Priest and archpriest are the titles of Orthodox priests. They are assigned to the so-called white clergy - those clergymen who do not take a vow of celibacy, create families and have children. What is the difference between a priest and an archpriest? There are differences between them, we will talk about them now.

What do the titles "priest" and "archpriest" mean?

Both words have Greek origin. "Priest" has long been used in Greece to designate a priest and literally means "priest". And "archpriest" means "high priest." The system of church titles began to take shape from the first centuries of Christianity, both in the Western, Catholic, Church, and in the Eastern, Orthodox, most of the terms for designating different ranks of the priesthood are Greek, since the religion originated in the east of the Roman Empire, and the first adepts were predominantly Greeks .

The difference between a priest and an archpriest is that the second term is used to name priests who are on a higher rung of the church hierarchy. The title "archpriest" is given to a clergyman who already has the title of priest as a reward for services to the church. In different Orthodox churches, the conditions for conferring the title of archpriest are slightly different. In Russian Orthodox Church a priest can become an archpriest five years (not earlier) after he has been awarded a pectoral cross (worn over clothing). Or ten years after the consecration (in this case- dedication to the rank of priest), but only after he has been appointed to a leading church position.

Comparison

In Orthodoxy, there are three degrees of priesthood. The first (lower) is a deacon (deacon), the second is a priest (priest) and the third, highest, is a bishop (bishop or saint). Priest and archpriest, as it is easy to understand, belong to the middle (second) step Orthodox hierarchy. In this they are similar, but what is the difference between them, besides the fact that the title of "archpriest" is given as a reward?

Archpriests are usually abbots (that is, senior priests) of churches, parishes, or monasteries. They are subordinate to the bishops, organizing and leading the church life of their parish. It is customary to address a priest as “Your Reverend” (on solemn occasions), as well as simply “Father” or by name - for example, “Father Sergius”. The appeal to the archpriest is “Your Reverend”. Previously, there were in the course of appeal: to the priest - "Your Blessing" and to the archpriest - "Your High Blessing", but now they are practically out of use.

Table

The table presented to your attention indicates the difference between a priest and an archpriest.

Questions of external pious everyday life often worry the parishioners of many churches. How to properly address the clergy, how to distinguish them from each other, what to say at a meeting? These seemingly trifles can confuse an unprepared person, make him worry. Let's try to figure out if there is a difference in the concepts of "father", "priest" and "priest"?

Priest - Mr. main protagonist of any worship

What do the names of the ministers of the church mean?

In the church environment, you can hear a variety of appeals to the servants of the temple. The main character of any divine service is the priest. This is a person who is in the altar and performs all the rites of the service.

Important! Only a man who has undergone special training and is ordained by the ruling bishop can be a priest.

The word "priest" in the liturgical sense corresponds to the synonym "priest". Only ordained priests have the right to perform the Sacraments of the Church, according to a certain order. In the official documents of the Orthodox Church, the word "priest" is also used to refer to one or another priest.

Among the laity and ordinary parishioners of churches, one can often hear the appeal "father" in relation to one or another priest. This is an everyday, simpler meaning, it indicates the attitude towards parishioners as spiritual children.

If you open the Bible, namely the Acts or the Epistles of the Apostles, we will see that very often they used the appeal “My children” to the people. Ever since Biblical times, the love of the apostles for their disciples and the believing people was comparable to paternal love. Also now - the parishioners of the temples receive instructions from their priests in the spirit of fatherly love, therefore such a word as "father" has come into use.

Batiushka is a common folk appeal to a married priest.

What is the difference between a priest and a priest

As for the concept of "priest", in modern church practice it has some scornful and even offensive connotation. Now it is not customary to call the priesthood priests, and if they do, it is more in a negative way.

Interesting! During the years of Soviet power, when there were strong harassment of the church, priests were called all the clergy in a row. It was then that this word acquired a special negative value comparable to an enemy of the people.

But back in the middle of the 18th century, the term "pop" was in general use and did not have any bad meaning. Priests were called basically only secular priests, and not monastics. This word is attributed to the modern Greek language, where there is the term "papas". Hence the name of the Catholic priest "Pope". The term “popadya” is also a derivative - this is the wife of a worldly priest. Especially often priests are called priests among the Russian brethren on Mount Athos.

