Pray
Pray a daily Rosary for your parish priest and encourage others to pray with you. Contact your priest and let him know that you are supporting him through prayer.
Live in Unity
Take an active role in your parish community. Attend Mass weekly and become a good steward by offering your gifts of time and talent. Attend parish sponsored events and/or support your parish financially.
Manage Your Expectations
Remember your pastor and parish priests are only human and while they would like to be present to support all parish happenings and family celebrations, this may be impossible. Be accepting of your priests. Recognize their individual gifts to the parish. Help your priests by informing them of illnesses and special needs within your community.
Avoid Gossip
Come to the banquet of the Lord with a positive attitude and avoid negative talk that may only lead to misunderstandings. Be mindful of how you speak about your parish priest with others, especially around children. If you have a disagreement with your parish priest that cannot be resolved through prayer, honestly and respectfully discuss it with him in private.
Appreciate Your Priests
We all need positive encouragement and priests need affirmation too. Tell your priest when you enjoy a homily. Thank him for bringing Jesus to you. Drop him a note or card to thank him for his dedication to the Lord and the Catholic Church.
Encourage Vocations to the Priesthood and Consecrated Life
Help your priests by praying for an increase of vocations. Teach your children and grandchildren to be open to the Holy Spirit and invite young men and women to consider religious life as a vocation. Encourage and support Kenrick-Glennon Seminary by spiritually adopting a seminarian. Volunteer your time with the youth of your parish. Prayerfully support the programs offered by the Office of Vocations.
Support the Archbishop-Be Obedient
Be a good and faithful steward of the Catholic faith by respecting and supporting decisions from the Archbishop and the Pope. By respecting the authority of the Pope and the Archbishop, you are helping make the job of your parish priest easier. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, on your own intelligence rely not; in all ways be mindful of Him, and He will make straight your paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6). God’s ways are higher than ours. Isaiah 55:8-9 says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. As the heavens are above the earth, so are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts".