-who-have-spoken-with-catholic-priests/639143/30 "2012-10-29T04:09:54Z")
> [@Lust4Life](#): > > Perhaps if we got a social worker to hold a doll, we might get children to tell us how they were talked to by the priest. > > Or maybe its a case of “Oh no he never called me my son, while he was buggering me senseless !” Whole family born & bread Roman Catholics. Two uncles = priests. Not a ‘buggering’ in the bunch. My grade school church pastor was full on Irish… No buggering from him either. I seem to have missed all the fun… ---
**Author:** ![Dano83860](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a4c791/32.png) [@Dano83860](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dano83860)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-those-who-have-spoken-with-catholic-priests/639143/31 "2012-10-29T04:36:03Z")
Never had one call me son but when I was studying for my confirmation one called me a bastard. My mother divorced her abusive first husband 10 years before she met and married my dad. Dad was not very happy and we only went back once so that he could put a strongly worded letter in the collection plate.😛 ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-those-who-have-spoken-with-catholic-priests/639143/32 "2012-10-29T05:32:57Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > I grew up in a Catholic family, altho I’m very much lapsed for almost 30 years. But for the first half of my life, I belonged to or attended a variety of parishes in different parts of the country, thanks to the Navy. > > In all those years and all those places, I NEVER encountered a priest who addressed anyone as “my child” or “my son” (at least within my hearing) despite what every TV and movie portrayal of priests has shown us. Nor have I met any priests with Irish accents, although I know there have to be a few out there. > > What about you? Ever been called “my child”? Ever run into a Father Mulcahey clone? Yes and no. I’ve met priests who called people “my son, my daughter, queen, king, love, sweetheart”… but because that’s common in our area among, well, everybody - it’s a conversational filler. We had a nun from a different part of Spain who found it scandalous at first to hear everybody calling everybody else “sweetheat” and “love” - after two years, she called everybody (male or female) “queen”. It was just a meaningless filler; in the same conversation, I could easily call the priest “child”, “love” or “son”. What I haven’t encountered was those paternalistic “aaah, my chiiild” from the movies you talk about, when the priest is about to get Ex Cathedra and you kind of wonder why he doesn’t just start levitating on a puffy cloud held up by two fat little angels. ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-those-who-have-spoken-with-catholic-priests/639143/33 "2012-10-29T05:37:06Z")
I thought the priest with Irish accent cliche died off with Bing Crosby. Are there recent examples of that in the media? None of our priests when I was growing up had one, though we did have a Portuguese father once. And no, I don’t remember ever being referred to as “my child.” ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-those-who-have-spoken-with-catholic-priests/639143/34 "2012-10-29T05:55:07Z")
> [@Saintly\_Loser](#): > > I’ve never been addressed as “my son,” or “my child.” I’ve met a few priests over the years with Irish accents. When I was a kid, back in the 60s, our parish brought in a Spanish-speaking priest to accomodate the growing number of Spanish-speakers in the area. He was a Basque, though, and I bet he had as much of an accent in Spanish as he did in English. But not necessarily a “second language accent”, it could very easily have been only a regional accent. Being Basque is not the same as having Basque as your native language: in fact, at least half of us Basque don’t speak Basque and many of those who do are truly bilingual and have no “foreign” accent in either language… ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-those-who-have-spoken-with-catholic-priests/639143/35 "2012-10-29T12:27:34Z")
I’ve known several priests who fit what I call the “Father McIrish,” physical stereotype, complete with accent. Never once been called “My child,” or “My son.” ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-those-who-have-spoken-with-catholic-priests/639143/36 "2012-10-29T13:53:57Z")
I’ve known priests with Irish accents, but no “my child” in the bunch. Most of the accents I’ve heard recently by priests are Indian. It’s sometimes hard to concentrate on the Mass when the priest sounds like Apu from The Simpsons. StG ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-those-who-have-spoken-with-catholic-priests/639143/37 "2012-10-29T14:12:22Z")
> [@Lust4Life](#): > > Perhaps if we got a social worker to hold a doll, we might get children to tell us how they were talked to by the priest. > > Or maybe its a case of “Oh no he never called me my son, while he was buggering me senseless !” This is inappropriate, and threadshitting. Don’t do it again. ---
**Author:** ![Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dread_pirate_jimbo/32/3897_2.png) [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dread_Pirate_Jimbo)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-those-who-have-spoken-with-catholic-priests/639143/38 "2012-10-29T14:56:58Z")
I grew up Catholic and still occasionally come across a Catholic priest while attending church-related events (mostly funerals these days. Sigh.) I don’t ever recall being called “my son” or “my child” and the only priest I can remember who had an Irish accent was a distant relative who had come to Calgary to visit our extended family years ago from county Cork. I have met a handful of priests with strong Filipino accents, however. That seems to be a pretty popular thing around these parts for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-those-who-have-spoken-with-catholic-priests/639143/39 "2012-10-29T15:17:56Z")
I’m a faithful Catholic, and go to church every week, and I’m pretty sure I’ve never been called “my child” or “my son” by any priest I’ve known. Then again, I’m 36, and maybe if I was older I might have encountered a priest who talked like that. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-those-who-have-spoken-with-catholic-priests/639143/40 "2012-10-29T15:19:21Z")
We had young hippe priest Fr. Reilly, with the map or Ireland for a face; and elderly Fr. DeLeighton (from his name, I assume his family in Ireland since the Normans), who still wore skirts and was straight out of central casting as “Maynoonth Priest Type.” As _Going My Way_ as that, still never “That’ll be all faive decades o’ the rosary, me son! And we’ll have no more feelthy talk of sexual inter-kearse!” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-those-who-have-spoken-with-catholic-priests/639143.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-those-who-have-spoken-with-catholic-priests/639143.md?page=3)