# Do you call a female priest Father? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 12, 2010, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-call-a-female-priest-father/535787 "2010-04-12T00:21:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-call-a-female-priest-father/535787/1 "2010-04-12T00:21:08Z")
I know this question doesn’t apply to the Roman Catholic church since they don’t admit women to the priesthood. The Episcopal Church in the United States does admit women to the priesthood. My church had a female priest for a while. I addressed her as “Canon” when I spoke with her. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-call-a-female-priest-father/535787/2 "2010-04-12T00:34:57Z")
Grabbing a random [news article](http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81803_121208_ENG_HTM.htm) from the Episcopal church, it looks like Reverend would do, since that is a unisex title. ETA I see the author of that article is a female with Reverend as a title. ---
**Author:** ![ivn1188](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e480ec/32.png) [@ivn1188](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivn1188)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-call-a-female-priest-father/535787/3 "2010-04-12T01:09:00Z")
“Mother” works too, for Episcopalians. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-call-a-female-priest-father/535787/4 "2010-04-12T02:46:52Z")
My parents are Episcopalians and have a female priest at their parish. The priest is addresses as “Mother” followed by her first name (that’s her preference. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-call-a-female-priest-father/535787/5 "2010-04-12T02:55:09Z")
Methodist it’s Reverend or Pastor. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-call-a-female-priest-father/535787/6 "2010-04-12T03:11:19Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Methodist it’s Reverend or Pastor. Methodists have priests? ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-call-a-female-priest-father/535787/7 "2010-04-12T03:44:09Z")
I am Episcopalian with a female priest. You certainly don’t call her Father. Actually, everyone just uses her first name in practice but ‘Celebrant’ is the official title used for the person presiding over the service no matter who it is. ‘Reverend’ or ‘Pastor’ is also acceptable but we don’t use the term ‘preacher’ like they do in some protestant denominations. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-call-a-female-priest-father/535787/8 "2010-04-12T03:47:03Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Methodists have priests? Methodists, like Catholics, Orthodox, and Anglicans, have presbyters, who are temed “elders” (English translation of _presbyteros_) rather than “priests” (Englishing of the word transliterated). But same concept – clergy ordained by the bishop to pastor a church, preach, and administer the sacraments. It’s just a variation in terminology. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-call-a-female-priest-father/535787/9 "2010-04-12T16:10:03Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > Methodists, like Catholics, Orthodox, and Anglicans, have presbyters, who are temed “elders” (English translation of _presbyteros_) rather than “priests” (Englishing of the word transliterated). But same concept – clergy ordained by the bishop to pastor a church, preach, and administer the sacraments. It’s just a variation in terminology. Isn’t the terminology crucial, however? The only way I can read the OP is whether a female priest is called Mother or Father or something else. If the terminology is so different that starting out with a default of a male-only priest called Father doesn’t exist, then there’s no question to ask. ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-call-a-female-priest-father/535787/10 "2010-04-12T18:29:19Z")
I used to go to an Episcopalian church in Oakland where we had two co-celebrants, Father John and Mother Patsy. Father John, IIRC, was a fireman, and Mother Patsy used to play drums in an Army band. They were cool. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-call-a-female-priest-father/535787/11 "2010-04-12T18:44:38Z")
So, I’m guessing “'Sup, babe?” is still improper form, then? ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-call-a-female-priest-father/535787/12 "2010-04-12T19:07:59Z")
Was Mama Cass a priest? ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-call-a-female-priest-father/535787/13 "2010-04-12T19:20:40Z")
According to **The Vicar of Dibley** in England female priests are called “Vicar” just like their male counterparts. From what I’ve seen of British TV priests usually aren’t even given names; they’re just called Vicar (or sometimes “Rector”). ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-call-a-female-priest-father/535787/14 "2010-04-12T19:30:37Z")
“Reverend” is somewhat formal and (I’m told) appropriately used with the person’s full name: Reverend (or The Reverend) Jane A. Smith. “Reverend Smith” is acceptable, I think. “Reverend Jane” is a mish-mash of a formal and informal address so is not usually used. “Canon” is a specific role in the church hierachy. In our diocese, we have a Canon to the Ordinary (“the Ordinary” referring to the bishop; she is the bishop’s assistant). Her formal title therefore is “The Reverend Canon Jane A. Smith.” Actually, now that I think about it, Canons may be “Very Reverend.” To answer the OP: We had a female priest at our parish for a while. The church bulletin said “The Rev. Jane Smith.” We called her Jane or, for the more pious among us, “Mother Jane.” Our current priest is a man, and he goes by “The Rev. Dr. John Doe” but informally we call him John or Father John. You don’t want to even know all the permutations of titles and honoriffics for bishops.