If you are a believer, then sooner or later you will be faced with the question of giving a gift to a priest on the occasion of a holiday. Choosing a gift for a clergyman is not easy - you need to take into account many specific nuances. In addition, it is not always easy to figure out what to give a priest for Christmas, Easter, ordination day, angel's day or name day.
First of all, when choosing a gift, you should take into account the specifics of the holiday. On a church holiday, you can give something useful in the service. Name days or birthdays require a more “personal” gift.
For temple decoration
Any priest takes care of the beauty of the church in his parish, and ensures that divine services are held solemnly and festively. If you want to please the priest, think about what to give to the church. There can be many options here!
- The priest will be glad to receive liturgical vestments; it is advisable to give a complete set. For example, a priest’s set consists of 6 items: a belt, a brace, a phelonion, an epitrachelion, a club, and a legguard. The vestments are made of velvet, thick silk, brocade, high-quality linen and decorated with church symbols. If you want the vestments to fit the priest like a glove, have it sewn by a master according to the priest’s measurements. This may not be a surprise, but this will not make the hero of the occasion any less grateful to you.
- Are you thinking about what to give your father? Buy any fabric suitable for sewing church vestments, purchased from a specialized store. Your gift may not be useful right this minute, but when the time comes to sew a new vestment, the priest will remember you with kindness and gratitude.
- Any temple always needs incense. It is chosen by its smell, which should be pleasant, not harsh and persistent. Order incense from a specialized online store or at a church fair. The most popular are dewy Lebanese incense (the most expensive and fragrant), Arabian and Athonite.
- For communion in church you always need high-quality natural red wine, namely Cahors. Buy bottled wine or even a whole barrel - it will never be redundant.
- Church utensils for worship are indispensable. But before you present such a gift to the priest, think about it: maybe the temple already has everything it needs? It is better to consult with the priest before choosing such a gift.
- If you want to decorate your church, order the artist hand-copied liturgical books (Psalms, Gospels) in the Slavic language, with the author’s illustrations. The main thing is to choose an artist who is familiar with all the canons and will not make mistakes. To do this, you should search the Internet for the appropriate workshop or find out about the artists in the diocesan administration.
- A beautiful icon that your rector has long dreamed of is an excellent gift for any holiday. Buy it in a specialty store or order it from an artist.
- Among the little things that are always needed in a church, choose beautiful candles of classical shapes and “lanterns” for them, with which they go out to the religious procession from the church. Also important is the engraved incense box, from which incense is fed into the censer during services.
When choosing what to give to a church, it is best to consult with a priest. This way you won’t waste your money, and your temple will be decorated and flourish.
How to choose a gift for name day and birthday?
With a close acquaintance with the priest and his entourage, the choice of a birthday gift becomes much easier. During your own visits to the clergyman’s house, you yourself know what you need to buy from household equipment. Talk to the priest's family and friends, to the nuns in the church - this may help you. Especially if you need to choose a gift for an anniversary.
Here are some suitable ideas:
- Money is an eternally universal way out; it needs to be presented with something symbolic. Of course, this option is suitable for those cases when there is little time to look for a gift, but it is necessary to show gratitude.
- Certificate - suitable for overly modest clergy who are embarrassed to take money and give it to the church fund. And so he will be forced to choose the right thing for himself.
- Any expensive gift - such a gift will be a manifestation of deep respect.
- The book is perhaps Father a true lover of worldly literature. In this case, you cannot find a better gift.
- There are also particularly creative personalities among the priests, so photographic equipment, exclusive brushes with professional paints, or anything suitable will come in handy.
- Auto parts - if the priest is a car enthusiast.
Do not be afraid to offend the priest with your gift - he will feel the gift with all his heart. Therefore, choose a birthday present with all your heart
Entertainment expenses
The priest is often forced to travel on business - to philanthropists, to the tax office, permitting services, to the diocese. Make sure that the priest can feel comfortable during business visits. Here are some things that will help him with this:
- a high-quality leather briefcase, ideally black or dark brown, large enough to accommodate all the necessary documents;
- A good quality leather belt is an excellent gift for a priest, as well as for a layman. This is a useful, practical and beautiful gift, and also affordable;
- a good, reliable watch, not necessarily expensive, but looking quite presentable and suitable for a priest in terms of status and temperament;
- new tires for the car, a full set of tires, winter or summer;
- A fuel card for 100 or more liters of gasoline is an indispensable thing for those who drive.
The priest is the face of the parish, so make sure he looks representative.
Wine
Contrary to popular belief, monks drink wine quite often, mainly during religious ceremonies. By the way, many famous grape varieties and wineries originate within the monastery walls.
