Comments on: Matushka: Lots of Titles for the Priest’s Wife

By: Peter Christen

Peter Christen — Sat, 27 Jan 2024 19:57:23 +0000

A deacon’s wife in Syrian/Antiochian can be called shamassey (the deacon is shamas, but I’ve only heard that used like once; likewise I’ve never heard khouros for priest but always abouna).

By: Fr Malcolm French

Fr Malcolm French — Sat, 02 Sep 2023 01:05:15 +0000

This came up in my family because my wife’s mother’s family are Ukrainian Canadians, and I’m an Anglican priest. Her aunt said the term they use at their Ukrainian Catholic parish is добра жінка, literally “good woman.”

By: Reader John Malov

Reader John Malov — Wed, 16 Nov 2022 06:38:46 +0000

In reply to Joseph C Goodge.

My guess is that ‘pani’ is associated with Poland. So for whatever reasons those priests wives don’t want to be associated with Poland. ‘Pani’ is a word you would use to adress a married woman in Poland and it means ‘lady’. While ‘matka’ means ‘mother’ in Polish. From what I know, ‘matushka’ is Russian. You get the rest.

In Christ,
Rdr. John

By: Joseph C Goodge

Joseph C Goodge — Sun, 13 Nov 2022 22:43:34 +0000

In our Ukrainian Orthodox church, the priest’s wife has always been addressed as “Pani Madka”. The new, young priests wives are no longer wanting to be called Pani Madka, but rather Matushka. They are saying that the term pani has a negative connotation and don’t want it to be used with them. Can someone explain this to me? From what I think I know, the term Matushka is Russian and not Ukrainian.

By: Fr. Peter Runyon

Fr. Peter Runyon — Mon, 11 Apr 2022 16:54:52 +0000

Thank you for posting this! I think many will find it very helpful. However, I would like to offer one correction. The title “Presbytera” actually translates to “eldress” (female of “elder”) not “priestess.” It comes from the Greek word πρεσβυτέροις (presbyterois – an elder, a member of the Sanhedrin, an elder of a Christian assembly) as found in 1 Peter 5:5, Acts 4:5, and elsewhere.