the proper title for a hieromonk is, "the reverend hieromonk ("religious name")". the form of address is, "hieromonk ("name")", "father hieromonk ("name")", "father ("name")", or, informally, "father". as with all orthodox monks, a hieromonk is not addressed by his family name, but only by his religious name. in writing, if it becomes necessary to use his family name—for instance, to distinguish him from another hieromonk with the same religious name—the family name should be placed in parentheses. example: "hieromonk john (smith)". in cultures where a patronymic is customary, monks are never addressed by their patronymic, but only by their religious name.