Prayers, celebrations to mark Priesthood Sunday Oct. 30

Published: 2005-10-21

CHICAGO (CNS) -- Catholics in parishes throughout the United States were to mark Oct. 30 as Priesthood Sunday, a day to show support for priests with prayer, celebration and dialogue. Coordinated by the USA Council of Serra International in Chicago, a lay group that promotes vocations to the priesthood and religious life, Priesthood Sunday was established in 2003 to express appreciation to priests in light of recent negative attention in the media and their increased workloads caused by the declining number of priests. "For 70 years, Serra has been committed to supporting and affirming the Catholic priesthood," Don DeDecker, council president, said in a statement. "We are honored to handle this event and I see it as a way of sharing our mission with the nation in a celebratory way." Suggested liturgies, social celebrations, reflections and downloadable graphics, guides and posters are available online at www.priestsunday.org.

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