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How one woman's inspiration to pray for her priest launched an archdiocese-wide movement of spiritual support

(0:01) Fr. John Kopson, pastor of St. Anne Parish in Warren, describes a homily he once heard describing the priesthood as analogous to the military. If priests are the soldiers of the Church, the "boots on the ground," they can only be effective if they have "air support" - i.e., the prayers of the faithful uplifting and supporting them.

(2:36) Mindy DeWitt, a member of Divine Child Parish in Dearborn, recalls a realization she had one day about how hard priests work and how much they sacrifice for their flocks. The thought stuck with DeWitt, who made it her personal mission to pray for priests and make little sacrifices for them, too.

(5:10) After reading a Vatican document about the importance of Eucharistic adoration and holy hours to pray for the sanctification of priests, DeWitt contacted Fr. Kopson with an idea for a new apostolate, "Parishioners for Priests," that would be devoted to spiritually adopting priests of the Archdiocese of Detroit.

(6:41) Through the apostolate, DeWitt and her husband printed prayer cards, launched social media pages and developed a "Priest of the Day" initiative to pray, by name, for one priest of the archdiocese each day.

(7:25) DeWitt describes the "Adopt a Priest" initiative, which invites parishioners to anonymously pray for a specific priest, chosen at random. The priest is given a card telling him he's been spiritually adopted, and receives the consolation of knowing someone - even if he doesn't know who - is praying for him every day.

(8:22) Fr. Kopson describes what it's like as a priest to be spiritually "adopted," including the great sense of peace knowing his ministry - as hard as it is sometimes - isn't being undertaken alone.

(10:05) DeWitt describes the overwhelming response to the program from both parishioners and priests since it was launched in 2017.

(12:31) The narrator talks about how the program is especially relevant in 2022, when the Archdiocese of Detroit is undertaking a Year of Prayer for Priestly Vocations. Fr. Kopson says the devil wants to discourage men from considering the priesthood, but that a year of prayer is exactly what's needed.

(16:38) Fr. Kopson issues a "call to arms" to parishioners of the archdiocese to spiritually support their priests through prayer, sacrifice and love.
Reporting by Daniel Meloy; script and narration by Casey McCorry; production by Ron Pangborn This episode of Detroit Stories is brought to you by our friends at Catholic Funeral and Cemetery Services, a ministry of the Archdiocese of Detroit. Pre-planning your Catholic funeral is a gift of love for those you cherish. To learn more about pre-planning to prepare those you care about for this journey, visit Listen to 'Detroit Stories' on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Fireside. Podcasts also will be posted biweekly on DetroitCatholic.com. CFCSdetroit.org

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Detroit Stories Episode 33: 'Air Support for Priests' (PODCAST) - Detroit Catholic

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(0:01) Fr. John Kopson, pastor of St. Anne Parish in Warren, describes a homily he once heard describing the priesthood as analogous to the military. If priests are the soldiers of the Church, the "boots on the ground," they can only be effective if they have "air support" - i.e., the prayers of the faithful uplifting and supporting them.

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Aleteia - Catholic Spirituality, Lifestyle, World News, and Culture

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Every diocese should do this.

Parishioners need their priests. But priests also need their parishioners.

That's the spirit behind Parishioners for Priests, a grassroots movement that encourages Catholics to give local priests the one thing they need most: prayers.

The movement began on Palm Sunday 2017 and since has grown to more than 500 followers on Facebook.

Each day, one of the active priests of the Archdiocese of Detroit is selected as the "priest of the day," and the followers of the page take time to say a prayer for that priest.

The simple but effective way to pray from priests was started by Dearborn Divine Child parishioner Mindy DeWitt.

"I felt priests really need to be prayed for," DeWitt told The Michigan Catholic. "I saw a Vatican document 'Eucharistic Adoration for the Sanctification of Priests and Spiritual Maternity,' on the (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops) website. It was about having holy hours for praying for priests and spiritually adopting a priest. I read the document, emailed it Fr. John Kopson (associate pastor of Divine Child), and asked if he wanted to talk about it."

Those discussions spurred DeWitt to action.

In addition to praying for the "priest of the day," those interested can spiritually adopt a priest for whom they'll be responsible for praying. DeWitt uses an app on her iPad that randomly selects the name of a priest in the archdiocese who hasn't been adopted yet.

The parishioner then receives a confirmation email and a card with the name of the archdiocesan priest on it, instructing the person to pray daily for the priest's sanctification.

To date, 105 priests have been adopted, but more than 200 active priests in the archdiocese await adoption.