In order not to get into an awkward position, it is worth remembering that now the term "pop" has practically disappeared from the vocabulary of believers. When addressing a priest, one can say "Father Vladimir", or simply "Father". It is customary to address the wife of a priest with the prefix "Mother".

For a believer, it does not matter what words he refers to the clergyman. However, the traditions and practice of church life develop certain forms of communication that it is desirable to know.

What should a real priest be like?

Chapter:
CHURCH PROTOCOL
3rd page

HIERARCHY OF THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH

Spiritual guidance for those truly established in the holy Orthodox faith:
- questions of believers and answers of the holy righteous.

The Russian Orthodox Church, as part of the Universal Church, has the same three-tier hierarchy that arose at the dawn of Christianity.

The clergy are divided into deacons, presbyters and bishops.

Persons in the first two sacred degrees may belong to both the monastic (black) and white (married) clergy.

Since the 19th century, our Church has had an institution of celibacy borrowed from the Catholic West, but in practice it is extremely rare. In this case, the clergyman remains celibate, but does not take monastic vows and does not take tonsure. Priests can marry only before taking the ordination.

[In Latin, "celibacy" (caelibalis, caelibaris, celibatus) is an unmarried (single) person; in classical Latin the word caelebs meant "unmarried" (both a virgin, and a divorcee, and a widower), but in the Late Antique period, folk etymology associated it with caelum (sky), and so it began to be understood in medieval Christian writing, where it was used in speech about angels, embodying an analogy between virgin life and angelic life; according to the Gospel, in heaven they do not marry and are not given in marriage (Matt. 22:30; Luke 20:35).]

In a schematic form, the priestly hierarchy can be represented as follows:

A monk (Greek μονος - solitary) is a person who has devoted himself to serving God and made vows (promises) of obedience, non-possessiveness and celibacy. Monasticism has three degrees.

The probation (its duration, as a rule, is three years), or the degree of a novice, serves as an introduction to the monastic life, so that those who desire it first test their strength and only after that make irrevocable vows.

A novice (in other words, a novice) does not wear the full attire of a monk, but only a cassock and a kamilavka, and therefore this degree is also called a cassockfore, that is, wearing a cassock, so that, in anticipation of taking monastic vows, the novice is established on the chosen path.

A cassock is a garment of repentance (Greek ρασον - worn, shabby clothes, sackcloth).

Actually, monasticism is divided into two degrees: a small angelic image and a great angelic image, or schema. Devotion to monastic vows is called tonsure.

A cleric can be tonsured only by a bishop, a layman can also be tonsured by a hieromonk, abbot or archimandrite (but in any case, monastic tonsure is performed only with the permission of the diocesan bishop).

In the Greek monasteries of Mount Athos, tonsure is performed immediately into the great schema.

When tonsured into a small schema (Greek το μικρον σχημα - a small image), the cassock monk becomes a mantle: he receives a new name (his choice depends on the tonsurer, because it is given as a sign that the monk who renounces the world completely submits to the will of the abbot) and puts on a mantle that marks the “betrothal of the great and angelic image”: it has no sleeves, reminding the monk that he should not do the deeds of the old man; freely fluttering when walking, the mantle is likened to the wings of an Angel, in accordance with the monastic image, the monk also puts on a “helmet of salvation” (Is. 59, 17; Eph. 6, 17; 1 Thess. 5, 8) - a hood: like a warrior covers himself with a helmet, going to battle, so the monk puts on a hood as a sign that he seeks to turn his eyes away and close his ears so as not to see and not hear the vanity of the world.

More stringent vows of complete renunciation of the world are pronounced upon assuming the great angelic image (Greek: το μεγα αγγελικον σχημα). When tonsured into the great schema, the monk is once again given a new name. The clothes in which the great schema is worn are partly the same as those worn by the monks of the small schema: a cassock, a mantle, but instead of a hood, the great schema is put on a cockle: a pointed hat covering the head and shoulders all around and decorated with five crosses located on the forehead, on the chest, on both shoulders and on the back. A hieromonk who has accepted the great schema may perform divine services.

A bishop who has taken the vows of the great schema must renounce episcopal power and administration and remain a schema-bearer (schiebishop) until the end of his days.

A deacon (Greek διακονος - a servant) does not have the right to independently perform divine services and church sacraments, he is an assistant to the priest and bishop. A deacon may be elevated to the rank of protodeacon or archdeacon.

