[ninenot]

longer than he's been the reverend."

Something about that text strike you as strange?

"Reverend?"

Pastor, maybe, or priest.

But "reverend" is a Prot term.

[frogjerk]

It is used by the Catholic Church as well.

From Wikipedia

Among Roman Catholics, a priest or deacon is the Reverend, various prelates below bishop along with Chaplains of His Holiness are the Reverend Monsignor, and any bishop is the Most Reverend. However, none of these are ever addressed as reverend alone. Instead, priests are addressed as "Father", prelates as "Monsignor", and bishops as "Excellency", though "Reverend" or "Most Reverend" may be appended to either where appropriate.

[MeanWestTexan]

"But "reverend" is a Prot term."

For some reason, I thought "Rt. Rev." (Right Reverend) was a proper formal address for a priest.