Originally posted by incognitus:
"Father Deacon" is not a solecism, it is a perfectly correct, courteous way of addressing a deacon or refering to him (e.g. - "Father Deacon, here's a kilo of incense" or "Father Deacon tells me that the parish needs a kilo of incense"). When addressing or referring to other clergy of the appropriate rank, one properly says "Father Archpriest", "Father Archimandrite", and so on. When "Father" stands alone, it is assumed that the person thus addressed or denominated is a presbyter (a priest of second rank - a Bishop is a priest of first rank). Incognitus
P.S. To enter the church edifice properly, one goes through the door into the building!
Just because you find something 'perfectly correct' does not make it so. The phrase in question is plainly infelicitous English, which generally looks askance on the piling up of nouns on nouns, especially when there are perfectly good adjectives and adverbs extant. (I am paid to edit an academic journal and thus know something about such matters.) It also forbids the wanton and promiscuous use of adjectival descriptions (which is what 'father-deacon' is) as titles except according to strict rules.
In this case, the title, whose usefulness is not in dispute, is excused on the grounds of being an ecclesiastical colloquialism, as it were. English is a wonderfully flexible language, and such phrases, though they grate on the ear, are not (alas!) therefore verboten (!).
...Thanks!