The rank of archdeacon is extremely rare. It is held by a deacon who constantly serves with His Holiness the Patriarch, as well as by the deacons of some stavropegic monasteries.

A deacon-monk is called a hierodeacon.

There are also subdeacons who are assistants to bishops, but are not among the clergy (they belong to the lower degrees of the clergy, along with readers and singers).

Presbyter (from the Greek πρεσβυτερος - senior) is a clergyman who has the right to perform church sacraments, with the exception of the sacrament of the Priesthood (ordination), that is, the elevation to the holy rank of another person.

In the white clergy - this is a priest, in monasticism - hieromonks. A priest may be elevated to the rank of archpriest and protopresbyter, and a hieromonk to the rank of abbot and archimandrite.

Bishops, also called bishops (from the Greek prefix αρχι - senior, chief), are diocesan and vicar.

The diocesan bishop, by succession of power from the holy Apostles, is the primate of the local Church - the diocese, canonically governing it with the conciliar assistance of the clergy and laity. He is elected by the Holy Synod. Bishops bear a title that usually includes the names of the two cathedral cities of the diocese.

As needed, to assist the diocesan bishop, the Holy Synod appoints vicar bishops, whose title includes the naming of only one of the major cities of the diocese.

A bishop may be elevated to the rank of archbishop or metropolitan.

After the establishment of the Patriarchate in Russia, only bishops of certain ancient and large dioceses could be metropolitans and archbishops.

Now the rank of metropolitan, just like the rank of archbishop, is only a reward for the bishop, which makes it possible for even titular metropolitans to appear.

Bishops have a mantle as a distinctive sign of their dignity - a long cape fastened at the neck, reminiscent of a monastic mantle. In front, on its two front sides, above and below, tablets are sewn - rectangular plates of fabric. On the upper tablets are usually placed images of evangelists, crosses, seraphim; on the lower tablet on the right side - the letters: e, a, m or P, meaning the rank of bishop - bishop, archbishop, metropolitan, patriarch; on the left is the first letter of his name.

Only in the Russian Church does the patriarch wear a green mantle, the metropolitan - blue, archbishops, bishops - lilac or dark red.

During Great Lent, members of the episcopate of the Russian Orthodox Church wear a black robe. The tradition of using colored hierarchal robes in Russia is quite ancient; the image of the first Russian Patriarch Job in a blue metropolitan robe has been preserved.

Archimandrites have a black robe with tablets, but without sacred images and letters denoting rank and name. The tablets of archimandric robes usually have a smooth red field surrounded by gold lace.

During worship, all bishops use a richly decorated staff, called a staff, which is a symbol of spiritual authority over the flock.

Only the Patriarch has the right to enter the temple altar with a rod. The rest of the bishops in front of the royal doors give the baton to the subdeacon-assistant, standing behind the service to the right of the royal doors.

According to the Charter of the Russian Orthodox Church, adopted in 2000 by the Jubilee Bishops' Council, a man of the Orthodox confession at the age of at least 30 from monastics or unmarried persons of the white clergy with obligatory tonsure to monasticism can become a bishop.

The tradition of electing bishops from among the monastic ranks developed in Russia already in pre-Mongol period. This canonical norm has been preserved in the Russian Orthodox Church to this day, although in a number of Local Orthodox Churches, for example, in Georgia, monasticism is not considered prerequisite appointment to the bishopric. In the Church of Constantinople, on the contrary, a person who has accepted monasticism cannot become a bishop: there is a position according to which a person who has renounced the world and taken a vow of obedience cannot lead other people.

All the hierarchs of the Church of Constantinople are not mantle, but cassock monks.

Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church may also be widowed or divorced persons who have accepted monasticism. The elected candidate must correspond to the high rank of a bishop in moral qualities and have a theological education.

The Diocesan Bishop is entrusted with a wide range of responsibilities. He ordains and appoints clerics to their place of service, appoints employees of diocesan institutions, and blesses monastic tonsure. Without his consent, not a single decision of the diocesan administration can be carried out.

In his activities, the bishop is accountable to His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. The local ruling bishops are authorized representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church before the authorities state power and management.

The Primate Bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church is its Primate, who bears the title of His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. The Patriarch is accountable to the Local and Bishops' Councils. His name is ascended at divine services in all churches of the Russian Orthodox Church according to the following formula: “O Great Lord and Father our (name), His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.”

