Milwaukee's Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church included an explanation of why priests are called “Father” in its June 28 bulletin.

“To call a priest ‘Father’ is more than a sign of respect for the office of the priesthood,” the item says. “It goes all the way back to the way St. Paul understood his own work as a missionary and evangelizer.”

The item points to Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 4:14-17.

“I am writing you in this way not to shame you but to admonish you as my beloved children,” the scripture says. “It was I who begot you in Christ Jesus through my preaching of the Gospel. I beg you, then, be imitators of me. This is why I have sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful son in the Lord.”

The item concludes by saying that God is the heavenly father, “But there are also those here with us who nurture and nourish our faith through their teaching and care. This is why the title of ‘Father’ has been applied to the church’s pastors in different ways since the earliest days of the Church.”