Grace (style)

Last updated

His Grace and Her Grace are English styles of address used with high-ranking personages, and was the style for English monarchs until Henry VIII (r. 1509–1547), [1] and for Scottish monarchs until the Act of Union of 1707, which united the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England.

Contents

In Great Britain and Ireland, it is also the style of address for archbishops, dukes, and duchesses; e.g. His Grace the Duke of Norfolk and His Grace the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury. The correct style is “Your Grace” in spoken and written form; as a stylistic descriptor for British dukes, it is an abbreviation of the full, formal style: “The Most High, Noble and Potent Prince His Grace”.

However, a royal duke, such as Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, is addressed as Your Royal Highness.

Ecclesiastical usage

Christianity

The style "His Grace" and "Your Grace" is used in England and some other English-speaking countries to address Catholic archbishops whose seats have come from an English diocesan background, which is not common in other countries (e.g. in France, the Philippines, and the United States Catholic bishops are addressed using the style "Excellency"). In the Eastern Orthodox Church it is used for bishops and abbots. The style is also used for an archbishop and some bishops in the Anglican tradition. In Ireland, the style "His/Your Grace" (Irish : A ghrása) is traditionally used for all Catholic bishops, not just archbishops. [2] [3] In the United Methodist Church in the United States, bishops are addressed "Your Grace" (spoken style), and "His/Her Grace" (reference style). [ citation needed ] The Church of God in Christ addresses its Presiding Bishop as "His Holy Grace" and "Your Holy Grace". The title solely for Catholic cardinals in reference style is "His Eminence" and the spoken style is "Your Eminence".

"Your Grace" is also an alternative style for the Archbishops of Canterbury and York in the Church of England and the Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

Other religions

In Islam, several Sufi orders (such as the Qadrianis and Hawariyun) may refer to their spiritual Grand Masters with the honorific "(Most) Gracious ..." or "His Grace" in reference style, while the spoken style is "(Most) Gracious".

International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON–Hare Krishna) devotees prefix the name of their founder, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, with "His Divine Grace".

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Archbishop of Canterbury</span> Senior bishop of the Church of England

The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. Justin Welby was enthroned as archbishop of Canterbury at Canterbury Cathedral on 21 March 2013, and announced his resignation, to take effect at a later date, in November 2024. Welby is the 105th person to hold the position, as part of a line of succession going back to Augustine of Canterbury, the "Apostle to the English", who was sent to England by Pope Gregory the Great and arrived in 597.

In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdiocese, or are otherwise granted a titular archbishopric. In others, such as the Lutheran Church of Sweden, the title is only borne by the leader of the denomination.

Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are entitled to courtesy titles. The collective "Lords" can refer to a group or body of peers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Reverend</span> Christian religious honorific style

The Reverend is an honorific style given before the names of certain Christian clergy and ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and church traditions. The Reverend is correctly called a style, but is sometimes referred to as a title, form of address, or title of respect. The style is also sometimes used by leaders in other religions such as Judaism and Buddhism.

A style of office, also called manner of reference, or form of address when someone is spoken to directly, is an official or legally recognized form of reference for a person or other entity, and may often be used in conjunction with a personal title. A style, by tradition or law, precedes a reference to a person who holds a post or political office and is sometimes used to refer to the office itself. An honorific can also be awarded to an individual in a personal capacity. Such styles are particularly associated with monarchies, where they may be used by a wife of an office holder or of a prince of the blood, for the duration of their marriage. They are also almost universally used for presidents in republics and in many countries for members of legislative bodies, higher-ranking judges, and senior constitutional office holders. Leading religious figures also have styles.

The order of precedence in the United Kingdom is the sequential hierarchy for Peers of the Realm, officers of state, senior members of the clergy, holders of the various Orders of Chivalry, and is mostly determined, but not limited to, birth order, place in the line of succession, or distance from the reigning monarch. The order of precedence can also be applied to other persons in the three legal jurisdictions within the United Kingdom:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">English honorifics</span> Courtesy form of address

In the English language, an honorific is a form of address conveying esteem, courtesy or respect. These can be titles prefixing a person's name, e.g.: Mr, Mrs, Miss, Ms, Mx, Sir, Dame, Dr, Cllr, Lady, or Lord, or other titles or positions that can appear as a form of address without the person's name, as in Mr President, General, Captain, Father, Doctor, or Earl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eminence (style)</span> Style of reference for high nobility

His Eminence is a style of reference for high nobility, still in use in various religious contexts.

Peter Lombard was a prelate of the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland. He was Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland during the Counter Reformation.

The Most Reverend is an honorific style given to certain high-ranking religious figures, primarily within the historic denominations of Christianity, but occasionally also in more modern traditions. It is a variant of the more common style "The Reverend".

Ecclesiastical titles are the formal styles of address used for members of the clergy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Waterford and Lismore</span> Catholic diocese in Ireland

The Diocese of Waterford and Lismore is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in Ireland. It is one of six suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Cashel and is subject to the Archbishop of Cashel and Emly. Alphonsus Cullinan was installed Bishop of the Diocese of Waterford and Lismore on 12 April 2015. The Bishop Emeritus is William Lee.

Events from the year 1707 in Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Most Gracious Majesty</span>

Most Gracious Majesty is a form of address in the United Kingdom. It is an elaborate version of Your Majesty and is only used in the most formal of occasions.

The Bishop of Waterford and Lismore is an episcopal title which takes its name after the city of Waterford and town of Lismore in Ireland. The title was used by the Church of Ireland until 1838, and is still used by the Roman Catholic Church.

In the British peerage, a royal duke is a member of the British royal family, entitled to the titular dignity of prince and the style of His Royal Highness, who holds a dukedom. Dukedoms are the highest titles in the British roll of peerage, and the holders of these particular dukedoms are princes of the blood royal. The holders of the dukedoms are royal, not the titles themselves. They are titles created and bestowed on legitimate sons and male-line grandsons of the British monarch, usually upon reaching their majority or marriage. The titles can be inherited but cease to be called "royal" once they pass beyond the grandsons of a monarch. As with any peerage, once the title becomes extinct, it may subsequently be recreated by the reigning monarch at any time.

Monsignor Michael G. Olden BA, BD, DHistEccl. was an Irish priest, historian and educator who served as President of Maynooth College from 1977 to 1985 and hosted the visit of Pope John Paul II to the college in 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alphonsus Cullinan</span>

Alphonsus "Phonsie" Cullinan is an Irish Roman Catholic prelate who has served as Bishop of Waterford and Lismore since 2015.

The order of precedence in Ireland was fixed by Royal Warrant on 2 January 1897 during Ireland's ties to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Carthage's Church, Lismore</span> Church in Ireland

St Carthage's Church is a Roman Catholic church in Lismore, County Waterford. It is included in the Record of Protected Structures maintained by Waterford City and County Council.

References

  1. A.F. Pollard (5 January 2007). HENRY VIII. Chehab Pubber. p. 244. GGKEY:HQGF65AUEWU.
  2. "Bishop Cullinan ordained as Bishop of Waterford & Lismore". Diocese of Waterford & Lismore. 17 April 2015. Archived from the original on 22 October 2016.
  3. "Statement by Father Alphonsus Cullinan on his appointment as Bishop of Waterford & Lismore". Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference.
Listen to this article (2 minutes)
Sound-icon.svg
This audio file was created from a revision of this article dated 25 October 2009 (2009-10-25), and does not reflect subsequent edits.