A candidate for the Patriarchate must be a bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church, have a higher theological education, sufficient experience in diocesan administration, be distinguished by adherence to canonical legal order, enjoy a good reputation and the trust of hierarchs, clergy and people, “have a good witness from outsiders” (1 Tim. 3, 7) be at least 40 years old.

The dignity of the Patriarch is for life. The Patriarch is entrusted with a wide range of duties related to the care of the internal and external welfare of the Russian Orthodox Church. The patriarch and diocesan bishops have a stamp and a round seal with their name and title.

According to clause 1U.9 of the Charter of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia is the diocesan bishop of the Moscow diocese, consisting of the city of Moscow and the Moscow region. In managing this diocese, His Holiness the Patriarch is assisted by the Patriarchal Vicar as a diocesan bishop, with the title of Metropolitan of Krutitsy and Kolomna. The territorial boundaries of the administration exercised by the Patriarchal Vicar are determined by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (at present, the Metropolitan of Krutitsy and Kolomna manages churches and monasteries in the Moscow region, minus stavropegic ones).

The Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia is also the Holy Archimandrite of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, a number of other monasteries with a special historical meaning, and governs all church stauropegia (the word stauropegia is derived from the Greek σταυρος - cross and πηγνυμι - erect: the cross established by the Patriarch at the foundation of a temple or monastery in any diocese means their inclusion in the Patriarchal jurisdiction).

[Therefore, His Holiness the Patriarch is called the Hieroabbot of stavropegial monasteries (for example, Valaam). The ruling bishops in relation to their diocesan cloisters may also be called Holy Archimandrites and Holy Patrons.
In general, it should be noted that the prefix "sacred-" is sometimes added to the name of the rank of clergy (priest archimandrite, priest hegumen, priest deacon, priest monk); however, this prefix should not be applied to all, without exception, words denoting a spiritual title, in particular, to words that are already compound (protodeacon, archpriest).]

His Holiness the Patriarch, in accordance with secular ideas, is often called the head of the Church. However, according to Orthodox doctrine, the Head of the Church is our Lord Jesus Christ; The patriarch is the Primate of the Church, that is, the bishop who prayerfully stands before God for all his flock. Often the Patriarch is also called the First Hierarch or the First Hierarch, since he is the first in honor among other hierarchs equal to him by grace.

What an Orthodox Christian Should Know:

THE MOST NEEDED ABOUT THE ORTHODOX FAITH OF CHRIST
He who professes to be a Christian owes everything Christian spirit fully and without any hesitation to accept Symbol of faith and truth.
Accordingly, he must know them firmly, because you cannot accept or not accept what you do not know.
Out of laziness, out of ignorance, or out of unbelief, one who tramples and rejects due knowledge of Orthodox truths cannot be a Christian.

Symbol of faith

The Symbol of Faith is a brief and accurate statement of all the truths of the Christian faith, compiled and approved at the 1st and 2nd Ecumenical Councils. And whoever does not accept these truths can no longer be an Orthodox Christian.
The entire Creed consists of twelve members, and each of them contains a special truth, or, as they also call it, dogma Orthodox faith.

The creed reads like this:

“Jesus said to them: Because of your unbelief; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, and say to this mountain, "Move from here to there," and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you; ()

Sim By His Word Christ gave people a way to test the truth of the Christian faith of everyone who calls himself a believing Christian.

If this Word of Christ or as otherwise stated in Holy Scripture, you question or try to interpret allegorically - you have not yet accepted truth Holy Scripture And you are not yet a Christian.
If, according to your word, the mountains do not move, you have not yet believed enough, and the true Christian faith is not even in your soul. with mustard seed. With very little faith, you can try to move something much smaller than a mountain with your word - a small hillock or a pile of sand. If this fails, you must make many, many efforts to acquire the faith of Christ, while absent in your soul.

By this the true Word of Christ check the Christian faith of your priest, so that he does not turn out to be a seductive servant of the insidious Satan, who does not have the faith of Christ at all and falsely dressed in an Orthodox cassock.

