On Mondays, I answer questions frequently asked by those considering a return to the Catholic Church. How do I know this stuff? I was away for more than 30 years myself, and am the co-author of When They Come Home: Ways to Welcome Returning Catholics, a book for pastors and parish leaders interested in this ministry.
I’ve gone to Mass a couple times, and I never know what to call the priest when I shake his hand when I leave. Father? Father Joe? Father Johnson? Joe? I hear different people call
him different things.
Ask the priest how he would like to be addressed. Some prefer the informality of their first name or their first name and “Father.” Others prefer that their last name be used.
