What is the difference between a vicar and a reverant?

@jugsjugs (12967)
November 2, 2009 7:15pm CST
Is there any difference or is one higher up in a church than the other? I am curious as my son asked me and i do not know how to answer his question.
3 people like this
12 responses
@celticeagle (170569)
• Boise, Idaho
3 Nov 09
A vicar is the incumbent priest of a particular parish. There is usually only one I found this in answers on Yahoo.: "vicar in a parish, and he or she is the senior priest in that parish. The vicar may have more junior clergy - for example, curates or priests assistant - working under him or her. "Reverend" is a title for any priest, be they a vicar, a curate, etc. A bishop has the title "Right Reverend (Rt Rev)" and a Dean (vicar of a Cathedral) is "Very Reverend." Father (Fr) is a title preferred by some Anglo-Catholic priests. It is also the term usually used by priests of the Roman Catholic persuasion. In the Church of England, it does not signify any particular status separate from that of another priest, but it does imply a particular theological stance (Catholic, sacerdotal, sacramental, etc.). By contrast, a very "Protestant" C of E priest might call himself a "minister" or a "pastor" or even a "preacher". I thought it was very informative.
@p1kef1sh (45681)
3 Nov 09
Exactly. I am the Vicar of X my title is The Reverend Y and so forth as you describe.
1 person likes this
• Boston, Massachusetts
3 Nov 09
Hi JJ, Here's some web definition about vicar and reverend: VICAR: The priest of a parish in the Church of England who receives a stipend or salary but does not receive the tithes of a parish. A cleric in charge of a chapel in the Episcopal Church of the United States. A cleric acting in the place of a rector or bishop in the Anglican Communion generally. a Roman Catholic priest who acts for another higher-ranking clergyman PRIEST: Roman Catholic Church A priest who acts for or represents another, often higher-ranking member of the clergy. A clergyman in Christian churches who has the authority to perform or administer various religious rites; one of the Holy Orders... I just hope these definitions would help!
• Boston, Massachusetts
3 Nov 09
Reverend or Priest can be used both with the same meaning.
@Pose123 (21635)
• Canada
4 Nov 09
Hi jugsjugs, I don't believe there is any difference, it depends on where you life and who you ask. The term vicar is very common in Britain but not nearly as common in America. Blessings.
@mysdianait (66009)
• Italy
3 Nov 09
I have no idea what the difference is... and where does a parson fit in?
@jugsjugs (12967)
3 Nov 09
Lol.The reason i was asking was i had a reverant come here and my son asked if they are the same as a vicar.I do not attend a church so i do not know the answer.
@Hatley (163773)
• Garden Grove, California
3 Nov 09
hi jugsjugs I always thought that a Vicar was a British term for who we would call a Reverend here in the United States. I have never of an official in an American church here called a Vicar so I think that is British instead.
@jugsjugs (12967)
3 Nov 09
I had a rev come here today,he did not say he was a vicar and i really did not know how to answer my son.My son is only 7,so i will get him to ask his teacher,lol.
@climber7565 (2566)
• United States
8 Nov 09
seems that levels of education is what it translates to, in the churches as well a referend is hold higher education and there fore is awarded a higher rank in the church over vacar, while a vicar is near ordained and is being mentored by a pastor or someone in the reverend level.
• United States
3 Nov 09
i think a vicar is higher up.i'm pretty certain he's one of the people who organizes churches in an area,but lower than a bishop.
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
3 Nov 09
Assuming you mean Reverend, that term is used broadly to refer to a member of the Christian clergy, and applies equally to women and men and Catholics and Protestants except for Right Reverend which is used for bishops in the Catholic and Anglican churches and except for some denominations which do not use those terms at all. It is very confusing because some vicars can also be Right Reverends, but not all reverands can be vicars. Mostly vicars are in the Church of England or Episcopalian and you address them as Reverend So-and-so, not as Vicar So-and-so, except for me. I just call them by their first name. If they don't "Dr." me I don't "Reverend" them.
@LadyMarissa (12148)
• United States
3 Nov 09
Answering from my email, I don't have a clue what you've been told...so, here goes... According to Wikipedia, a Vicar is anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior I'm not sure we have Vicars here in the US. We do have Reverends. Reverend is a term of respect for a minister. So, stepping out on a limb here, it's my humble opinion that a Reverend has a higher position than a Vicar.
@doormouse (4599)
3 Nov 09
i think a reverand is higher than a vicar,i also think that a vicar is located to the one church but a reverand can go round different churches,,i'm probably completely wrong,so you'd better see what everyone else says
@dens61 (130)
• Philippines
3 Nov 09
Frankly speaking, I don't have any idea because in my religion everybody is equal. We don't call anyone father, pastor, vicar or whatever the position he is in. We follow Jesus Christ when he said that "don't call anyone "father" or "rabbi" bacause it is ONLY your Father in heaven (God) who you should call father. Everyone else in our consgregation we call brother or sister. Thats's what we all are- brothers and sister.
• United States
3 Nov 09
My understanding of it is that a vicar is someone who substitutes in place of the official, or represenative priest A reverend is the one who is supposed to conduct the ceremony. So if the reverend is missing, the vicar takes his place. Could be wrong, but that's at least what I thought. All the best.