Christ Himself warned people about many false church deceivers:

“Jesus answered and said to them, Beware that no one deceives you, for many will come under my name and say, I am the Christ, and they will deceive many.” (

In Orthodoxy, there are three degrees of priesthood: deacon, priest, bishop. Even before being ordained a deacon, the protege must decide whether he will serve as a priest, being married (white clergy) or becoming a monk (black clergy). Since the last century, in the Russian Church there has also been the institution of celibacy, that is, the dignity is taken with a vow of celibacy ("celibate" - in Latin "bachelor"). Deacons and celibate priests also belong to the white clergy. At present, monk-priests serve not only in monasteries, they are not uncommon in parishes, both in the city and in the countryside. The bishop must necessarily be from the black clergy. The priestly hierarchy can be represented as follows:

If a monk accepts a schema (the highest monastic degree - a great angelic image), then the prefix "schema" is added to the name of his rank - schemamonk, schemamonk, schemamonk, schemamonk (or hieroshimonk), schemamonk, schemamandrite, schemabishop (the bishop-schemer must at the same time leave the management of the diocese ).

In dealing with the clergy, one should strive for a neutral style of speech. So, the address "father" (without the use of a name) is not neutral. It is either familiar or functional (characteristic of the address of the clergy among themselves: "Fathers and brothers. Please pay attention"). The question of in what form (to "you" or "you") should be addressed in the church environment is decided unequivocally - to "you" (although we say in prayer to God Himself: "leave us", "have mercy on me" ). However, it is clear that in close relationships communication goes to "you". And yet, in the presence of outsiders, the manifestation of close relationships in the church is perceived as a violation of the norm.

It should be remembered that in the church environment it is customary to handle the use of a proper name in the form in which it sounds in Church Slavonic. Therefore, they say: "Father John" (not "Father Ivan"), "Deacon Sergius" (and not "Deacon Sergei"), "Patriarch Alexy" (and not "Aleksey").

Hierarchically, the rank of archimandrite in the black clergy corresponds in the white clergy to the mitered archpriest and protopresbyter (senior priest in the cathedral).

What is the difference between bishops, priests and other clergymen?

The difference is in the fullness of Grace. All the fullness of the Apostolic Grace, received by them from the Lord Jesus Christ, belongs to the Bishops of the Church, as full-fledged successors of the Apostles. Bishops, appointing Presbyters (priests) for priestly service, pass on to them a part of the Apostolic Grace sufficient to perform the aforementioned six Sacraments and other sacred rites. In addition to bishops and priests, there is also the rank of Deacons (diaconia - Greek ministry), who, when they are consecrated, receive Grace in the fullness that is sufficient for them to fulfill their diaconal ministry. In other words, deacons themselves do not officiate, but "serve", help bishops and priests to perform sacred rites. Priests "sacrifice", that is, they perform the six Sacraments and less significant rites, teach the people the Word of God and lead the spiritual life of the flock entrusted to them. Bishops perform all the sacraments that priests can perform, and, in addition, they perform the Sacrament of the Priesthood and head the Local Churches, or their dioceses, uniting a different number of parishes led by priests.

“Between bishops and presbyters,” says St. John Chrysostom, “no big difference since presbyters are also given the right to teach and govern the church, and what is said about bishops, the same applies to presbyters. The right of consecration alone elevates bishops above presbyters. Desk book clergyman. Edition of the Moscow Patriarchy. Moscow, 1983 Page 339).

It should also be added that the consecration of a deacon and a priest is performed by one bishop, while the consecration of a bishop must be performed by at least two or more bishops.

Hieromonk Aristarkh (Lokhanov)
Trifono-Pechenga Monastery

Spiritual dignity and ranks in Orthodoxy

What is the hierarchy of spiritual ranks in the Church: from the reader to the Patriarch? From our article you will learn who is who in Orthodoxy, what are the spiritual orders and how to contact the clergy

Spiritual hierarchy in Orthodoxy

There are many traditions and rituals in the Orthodox Church. One of the institutions of the Church is the hierarchy of spiritual orders: from the reader to the Patriarch. In the structure of the Church, everything is subject to order, which is comparable to the army. Every person in modern society where the Church has influence and where Orthodox tradition- one of the historical ones, is interested in its structure. From our article you will learn who is who in Orthodoxy, what are the spiritual orders in the Church and how to address the clergy.

Organization of the Church

The original meaning of the word "Church" is a gathering of Christ's disciples, Christians; in translation - "meeting". The concept of “Church” is quite broad: it is both a building (in this sense of the word, a church and a temple are one and the same!), And a meeting of all believers, and a regional meeting Orthodox people- for example, Russian Orthodox Church, Greek Orthodox Church.