The most “Christian” type of wine can be called Cahors - it is what they drink during communion in temples and churches. It is best to take fortified wines - they last longer.
For relaxation and home
Many people mistakenly believe that only “spiritual” gifts can be given to a priest. However, the priest is the same person with his hobbies and family, he needs rest. Give the priest something nice!
- The priest not only takes care of the souls of believers, he also feeds his family and works for the benefit of the parish. Therefore, a set of tools will be an ideal gift for a “handy” priest. If your budget allows, buy a milling or lathe.
- Do you want to give your father something for his home? Consult your mother - she will tell you what you need on the farm. A frying pan, a set of plates or pots, good tea or coffee, and educational games for children will not be superfluous.
- Find out what your rector is interested in - and you will know exactly what to give the priest for Christmas or other holiday. If he is a fisherman, give him a spinning rod; if he likes hiking, give him a tourist backpack; for a photographer, it’s better to buy a DSLR, and for an icon painter, a set of paints and brushes.
- A laptop, tablet or e-reader will not be superfluous in the household - here is a connection with the world, and the ability to systematize and store all parish documents.
- A paid vacation by the sea or an excursion to holy places will help the priest escape from the daily routine and enrich himself with new knowledge. Book a tour from a trusted operator.
Priests help believers throughout their lives - with prayer, good advice, and often financially. It is impossible to estimate how great their help is. Therefore, a gift to a priest must be chosen and given with love and care, trying to take into account the tastes and needs of the hero of the occasion. Such a gift will definitely please the priest.
Books
Among other things, the inhabitants of the monasteries spend time studying religious literature, so it is worth looking for the publication of some interesting book.
In the end, you can always give a Bible - they will definitely come in handy in the monastery.
Despite the fact that monastics renounce the world, they probably also want to see their relatives from time to time.
With your gifts you will give the person a little bit of familiar warmth and further convince him of the correctness of his chosen path.
Icons
Each cell has a small iconostasis, in front of which hermits pray in solitude. You can give a person an icon that will accompany him on his spiritual path for many years.
A namesake icon is best suited - that is, a saint bearing the same name as the person. You can buy an icon in any church, however, it would be best to order it from some icon painter. Although the school of icon painting is now in decline, finding a master who will draw a beautiful icon is not difficult.
Telnik
One of the few personal things that a monastic Christian has is. Since these people do not recognize luxury, it is better not to give them gold crosses - this may be misinterpreted.
An ordinary wooden cross, but one brought from some holy place - Mount Athos, Jerusalem, Valaam, etc., is best suited. The main thing is not to confuse a Catholic vest with an Orthodox one. However, you are unlikely to find a Catholic cross in an Orthodox church.
Orthodox music concert
Joy, delight and gratitude - these are the feelings you will see on the face of a believing woman who has been given a ticket to an evening of Orthodox music.
Many people believe that only liturgical songs are sung at such concerts, but this is far from the case. This musical genre involves sacred music and poetry, the performance of cants, carols, as well as worldly pious songs. You can go to this performance with her and, believe me, you won’t regret it.
Orthodox cross
The cross for any Orthodox person has much more meaning than just a symbol of faith - it is the protection of Christ.
Of course, every Christian woman has her own cross, as a rule, given to her at baptism. This could be the Guardian Angel, St. George the Victorious, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Matrona of Moscow, etc. The icon will be dear to her in all respects and will remain with her for the rest of her life, as a manifestation of pious love.
Bible
Every Christian knows that “The Bible is a book of books.”
It is impossible to read it to the end - it is endless. No matter how many times you start reading it and no matter where you start from, it will open up to you in a new way every time. For an Orthodox person, reading Holy Scripture is contact with something larger and more significant than just a book. This is a kind of sacrament. A gift version of the Bible will delight a woman of the Orthodox faith.
Beautiful publications, sometimes decorated with various expensive materials and with large font, are pleasant to pick up and not just read. This book will always be with her.
Pilgrimage
The origins of the Christian faith, which has existed for over 2000 years, are located in the Holy Land - Israel.
The entire life of Christ, described in detail in the Holy Scriptures, took place there. Can you imagine what amazement and joy will be on the face of a believing woman when you show her a voucher and air tickets to Israel, where a pilgrimage awaits her to the holy places for every Orthodox person: Nazareth - Annunciation, Bethlehem - birthplace of Jesus, Jordan River - baptism , Jerusalem - crucifixion and resurrection, and much more.
All her life she will be grateful to you for the opportunity to visit the places where the Creator lived, suffered and ascended.
