Priesthood Sunday this Weekend

Priesthood Sunday is this this weekend (Oct 29 and 30). This is a great opportunity to celebrate and show support for your parish priests and deacons. You may have seen banners around church and you will hear special prayers for them this weekend, but there are three ways you can help support your priests directly.

1. Pray! If you click "Read More" below, there is a short reflection and prayer for your priests. Read this and pray for priests throughout the week.

2. Donate. For those who would like to make a modest donation, please make checks out to Church of Saint Mary Vocations Committee – stop by the table in the gathering space before or after Mass this weekend or and mail your contribution to Meg Hays, 7345 S. College Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74136. All donations will be pooled to purchase gift cards for our priests and deacon to their favorite restaurants.

3. Wristbands. This weekend, all parishioners are encouraged to wear a black wristband on their right arm to show support for your priests. The wristband can be a rubber band or hair band (not too tight!), string, construction paper or whatever you can find – just make sure it’s BLACK! Wear it all weekend but especially to Mass!

ON THE PRIEST (EXTRACTS FROM THE WRITINGS OF SAINT JOHN VIANNEY – MEDITATION RECOMMENDED TO YOU BY THE CHURCH OF SAINT MARY VOCATIONS AND ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE)

“What is the priest? A man who holds the place of God, a man clothed with all the powers of God. Go, our Lord said to the priest, As my Father hath sent me, I also send you.

“At the consecration the priest does not say, ‘This is the Body of our Lord.’ He says, ‘This is my Body.’

“At sight of a spire you may say, ‘What is it there? The Body of our Lord – Why is it there? Because a priest has been there and has said holy Mass. The priest is everything, after God!

When men [and Satan] want to destroy religion they begin by attacking the priest, because where the priest is no more, there is no more sacrifice [of the Mass], and where there is no more sacrifice, there is no more religion. The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus. When you see the priest, think of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

PRAYER FOR PRIESTS

O Jesus, we pray:

for Your faithful and fervent priests;

for Your unfaithful and tepid priests;

for Your priests laboring at home or abroad in distant mission fields;

for Your tempted priests;

for Your lonely and desolate priests;

for Your young priests;

for Your dying priests;

for the souls of Your priests in purgatory;

But above all we recommend to Your servants who are dearest to us:

• The priests who baptized us;
• The priests who absolved us of our sins;
• The priests at who gave us Your Body and Blood in Holy Communion;
• The priests who taught and instructed us;
• The priests and deacon who currently serve our parish:
• Father Jack, Msgr. Dorney, Father Swift and Deacon Bender;
• The priests and deacons who have served our parish in the past; and
• All the priests to whom we are indebted in any other way.

O Jesus, keep them all close to Your heart, and bless them abundantly in time and in eternity.