Also, the old Russian word "sobor", translated as "assembly", is used to this day to call congresses of the episcopate and lay Christians (for example, the Ecumenical Council - a meeting of representatives of all Orthodox regional Churches, the Local Council - a meeting of one Church).

The Orthodox Church consists of three ranks of people:

• Laity - ordinary people those who are not invested with holy dignity, who do not work in the church (at the parish). The laity are often referred to as "God's people".


• The clergy are lay people who are not ordained to the holy order, but who work in the parish.


• Priests, or clerics and bishops.

In the beginning it is necessary to tell about the clergy. They play an important role in the life of the Church, but they are not consecrated, they are not ordained through the Sacraments of the Church. To this category of people belong professions of different meanings:

• Watchmen, cleaners at the temple;


• Headmen of churches (parishes - these are people like the caretaker);


• Employees of the office, accounting and other departments of the Diocesan Administration (this is an analogue of the city administration, even non-believers can work here);


• Readers, altar servers, candle-bearers, psalmists, sexton - men (sometimes nuns) who serve at the altar with the blessing of the priest (once these positions were different, now they are mixed);


• Singers and regents (church choir conductors) - for the position of regent, you need to get the appropriate education in a theological school or seminary;


• Catechists, diocesan press officers, youth department employees are people who must have a certain in-depth knowledge of the Church; they usually complete special theological courses.

Some clergy may have distinctive clothes - for example, in most churches, except for poor parishes, altar servers, readers and male candle-bearers are dressed in brocade surplices or cassocks (black clothes are slightly narrower than a cassock); at festive services, choristers and directors of large choirs dress in free-form, tailor-made, pious clothes of the same color.

We also note that there is such a category of people as seminarians and academicians. These are students of theological schools - schools, seminaries and academies - where future priests are trained. Such a gradation educational institutions corresponds to a lay school or college, an institute or university, and a graduate or graduate school. Students usually, in addition to studying, perform obediences in the church at the Theological School: they serve on the altar, read, and sing.

There is also the title of subdeacon. This is a person who helps the bishop in worship (carrying out a staff, bringing a basin for washing hands, putting on liturgical clothes). A deacon, that is, a clergyman, can also be a subdeacon, but most often this is a young man who does not have a holy order and performs only the duties of a subdeacon.

Priests in the Church

In fact, the word "priest" is a short name for all clergymen.
They are also called by the words: clergy, clergy, clergy (you can specify - temple, parish, diocese).
The clergy is divided into white and black:

• married clergy, priests who have not taken monastic vows;


• black - monks, while only they can occupy the highest church positions.

Let us first talk about the degrees of spiritual orders. There are three of them:

• Deacons - they can be both married people and monks (then they are called hierodeacons).


• Priests - in the same way, a monastic priest is called a hieromonk (a combination of the words "priest" and "monk").


• Bishops - Bishops, Metropolitans, Exarchs (managers of Local small Churches subordinate to the Patriarchate, for example, the Belarusian Exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate), Patriarchs (this is the highest rank in the Church, but this person is also called "Bishop" or "Primate of the Church").

Black clergy, monks

According to church tradition, a monk must live in a monastery, but a monastic priest - a hierodeacon or hieromonk - can be sent by the ruling bishop of the diocese to the parish, like an ordinary white priest.

In a monastery, a person who wants to become a monk and a priest goes through the following stages:

• A worker is a person who came to a monastery for a while without a firm intention to stay in it.


• A novice is a person who entered the monastery, performs only obediences (hence the name), lives according to the charter of the monastery (that is, living as a novice, you cannot go to friends for the night, go on dates, and so on), but who did not take monastic vows.


• A monk (cassock novice) is a person who has the right to wear monastic robes, but has not given all monastic vows. He receives only a new name, a symbolic haircut, and the opportunity to wear some symbolic clothes. At this time, a person has the opportunity to refuse to be tonsured as a monk, this will not be a sin.


• A monk is a person who has taken on a mantle (a small angelic image), a small schema of a schema. He gives vows of obedience to the abbot of the monastery, renunciation of the world and non-possession - that is, the absence of his property, everything now belongs to the monastery and the monastery itself assumes the responsibility to provide for a person's life. Such tonsure of monks has been going on since antiquity and continues to the present day.