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What a great idea: 'Parishioners for Priests' prayer initiative in Detroit takes off

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Every diocese should do this. Parishioners need their priests. But priests also need their parishioners. That's the spirit behind Parishioners for Priests, a grassroots movement that encourages Catholics to give local priests the one thing they need most: prayers. The movement began on Palm Sunday 2017 and since has grown to more than 500 followers on Facebook.

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What is the mission of Parishioners for Priests?

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What is the mission of Parishioners for Priests?

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We are on a mission for every priest, every parish, every parishioner, every day.  Our goal is to have:

●     every priest in the Archdiocese of Detroit spiritually adopted by an AOD parishioner

●     every parish in the Archdiocese offering a monthly Holy Hour for all priests

●     every parishioner in the Archdiocese of Detroit supporting our priests in prayer at some level

●     and a specific AOD priest prayed for by many parishioners every day.

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Everyone can use the prayer card to say a prayer for priests.

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Spiritual adoption is specifically praying for a particular priest daily. Parishioners desiring to adopt a priest can email parishioners4priests@gmail.com or send a letter to Parishioners for Priests, PO Box 467, Dearborn Heights, MI 48127 with their request and contact information.  After praying, we will randomly select a priest in the AOD.  We will send a card to the priest to notify him that he has been spiritually adopted by a parishioner, and we will mail a card with the priest’s name to the parishioner.  The parishioner should remain anonymous to the priest, but is encouraged to send our “Thank You for Being a Priest” postcard to him. Please consider adopting a priest in the Archdiocese of Detroit. You can adopt your own priest, or you can adopt a priest together as a family.

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We randomly select a different AOD priest to pray for each day.  We announce the priest of the day on Facebook, Instagram (@parishioners4priests), and Twitter (@4priests).  You can see the Priest of the Day by Googling “parishioners4priests” with no spaces and clicking on the Twitter account.  You do not need to have a Twitter account to view it.  We encourage everyone to pray for that priest and send him a “Thank You for Being a Priest” postcard letting him know of the prayers offered for him.

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Adoration is a central part of praying for priests. We have a weekly Holy Hour to pray for all priests. Please join us on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM in the Adoration Chapel at Divine Child.
We hope to see more parishes offering these Holy Hours for Priests. Please contact us if you would like helping starting one at your parish.

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What about the cards to send to a priest?

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What about the cards to send to a priest?

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We encourage everyone to pray for priests and to send our “Thank You for Being a Priest” postcard to any priest, thanking him for his vocation and letting the priest know of the prayers offered for him.

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Why fast or offer up suffering for priests?

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Why fast or offer up suffering for priests?

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In gratitude for our priests who have dedicated their lives to Christ and the service of His Church and who provide us with opportunities to encounter Christ, we make small sacrifices. Without our priests, we would have no sacraments and no Church.

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A call to strengthen the Church by ensuring that a Holy Hour is prayed each day of the week for the sole intention of a specific priest or bishop-a "holy wasting" (cf. Mt. 26:10) or lavishing of prayer for his deeper conformity to Christ.

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Want Parishioners for Priests to visit your parish?

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Want Parishioners for Priests to visit your parish?

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Just contact us and we will come to your parish to answer questions and distribute free materials to your parishioners.

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Parishioners for Priests, Dearborn Heights, Michigan. 1K likes. Our mission is to pray for our priests.  We are located in the Archdiocese of Detroit. Contact us to spiritually adopt an AOD priest.

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Try fasting from coffee once a week

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Through our "Vianney Cenacles" prayer is offered by individuals or communities in homes or parishes. Through our program of spiritual adoption of priests and seminarians, you can build a spiritual treasury. Our members include clergy and lay faithful in over twenty countries.

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For free materials, email Parishioners for Priests at parishioners4priests@gmail.com, or use the link below to purchase materials on your own.

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As the summit in Rome on the crisis of sexual abuse approaches, we have been asked about which prayers people should be praying. What matters most is thatyou pray, not just what you pray. Each person's state in life should dictate what they are able to do without undue pressure to get any number of prayers or devotions said each day. That said, intentions matter. Please pray for the grace needed for leaders in the Church to understand and discern what actions need to be taken and then the best way to bring healing and wholeness to the Church. Victims need healing. Priests need healing. It won't be solved overnight but the prayers and sacrifices made by others for all concerned matter very much.

Thank you for your prayers for priests!

Some suggestions:

The Rosary is a powerful weapon. Use it as such. We have a Rosary for Priests in PDF form that you can download.

Lenten Novena for Priests. Written in light of this crisis and the burdens all our priests are carrying at this time and distributed by the Knights of Columbus in Tennessee. Free downloadable PDF available in English and Spanish.

Simple ejaculatory prayers, for example, "Our Lady of the Precious Blood, watch over the Living Chalices of the Precious Blood."

