Clergy and name suffix question

So, being licensed is not always the same as being ordained? And The Reverend might be a title for someone who is not ordained?

Alan wrote: So, being licensed is not always the same as being ordained? And The Reverend might be a title for someone who is not ordained?

Precisely, Alan. Each religion sets its own structure up for ministers, but by far the most common divisions in the Western world are Licensed clergy and Ordained clergy.

Licenses can be revoked, and may need to be renewed. They may or may not require a period of study to obtain said license, but it is typically only valid while the cleric is in good standing with the organization that licensed them.

Ordination, however, is typically considered permanent investment of divine or supernatural authority. This is a permanent process, which may or may not require physical contact (depending on the faith), and cannot typically be revoked.

A deacon in a tradition descended from Catholicism, for example, may be "licensed" to be a lay-minister, functioning in certain capacities as his licensing religion allows. A priest in that same faith would, however, be ordained and thereby capable of a greater variety of clerical service and responsibility.

Furthermore, one can see this difference at work in the Catholic distinction between valid and licit sacraments. Validity is determined by whether or not the person had authority, licitity is by whether or not the person had permission. A Catholic bishop may break his vows, leave the church, be excommunicated, etc. and that will affect whether or not the sacraments he offers (including ordination of others) is licit, but they would still be valid. (as per my understanding)

However, there are many faiths that either only license or ordain, with no distinction between the two. This is especially popular among New Religious Movments (NRMs) like Dudeism or the Universal Life Church or the Esoteric Interfaith Church , because the likelihood of these faiths needing to revoke your status is small, and the lack of renewing licensure keeps overhead down.

Here at TOTJO we use both, restricting the Ordination to those who have both completed seminary and an apprenticeship, and thereby proven their commitment to themselves and the Temple, while Licensed Ministers make up those who have completed the seminary but have yet to take the solemn vows of knighthood.

Alan wrote: So, being licensed is not always the same as being ordained? And The Reverend might be a title for someone who is not ordained?

Huh, I am a bit confused..

.rev = The Reverend = The term is an anglicisation of the Latin reverendus, the style originally used in Latin documents in medieval Europe. It is the gerundive of the verb revereri (to respect; to revere) which may be taken as a gerundive or a passive periphrastic, therefore meaning [one who is] to be revered/must be respected. The Reverend is therefore equivalent to The Honourable or The Venerable.

O.C.P. = ordained clergy member > > you can legally perform religious ceremonies and rituals like weddings, funerals, benedictions, etc.

If i understand it right, the .rev tells about being memeber of the Clergy, and the O.C.P. tells about the rights in the Clergy, but were to put the O.C.P. ? After the name or before?

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http://www.spiritualhumanism.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Reverend

Aqua wrote: If i understand it right, the .rev tells about being memeber of the Clergy, and the O.C.P. tells about the rights in the Clergy, but were to put the O.C.P. ? After the name or before?

The O.C.P. is a postnomial, which means it goes after the name. "The Reverend" is a style, which means it goes in front of the name.

For example,

Thank Steam,

Yes, I had a similar conversation with a Roman Catholic student in my World Religions class regarding what kind of official can do which Sacraments (valid and licit).

Alan wrote: Yes, the suffix OCP does seem redundant and is not a common abbreviation is the US.

In my job I often see people's titles and suffixes, but I'd never seen OCP either (and I'm in Britain) before I came here. I always see just 'Rev'.

Well,

You all could just call me "your supreme overlord and savior" :woohoo: j/k

On my clergy cards I use " Rev. J.l.lawson, ocp"

Then tell them to just call me john :lol:

Here are two lists with many legals suffixes and prefixes. But I could not find the Suffix O.C.P.

http://www.lehigh.edu/lewis/prefix.htm
http://www.lehigh.edu/lewis/suffix.htm

-Edit: (18:42:33) steamboat28: http://www.acronymfinder.com/Ord​ained-Clergy-Person-(OCP).html
(18:42:41) steamboat28: http://www.allacronyms.com/OCP/O​rdained_Clergy_Person

Found it