All these steps are in both women's and men's monasteries. Monastic charters are the same for everyone, however, in different monasteries there are different traditions and customs, relaxations and tightening of the charter.

Note that going to a monastery means choosing a difficult path unusual people who love God with all their hearts and do not see themselves any other way than serving Him, consecrating themselves to the Lord. These are true monks. Such people may even be successful in the world, but at the same time they will lack something - just as a lover lacks his beloved nearby. And only in prayer the future monk finds peace.

Church hierarchy of clergy

The priesthood of the Church has its foundation in the Old Testament. They go in ascending order and cannot be omitted, that is, the bishop must first be a deacon, then a priest. In all degrees of the priesthood, a bishop ordains (in other words, performs consecration) a bishop.

Deacon

Deacons belong to the lowest level of the priesthood. Through ordination to the diaconate, a person acquires the grace necessary to participate in the Liturgy and other divine services. The deacon cannot conduct the Sacraments and divine services alone, he is only an assistant to the priest. People who serve well in the rank of deacon for a long time receive the titles:

• white priesthood - protodeacons,


• black priesthood - archdeacons, who most often accompany the bishop.

Often in poor, rural parishes there is no deacon, and the priest performs his functions. Also, if necessary, the duties of a deacon can be performed by a bishop.

Priest

A person in the spiritual dignity of a priest is also called a presbyter, a priest; in monasticism, a hieromonk. Priests perform all the Sacraments of the Church, except for ordination (ordination), the consecration of the world (it is performed by the Patriarch - the world is necessary for the completeness of the Sacrament of Baptism of each person) and the antimension (a handkerchief with a sewn piece of holy relics, which is placed on the throne of each temple). The priest who leads the life of the parish is called the rector, and his subordinates, ordinary priests, are full-time clerics. In a village or town, a priest usually presides, and in a city, an archpriest.

Rectors of churches and monasteries report directly to the bishop.

The title of archpriest is usually a reward for long service and good service. A hieromonk is usually awarded the rank of hegumen. Also, the abbot of the monastery (priest-abbot) often receives the rank of hegumen. The abbot of the Lavra (a large, ancient monastery, of which there are not many in the world) receives an archimandrite. Most often, this rank is followed by the rank of bishop.

Bishops: Bishops, Archbishops, Metropolitans, Patriarchs.

• Bishop, translated from Greek - the head of the priests. They perform all the Sacraments without exception. Bishops ordain people as deacons and priests, however, only the Patriarch, co-served by several bishops, can ordain bishops.


• Bishops who have distinguished themselves in their ministry and have served for a long time are called archbishops. Also, for even greater merits, they are elevated to the rank of metropolitans. They have a higher rank for services to the Church, and only metropolitans can manage metropolitanates - large dioceses, which include several small ones. An analogy can be drawn: a diocese is a region, a metropolis is a city with a region (Petersburg and Leningrad region) or the entire Federal District.


• Often other bishops are appointed to help the metropolitan or archbishop, who are called vicar bishops or, in short, vicars.


• The highest spiritual rank in the Orthodox Church is the Patriarch. This rank is elective, and is chosen by the Council of Bishops (a meeting of bishops of the entire regional Church). Most often, he leads the Church together with the Holy Synod (Kinod, in different transcriptions, in different Churches) leads the Church. The dignity of the Primate (Head) of the Church is for life, however, if grave sins are committed, the Bishops' Court may remove the Patriarch from service. Also, at the request of the Patriarch, he can be sent to rest due to illness or advanced age. Until the convening of the Council of Bishops, a Locum Tenens (temporarily acting as the head of the Church) is appointed.

Appeal to an Orthodox Priest, Bishop, Metropolitan, Patriarch and Other Persons of the Spiritual Dignity

• They turn to the deacon and the priest - Your Reverence.


• To the archpriest, abbot, archimandrite - Your Reverence.


• To the bishop - Your Eminence.


• To the metropolitan, archbishop - Your Eminence.


• To the Patriarch - Your Holiness.

In a more everyday situation, when talking to all bishops, they turn to “Vladyka (name)”, for example, “Vladyka Pitirim, bless.” The Patriarch is addressed either in the same way or, a little more officially, “His Holiness.”

May the Lord keep you with His grace and the prayers of the Church!