Chaplet of the Precious Blood with meditations by our Founder

Other Resources:

Opus Sanctorum Angelorum Prayer booklet Chalice of Strength
Foundation of Prayer for Priests
Prayers in the book In Sinu Jesu and its companion prayer book.

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As the summit in Rome on the crisis of sexual abuse approaches, we have been asked about which prayers people should be praying. What matters most is that you pray, not just what you pray. Each person's state in life should dictate what they are able to do without undue pressure to get any number of prayers or devotions said each day.

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Something went wrong, but don’t fret — let’s give it another shot.

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#prayforpriests #priestoftheday #prayforourpriests #parishionersforpriests pic.twitter.com/aV7DZBpONc
— parishioners4priests (@4priests) February 9, 2019

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Held on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM at Divine Child (chapel) in Dearborn 

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Held on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM at Divine Child (chapel) in Dearborn 

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Resources to Help You Pray for Priests and Vocations! We do not have a specific charge for any of our materials. Having placed our needs into the hands of our Blessed Mother, we invite you to donate for the materials you order.

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WorldPriest was established by a group of lay people who are experts in the area of advertising, communications and social media to provide for the advancement of the Catholic faith by developing and maintaining a central resource website which allows us to support the various aspects of the priestly ministry, facilitate the renewal and strengthening of the Catholic faith worldwide especially with our Annual Global Rosary Relay for priests.
This worldpriest website has one aim - to unite priests and laity so that everyone can come into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.

We want Worldpriest to be a place where you get answers to questions of faith, where you can find information on Church Teaching, resources to support our priests, prayers for all occasions and together we will discover the truth of our faith - that God loves us, he provides for us and is with us in every situation.

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WorldPriest was established by a group of lay people who are experts in the area of advertising, communications and social media to provide for the advancement of the Catholic faith by developing and maintaining a central resource website which allows us to support the various aspects of the priestly ministry, facilitate the renewal and strengthening of the Catholic faith worldwide especially with our Annual Global Rosary Relay for priests.

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Description

When the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI announced the Year for Priests, the Apostolic Penitentiary of the Holy Catholic Church issued a decree declaring certain indulgences for those members of the faithful who pray for their priests. This is done to encourage prayerful participation in this holy year.

In this same spirit, the Foundation has developed a chaplet to help the faithful pray for their priests. This chaplet has the pardon crucifix and at the center of the chaplet is an image of St. John Vianney, Universal Patron of Priests.

The chaplet includes instructions and prayers in accordance with the instructions of the Holy Father and the Apostolic Penitentiary.

The Prayers of the Chaplet

In addition to supplicative prayers for priests, the chaplet, as pictured above, aids the faithful in obtaining the partial indulgence granted by the Offices of the Apostolic Penitentiary, by incorporating the five Our Fathers, five Hail Marys, and five Glory Be prayers. This is accomplished, as per the enclosed instructions, by praying five sets of three Our Fathers, Hail Marys and Glory Be prayers. The opening and closing prayers of this chaplet are included with the instructions.

Please note: the plenary indulgence is attached to the five Our Fathers, five Hail Marys, and five Glory Be prayers incorporated into the chaplet, not the entire chaplet itself. However, completing the Chaplet for Priests will fulfill the requirements of the Apostolic Penitentiary.

A Plenary Indulgence

The Plenary Indulgence is granted to all the faithful who are truly repentant who, in church or in chapel, devoutly attend the divine Sacrifice of Mass and offer prayers to Jesus Christ the Eternal High Priest, for the priests of the Church, and any other good work which they have done on that day, so that he may sanctify them and form them in accordance with His Heart, as long as they have made expiation for their sins through sacramental confession and prayed in accordance with the Supreme Pontiff's intentions: on the days in which the Year for Priests begins and ends, on the day of the 150th anniversary of the pious passing of St John Mary Vianney, on the first Thursday of the month .
Given in Rome, at the Offices of the Apostolic Penitentiary on 25 April, the Feast of St Mark the Evangelist, in the year of the Incarnation of our Lord 2009.
A Partial Indulgence

The Partial Indulgence is granted to all the faithful every time they devoutly recite five Our Fathers, Hail Marys and Glorias, or another expressly approved prayer, in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, to obtain that priests be preserved in purity and holiness of life.
Given in Rome, at the Offices of the Apostolic Penitentiary on 25 April, the Feast of St Mark the Evangelist, in the year of the Incarnation of our Lord 2009.

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Chaplet for Priests - The Te Deum Foundation

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When the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI announced the Year for Priests, the Apostolic Penitentiary of the Holy Catholic Church issued a decree declaring certain indulgences for those members of the faithful who pray for their priests. This is done to encourage prayerful participation in this holy year.

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