Priests are an essential part of God’s plan of salvation. Without them, we couldn’t receive the Sacraments or the sanctifying grace that makes holiness possible! Acting in persona Christi [in the person of Christ], they give us the Body and Blood of Jesus Himself. And in addition to giving us this spiritual food, they also are the shepherds of our souls. Day by day, they encourage and support us. But we need to encourage and support our priests too!
These past couple of weeks, Joshua and I have been discussing how important it is to support our priests, especially our own parish priests. We started brainstorming ideas of how to support our priests and then bounced them off a priest friend. He thought that they would be great ways to support parish priests, and added a few suggestions of his own! Now we want to share them with you so that you too can support and encourage the priests around you.
Why Should We Support Our Priests?
No Man is an Island
It is tempting to think that priests have it easy. They aren’t married in the normal way. They don’t have to deal with kids waking them up at night or toddlers screaming all the time. And, that is true. They don’t.
But they are still real fathers, with real families and real responsibilities. Every priest is a spouse of Christ, like every other baptized person. Every priest also has the Church for his bride—and I bet most of us have no idea what that is like. Even though they don’t have biological children, they are spiritual fathers to many, from the unborn to the very old, sick and dying. They are the heads of parishes, schools, and charitable organizations. They enable us not only to receive the Eucharist, but the rest of the sacraments as well, among the myriad of other things they do. All of that sounds pretty overwhelming just thinking about it and I am a mom of two, three and under.
While the priests are so busy taking care of us and our spiritual needs, their own needs are often forgotten, especially by their congregations. Every member of a family needs to do their part to help the family thrive. We, the children of our spiritual fathers, are not supporting our priests like we should. Priests, just like the rest of us, are human. They are real people with real needs. Just as we need support and encouragement, so do they.
Two False Views of Priests
Sometimes the way we view priests keeps us from supporting them as we should. People tend to view priests in one of two ways. Some see priests as domineering or uncompromising, men who insist on running the parish according to their own agenda. The priest is not seen as a loving father, but as an oppressive tyrant. These people easily take offense at almost everything a priest does. Such a view causes enmity between the priest and the people, making it impossible to establish a connection of mutual support.
The other common view of priests is called clericalism. This view treats a priest as though he were more divine than human: perfect, incapable of doing wrong, and always right—just because he is a priest. People who hold this view will follow the lead of their priest without question, even in situations where he is making a prudential error. Clericalism is still very real in the Catholic Church, and it causes great harm to both priest and people. Priests are not sinless and they are not perfect. We cannot turn a blind eye to their faults. Just like the rest of us, however, God treats them with mercy and forgiveness. We too must do the same.
Pray for Our Priests
Knowing that prayer is efficacious, the greatest way to help our priests is to pray for them. We often hear popes and bishops asking their flocks to pray for them. They know they need our prayers and they really do appreciate them. The same is true for our priests. Anything is helpful, whether you simply say a Hail Mary or are able to offer an entire rosary for them.
As an example, my dad begins the rosary by praying for priests using this method:
- On the “Our Father” bead, pray for the pope and his intentions
- On the first “Hail Mary” bead, pray for all cardinals and bishops
- On the second “Hail Mary” bead, pray for all priests
- On the third “Hail Mary” bead, pray for all seminarians and deacons
Make a Spiritual Bouquet
Prayer is effective even when the person you pray for never knows you did so. But it is also true that it can be extremely encouraging to know that someone has intentionally offered prayers and sacrifices on your behalf! For this reason, I think it can be a great thing to send your priest a spiritual bouquet. A spiritual bouquet is a collection of prayers and/or sacrifices that you make for a particular person or their intentions. You keep tally of them and then write them down as a card which you send to the person for whom you have been praying. We both know from experience that receiving a spiritual bouquet can be very comforting!
Here are some things you can do as part of a spiritual bouquet:
- Rosary
- Chaplet of Divine Mercy
- Novena
- Offer Communion
- Have a Mass said for the person
- Sacrifices
- Invocations (short prayers such as “Jesus, I trust in You!” or “O Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.”)
Bring a Priest a Meal or Invite Him to Supper
Priests are so busy serving others that sometimes their basic physical needs get neglected. One way you can support them is by bringing them a meal or perhaps inviting them to your home for supper. Spending an evening with your parish priest is a great way to get to know him and to extend your friendship to him. Even though our boys are little, they love having our parish priests over and so do we—it is such a joy! Sometimes, however, a priest’s schedule is very busy, so we would encourage you to ask them what they would prefer.
When preparing food for priests, I highly recommend preparing meals instead of just treats. Priests often receive many treats as gifts but not a lot of real, substantial food. So try to bring a full meal instead of just cookies. You can also bring them home-canned goods, eggs from your chickens, or produce from your garden!
Get Involved in Your Parish
Priests need the help of others to run a parish. They simply cannot do it on their own—they are only one person and one person does not make a community. We, the parishioners, get to play a key role in determining the quality of our own parish’s community life. We should do everything we can to help our parishes grow and flourish. There are many ways to do this, but the fundamental element is simply this: get involved! Be an usher, a lector, an altar server, a member of the parish council or another advisory board. Lend a hand and an ear to our priests wherever they may need it.
Speak Words of Affirmation
It can be really helpful to receive words of affirmation (and feedback) from others. Priests tend to receive a lot of backlash from parishioners about one thing or another, but do not often receive encouragement or affirmation. A little can go a long way!
If their homily touches you, you can tell them after Mass how it touched or inspired you, or gave you food for thought. If they are making changes to support and grow parish life, you can verbally show them some support by saying how good these changes are and how glad you are that they are making them.
Write a Letter
Write a letter or note to your priest—without ulterior motives! Priests sometimes receive encouragement with strings attached. At times people have an agenda and use flattery to get results. But we know from Scripture that “Those who speak flattery to their neighbor cast a net at their feet” (Proverbs 29:5). Using flattery on another person is not truly loving them.
Instead write your note with sincerity, simply to show your priest that you support and respect him. In our world today, we are surrounded by lies, discontentment, discouragement, and fear. But we know that these things are not from the Lord. God’s voice is true and brings peace. Make sure the words that you speak are full of truth and peace as well as encouragement.
Ask About Your Priest’s Needs
Priests have needs on every level, just the same as we do: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Some needs lie below the surface and are not readily discernible. It’s worth it to ask the simple question: “How can I support you, Father?” You might be surprised by his response!
Conclusion
We hope this post has helped you to find some concrete ways to support and encourage your parish priests. They are such a blessing to us and have helped so many of us in different ways. Be a channel of grace and love for them today. If you have any other suggestions, feel free to comment below!
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