Contacts & Publisher

Subscription Form

Parents gather to support their priest sons - and each other

Kristin Lukowski of The Michigan Catholic
Published January 5, 2007
Vocations Supplement

Support, spirituality and fellowship are all things mothers and fathers of priests find in the archdiocese's Parents of Priests group.

The group gets together monthly to say the rosary before Mass, attend Mass together, and have refreshments and fellowship afterward. Perhaps the most important thing they do is pray for all priests and for more young men to answer the call God may be giving them.

"There's a spiritual time of getting together with people, that we all have the same intent," said Ann McClory, mother of Msgr. Robert. "I feel my son is following God's call. It's a peaceful feeling to know God has called him."

Carol Livingston, mother of Fr. James, started putting together a list of priest parents about five years ago, she said. It's at least the second such group the archdiocese has had; a similar parents' group existed previously, but attendance diminished over the years.

Prayer for priests O Jesus, our great High Priest, hear my humble prayers on behalf of Thy priests. Give them a deep faith, a bright and firm home and a burning love which will ever increase in the course of their priestly life. In their loneliness, comfort them. In their sorrows, strengthen them. In their frustrations, point out to them that it is through suffering that the soul is purified, and show them that they are needed by the Church; they are needed by souls; they are needed for the work of redemption. O Loving Mother Mary, Mother of priests, take to your heart your sons who are close to you because of their priestly ordination and because of the power which they have received to carry on the work of Christ in a world which needs them so much. Be their comfort, be their joy, be their strength, and especially help them to live and to defend the ideals of consecrated celibacy. Amen.

Now, Livingston's list includes about 80 parents, all of whom attend monthly prayer when they can and receive regular updates. The group meets once a month for three months at one parish before moving to another parish for three months, with an annual gathering at Sacred Heart Major Seminary — where their sons all studied for the priesthood.

They try to visit churches in the north, south, east and west ends of the archdiocese, both to try to represent all its corners and to give parents who live in the outskirts a chance to attend. They've found that is the best way to reach all priests' parents and communities, Livingston said.

"God really knew the best way," she said.

The group does other things to support priests, too, such as attend elevations to monsignor and funerals of family members of priests

Gail Lajiness, mother of Fr. Todd, has been involved since this group's beginning. She said the older parents or the parents who live too far away to drive to a monthly meeting are also included in the group's prayers; they usually pray at the same time at home, too, she said.

"It's really a wonderful support group," said Lajiness, who attends meetings with her husband, Jack. "We look forward to it."

She worries about her two other sons, too, but she has her own worries for Fr. Todd. "They have their own little families," she said about her other sons. "Priests don't have that little family.

"We make up that family for them all."

Ginny Monforton, mother of Msgr. Jeffrey, got involved at the beginning because she felt it was a good way to meet other parents, she said. When her husband was ill with cancer, she would say the rosary at home at the same time the group would.

And when her husband died, the group was there to give her comfort, she said. "Parents of Priests was there for me," she said. "They become part of your family, and their family becomes part of your family."

Monforton said she's grateful both for the group's friendship and for the fellowship after the rosary and Mass. All of the parents feel the same privilege that they are parents of priests, and she knows other parents have the same concerns she does.

"Our sons are busy," she said. "They take their vocation very seriously."

Other parents understand that their sons often come late, leave early or even have to miss family gatherings because of their work, for example. "This helps us to hear it's not just my son who couldn't get home for this special day," she said.

Irene Tindall, mother of Fr. William, said she enjoys the chance to meet other parents of priests and has fun when they get together. Sometimes their sons need extra prayers.

She wasn't too surprised when her son entered the seminary. "He seems happy," she said — ultimately what every mother wants.