764
edits
Changes
→Etiquette: "Dn." is used as an abbr. for "dean." Strike "even" from style description.
== Etiquette ==
For formal occasions (for example, in the heading of a letter or when introducing a speaker), one would politely address or refer to a deacon as "The Rev. Deacon [John Smith]." ''Deacon'' is often [[Abbreviations|abbreviated]] ''Dcn.'' or ''Dn.''(though the second is used as an abbreviation for [[dean]]).
In informal settings, for example, in normal conversation, it is appropriate to simply refer to a deacon as "Deacon [John]." Note that in some traditions, however, it is common to refer to deacons as "Father"—for instance, "Father Deacon [John]" or even "Father [John]."
Deacons cannot bless, so it is inappropriate to ask a deacon for his blessing; blessings are given only by bishops and priests. In some traditions, however, such as in Greece, the deacon's hand (as well as the hand of an abbess of a monastery or, occasionally, an unordained monastic) is sometimes kissed as a sign of respect for the Holy Spirit which operates through that person's office. Neither kissing a deacon's hand nor not kissing it is strictly "right" or "wrong."
