Do you know what our top request for gift suggestions is?
What can I get for my priest?
Pastors serve their parishes all year, celebrating Holy Mass, providing us the sacraments, and being called upon at all hours to shepherd their flocks.
We don’t understand how all-consuming and wearying this can be–just as much as raising a family, but even more out-of-control (quite literally).
So, instead of getting your pastor wine this year (to be consumed and forgotten), here is my list of 5 unique and thoughtful gifts you could get your Pastor this Christmas (and why!)–gifts that will last and make him smile and keep talking about it all year!
The Secret of the Bethlehem Shepherds
Written by a parish priest with lots of seasonal insights (great for homilies!) about some of the often forgotten figures in the Nativity!
A few years ago, Fr. Dwight Longenecker took a sabbatical in Jerusalem to study the ancient texts and the time’s geography, history, politics, and culture. He added his own firsthand visit to present-day Bethlehem shepherds in order to unlock “the secret of the Bethlehem shepherds.” This book will uncover:
- What are the true circumstances of the birth of Jesus Christ?
- What was Bethlehem like at the time of Jesus’ birth, and why was the little village so important?
- How did Joseph and Mary meet, and why did they travel to Bethlehem?
- Were they really homeless the night Jesus was born?
- Was there an inn, a “No vacancy” sign, and a grumpy innkeeper?
- Who were the shepherds?
- Why were the manger and the swaddling clothes a “sign” to them, and why were they so important to St. Luke?
InQUIZition: Q&A for the curious Catholic
Christmas runaway blockbuster (and funny enough to be a gut-buster!)
This factual and fascinating (and sometimes very funny!) book will have your Pastor laughing and discovering fun facts to share in his homilies!
Thousands of sold–and we have packed dozens of orders for Priests!
Test your Pastor’s knowledge and see if he knows these answers:
- Who was the first Pope to fly in an airplane?
- What nuts are named in the Bible?
- Who was the first Pope caught on camera?
- What is a “red Mass” and who is it for?
- What saint is the patron of astronauts?
- Once called “Devil’s Brew,” what beverage was approved by Pope Clement VIII in 1595?
Spiritual Bouquet Card
Parish priests have so much on their plates and often, we forget that while they are in the midst of leading so many of us in prayer, they also need our prayers!
Our Spiritual Bouquet Cards are a meaningful way for you to “gift” your parish priest prayers from your family this Christmas.
These cards came with accompanying stickers (each one signifies a different prayer!) so it’s as easy as 1-2-3:
- Kids say a prayer for your parish priest,
- Peel & place the sticker corresponding to the prayer on the front of the card,
- REPEAT with more prayers until they have created a beautiful spiritual bouquet composed of the prayers they selected & prayed!
OK: then #4. Sign the card, add whatever else you wish to say–and mail it!
The back of the card explains what a spiritual bouquet actually is, while inside the card indicates which color bloom signifies which prayer has been said for the recipient’s intentions (and the words to the prayers are printed, too).
This is a meaningful way for you to share your prayers with your parish priest this Christmas!
The Face of God for his Rectory
The Catholic Church has preserved a rich heritage of sacred art, each work a reflection of the artist’s personal contemplation of God, displayed to deepen the meditation of millions of viewers over the centuries.
But what we have made available now for the first time are something quite different: the images represented were not the works of human hands.
This Face of Jesus is generated from professionally captured high-resolution, actual-sized photographs of two scientifically inexplicable relics of His Death and Resurrection which were left on earth by Christ Himself.
Now, these are images that have baffled scientists for centuries. They cannot explain the source of the images on two very fine and ancient fabrics. The materials holding these images are themselves likewise inexplicable. They should long ago have crumbled and decayed into dust.
We were inspired to create this by an insightful observation made in 1979 by a German Trappist nun: precise measurements of the faces visible on both the Shroud and the Veil were shown to match perfectly–from the anatomical structure of the faces to the wounds visible on both–proving that they are the face of the same person, one dead, the other alive.
This is a beautiful, one-of-a-kind gift that your pastor can hang in his home for years to come. Perhaps he will put it in his office or in the sacristy to see before every Mass he celebrates or in the foyer of the parish or in the school for the children to see!
Catholic Playing Cards
Does your pastor like to join in game nights with the youth group? Relax with other priests? Then these playing cards were made for him! Give him two beautiful decks that he can display in his living room for conversation or pack in his bag to bring to parish parties!
Yes–these are standard playing cards but with a Catholic twist! We also wanted our deck designs to subtly express a love for God while paying tribute to the Holy Family—Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
We found our design inspiration in the Holy Rosary! Each suit pays respects to a different set of Mysteries of the Holy Rosary. We assigned Hearts to the Joyful Mysteries, Clubs to the Luminous Mysteries, Spades to the Sorrowful Mysteries, and Diamonds to the Glorious Mysteries.
We wanted our face cards to represent real persons, so we assigned the Aces to the Holy Spirit, Kings to Christ the King, Queens to the Queen of Heaven Blessed Virgin Mary, and Jacks to Saint Joseph! Each face card is designed to be a new and unique interpretation of a member of the “Royal Court” according to a particular Rosary Mystery, virtue, or title being highlighted.
You can learn more (and even print off a beautiful “cheat sheet”) HERE. (Hint: the Queen of Hearts is visibly pregnant and the King of Hearts is the Child Jesus. Try to bluff with those in your hand when you’re not in a state of grace!)
PS–Kerri told me not to forget to mention this prayer aid, now in its 3rd printing: The Rosary of Saint John Paul II. It is a beautiful prayer book that he can return to again and again. Right now, we’re offering buy-3-for-the-price-of-2, so you get one for yourself free and two for gifts. My daughters tell me the sisters in a convent nearby love this book!
Ken Davison created Glory Stories, which became a weekly radio series heard globally on the Ave Maria Satellite Radio Network and EWTN’s radio network, WEWN. In 2007, he and his wife, Kerri, founded Holy Heroes–and their children stepped in to help shortly thereafter to create the online “Adventures” for Advent, Lent, Spiritual Adoption, and Marian Consecration.
I know lots of priests, as my son is a priest. One told me one of the best gifts he’s gotten is a gift certificate to have his car detailed. If my children were still living at home, I would probably have them help me sweep and clean out the car. Not as nice as detailing, but it involves children helping with the gift giving. My son likes gift cards. He uses them when he wants to take things for a family in need. Now I know that doesn’t sound like a gift for a priest, but it helps him do the things he loves to do. My son makes less than I get from my retirement! People give him money throughout the year and he doesn’t have the bills other people have, so I don’t worry about him. His parishioners take very good care of him. They being him food when they have extra and do so many things for him. I wish they would start a Seven Sisters Apostate for him. Look it up. We do it for our parish priest and have seen miracles happen…like his biopsy the doctors expected to be cancerous was not and many other things! thanks everyone for looking out for your priest. A mother can only do so much when he lives away.
Well, today I prepared a St. Nick bag for our 2 priests: gloves, Christmas socks, a rice sock…with a Christmas design.
Some choc. covered pretzel sticks, the history of St. Nicholas, and a jar of homemade instant hot chocolate. Sometimes I’ll turn a photo into a keepsake ornament for my pastor’s tree.
II think a gift card to a local restaurant is also an idea.
actually….go to Pintrest and see ideas.
A dear pastor of mine, years ago, told me that the best gift to give a priest is to have a Mass or Masses prayed for his intentions. I usually have the Masses requested at our Cathedral where the Archbishop is primarily. And as an added generosity, sometimes offer the Masses on consecutive 1st Fridays or Saturdays, if they are available.
What a beautiful gift!