Official title - 'abbot' or 'hegumen'?

[David Naess]

Howdy!

I have gotten to the point of sending written inquiries to monasteries.

I have been addressing my letters to the: Abbot.

Is this correct or should I be addressing them to the: Hegumen?

Dave

[Father David Moser]

Howdy!

I have gotten to the point of sending written inquiries to monasteries.

I have been addressing my letters to the: Abbot.

Is this correct or should I be addressing them to the: Hegumen?

Dave

This is a difficult question to answer since the superior of a monastery may be a simple hieromonk or an abbot or an archimandrite or even a bishop. In the Russian tradition abbot/hegumen is a clerical rank for monastic priests equating to "archpriest" or "protopriest" in the married clergy. It does not necessarily designate a person's function within the monastery. Functionally though, you are probably ok using "abbot" - most monastics will understand that easily.

Fr David Moser

[David Naess]

Father bless!

Thanks... that means that I have not stuck my foot in my mouth with the two monasteries that stand out most in my mind.

[Andreas Moran]

Archimandrite Kyrill here at Essex is called 'The Superior'. May I suggest that if you address letters to 'The Superior', that should avoid problems?

[Jason H.]

I've gotten that mixed up also. I was writing to Igumen (Abbot) Sergius and thought Igumen was his first name. I was greatly embarrassed when he corrected me.

[Andreas Moran]

It's worthwhile remembering that in the Russian Church, 'Igumen' is an honorific granted to a hieromonk.

[Jason H.]

So I would address him as "Igumen..." and not Father/Abbot? How exactly is it pronounced.

[Owen]

The pronunciation is EE-gu-men. Pronunciation of the feminine form is ee-GU-men-ee.

[Olga]

The pronunciation is EE-gu-men. Pronunciation of the feminine form is ee-GU-men-ee.

Not quite, Dr Owen. The pronunciation of igumen is actually i-GU-men, the emphasis on syllables the same as for the feminine form. :)

[Titus Fulcher]

Would it not be acceptable to simply address your letters to "Abba X"?

[Andreas Moran]

I might be wrong, but I do not think 'abba' is used as a form of address to anyone these days, and, in any case, an abba, historically, was not necessarily an abbot.

[Jason H.]

So, would everytime I see him I would always refer to him as "Igumen....." or just the first time and the rest refer to him as Father....?

[Fr Raphael Vereshack]

If you are only meeting with him in an informal way just say "Fr".

-Fr Raphael