Christmas Gifts for Priests
Every parish wonders what to give Father at Christmas. A priest already has the stoles, the books and the chocolate; what he rarely has is anything good on the rectory walls. These are the pictures of his calling — the keys given to Peter, the call of Matthew, the Mass — and a Nativity or two for the season.
For delivery before Christmas, order by the first week of December. The same pictures suit an ordination anniversary or Priesthood Sunday. Each print is made to order: allow about two and a half weeks for delivery.
The Adoration of the Shepherds
Georges de La Tour
A candlelit Nativity for the season, quiet enough for a study or a parish office.
From $31.52
Nativity at Night
Geertgen tot Sint Jans
The Child as the only light in the stable — a Christmas picture that suits the rectory all year.
From $31.52
The Calling of Saint Matthew
Caravaggio
The most famous painting of a vocation: a shaft of light, a pointing hand, and a man realising he is the one being called.
From $33.26
Christ Giving the Keys to Saint Peter
Giovanni Battista Pittoni
Christ entrusts the keys to Peter — the authority every priest shares in.
From $44.13
The Mass of Saint Gregory the Great
Adriaen Isenbrant
Christ appears above the altar while Gregory says Mass: a picture of what the priest does every morning.
From $31.52
The Last Supper
Philippe de Champaigne
The Church teaches that Christ instituted the priesthood at the Last Supper; this is the calmest version of it.
From $56.29
Saint Jerome in His Study
Antonello da Messina
Jerome at his desk. He translated the Bible while living in Bethlehem, near the cave of the Nativity — a Christmas saint for a priest who loves his books.
From $31.52
Saint Augustine
Philippe de Champaigne
The great bishop-preacher with his heart aflame, for the priest who spends Saturday writing Sunday’s homily.
From $31.52
Saint Padre Pio
Catholic Art Studio
The Capuchin who spent whole days hearing confessions, for a priest who does the same before Christmas.
From $33.26
Saint John Paul II
Catholic Art Studio
The pope who wrote to the priests of the world nearly every Holy Thursday of his pontificate.
From $33.26
The Sacred Heart
Pompeo Batoni
The Sacred Heart, painted for the Jesuits’ mother church in Rome — the devotion many priests consecrate their ministry to.
From $31.52
What to give a priest
Priests are hard to buy for, and they say so. Most of what they are given is consumed by the new year. A painting is the exception: it moves with him from parish to parish, and years later it is the gift he remembers who gave.
The subjects that suit a priest best are the ones about his vocation — being called, being sent, saying Mass. For Christmas, a Nativity by candlelight works in a rectory or a parish office as well as it does in a family home. Parishioners often club together for a larger framed piece from the whole parish, or the parish council, which a single card can go with.
Questions
Is it appropriate to give a priest a Christmas gift?
Yes, and it is a widespread custom. Many parishioners give a card with a gift; a group, a family or a parish organisation often gives one gift together.
What do you give a priest who has everything?
Something for the walls. Priests are given many books, stoles and treats, but rarely art — and a painting of a vocation, or of his patron saint, is a gift he will keep.
When is Priesthood Sunday?
In the United States it is usually kept on the last Sunday of October. An ordination anniversary is another good day for a gift.
Can you ship to the rectory?
Yes. Enter the parish address at checkout; prints arrive in plain packaging.