what to give Father for Christmas

A recent report from the Catholic News Service says:

How many rosaries, crucifixes and Bibles does a priest receive for Christmas? Answer: enough to open a Catholic book and gift shop.

Parish secretaries, administrators and family members of priests all agree -- priests do not need any more sacramentals as gifts.

Indeed, Catholic priests top many shoppers' "hard-to-buy-for" lists.

For many priests, prayers from the faithful are the only gifts they need.

Yes! I agree with this with my whole heart, now that I have been receiving gifts from various folks in the parish.

This has never happened to me before of course, when people who aren’t family and close friends give me presents for Christmas. My family in particular know I am indeed a “hard-to-buy-for.” So I just imagine how some parishioners must have really thought hard to figure what sort of gift to give me.

Funnily though, a group of them found that I have a sweet tooth and that I love cakes. So, guess what, the kitchen now has six fruitcakes. And the aroma with the rum in them is just so nice and delicious that whenever I pass them by, I take several whiffs…..which probably explains why I have been sort of giddy lately.

The article ends: “But the best gift of all is to pray for vocations to the priesthood, said Amy Rohyas, office administrator at Our Lady Lourdes Parish in Marysville. ‘Our priests are exhausted," she said. ‘We really need more priests.’"

That’s good….Though I am not yet exhausted…I’m just having lots of fun!

Read the report here.