Get Involved with Clergy Support

Our Priests Make a Difference: Stories of Positive Impact by Our Priests

Our priests make a tremendous difference in our Diocese and in our lives as Catholics. That positive impact is extraordinary at times, like when a priest acts in the Person of Christ and a conduit of grace in the Sacraments, or when a priest visits us and our family during times of sickness or great need, or when a priest leads multiple parishes or assignments. Other times, the positive impact is felt in smaller yet profound ways, such as when a priest offers us a word of encouragement, preaches an inspiring homily, or takes the time to visit with our parish groups and ministries.

Whether in extraordinary or small yet profound ways, our priests make a great difference, and the Diocese would like to hear these stories of positive impact to encourage our priests in their divine vocation and on their path of holiness.

To that end, and out of gratitude for our priests, the Diocese is asking you to submit stories or experiences of when a priest has impacted you, your parish, or your institution. These stories can be big or small, and we encourage you to continue submitting your stories of impact both now and in the future.

When providing positive feedback, you are more than welcome to include your name or remain anonymous. Thank you for supporting our priests!

Seven Principles and Seven Practices of Priest Support

We invite you to view the following webinar recording from Matt Robinson, Director of Clergy Supporting, highlighting how we can support our priests in the Diocese of Fall River.

Diocesan-Wide Monthly Day of Prayer & Fasting for our Priests.

The Diocese of Fall River is encouraging all Catholics of the Diocese to support our priests spiritually by participating in a Monthly Day of Prayer and Fasting for Priests. This Monthly Day of Prayer and Fasting for Priests takes place on the third Thursday of every month and is offered for the health, happiness, and holiness of the priests of our Diocese. On that monthly day, a Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet is prayed at 3:00 PM via a virtual Zoom webinar led by Matt Robinson, Director of Clergy Support (though participants can also pray at a time suitable to their schedules on that day). Likewise, on that day, participants are asked to offer some form of fasting and sacrifice.

You can join the 3:00 PM live webinar on the third Thursday of the month in which a special Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet are prayed for our priests each month.

Spiritual Motherhood for Priests

We invite all women of the Diocese to join over 25 current Spiritual Mothers and to prayerfully consider participating as a Spiritual Mother for our Priests.

Spiritual Motherhood is a tradition in our Church with ancient historical and theological roots. This initiative is for women of our diocese who may feel called to spiritually support our priests, after the model of the Blessed Mother, and in a more intentional way.

To find out more information about Spiritual Motherhood for Priests, please contact Matt Robinson, Director of Clergy Support, at mrobinson@dioc-fr.org or 508-492-0995. Thank you for your consideration!

Commit to Praying for a Priest Each Day

We invite you to prayerfully considering praying for a specific priest each day. You can find the specific priest’s intention for each day with the link below. You are encouraged to visit our Prayers for Priests page as well, which lists suggested prayers for our priests.

Thank you for your support!

10 Ways to Be a Positive Source of Encouragement for the Priests in Your Life

Besides prayerful support of our priests, which is the foundation for priestly support, we invite you to consider some other ways to be supportive:

1. Offer to help your priests by supporting them in their ministry and volunteering in the community to help them build up the parish.
2. Remember that priests are human beings and to manage our expectations of them. 
3. ​Avoid gossiping about priests or complaining to them. Instead, be a source of Christian charity and positivity. 
4. Show priests our appreciation by offering to help, cooking them meals on busy days, saying “thank you,” writing them a note of gratitude, or complimenting them.
5. Look out for their wellbeing and offer words of encouragement if they seem stressed.
6. Make it a priority to celebrate them on their special days, such as ordination day, birthday, or Fathers Day.
7. Establish a relationship with your priest, and let him know that you are in his corner.
8. Invite priests over for dinner.
9. Do what you can to encourage vocations to the priesthood. 
10. Remember to support our bishop as a Successor of the Apostles.

Serving the Shepherds Fund

The promotion of vocations, the formation of future priests, and the support and ongoing care for all our priests is a primary concern of the Bishop and Diocese. To that end, the “Serving the Shepherds Fund” has been established to strengthen and sustain our clergy at all stages of their lives. To contribute to this fund, which supports vocations, provides formation and resources to seminarians and priests, and gives aid to retired priests, please visit the Catholic Foundation Website. Thank you for your generosity!