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CNS Story:
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GIFTS-PRIESTS Dec-20-2005 (370 words) xxxn
Prayers make better presents for priests than most items, say some
By Carla Banks-Williams
Catholic News Service
COLUMBUS, Ohio (CNS) -- 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.
"Your prayers for us are always welcome," said Dominican Father Andre Joseph LaCasse, who is on the staff at St. Patrick Church in Columbus.
Father Homer Blubaugh, a diocesan priest who is pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Coschocton, also especially appreciates it when he receives prayers.
"I get Christmas cards or intention cards that let me know a family has gotten together, prayed and offered up the rosary for me, or (said) other prayers," he told The Catholic Times, newspaper of the Columbus Diocese. "I really like that."
But for those who want to go with a religious-related gift, clerical shirts are in, said Mary Murphy, manager of the Cathedral Book Shop in Columbus.
The book shop also carries the latest in newly released books, so a pastor or his associate can catch up with what's new in the theology world, Murphy said.
Mary Souder, office administrator at St. James the Less Parish in Columbus, offered one considerate idea -- parishioners inviting their parish priest to spend the holiday with them.
"Most order priests are often assigned far from family and loved ones," Souder said. St. James is staffed by the Society of the Precious Blood.
Personal items, such as shaving and grooming items, are always welcome, and even a gift certificate for a car wash is a good idea, said Carolyn Smith, parish administrator at Immaculate Conception in Columbus. Concert tickets are another nice idea, she added.
Another favorite is giving a donation in a priest's name to a favorite charity or a parish's building fund.
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."
END
Copyright (c) 2005 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed.
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