Support Your Priest Sunday 2023
Each year, Catholic priests customarily come together to commemorate their ordination on or near 4 August, the feast of St John Mary Vianney (1786 – 1859), the patron of priests. Often, priests will gather around their bishop at a special celebration honouring the service of priests and celebrating their anniversary of ordination. Lay people may also use this period to honour their priests.
What would Catholic life be like without our priests? Now is a time to support our precious priests.
Support Your Priest Sunday is an annual day of national significance for Catholics that is celebrated around the feast of St John Vianney.
This year, Support Your Priest Sunday is on Sunday, 6 August 2023. On this day, we are encouraged to give our parish priests a token of love, thanksgiving and support. This may take many forms, such as gifts and tokens, cards and letters of thanks and encouragement. We may also wish to offer fasting and other acts of penance for our priests. At any time we can engage our priests in supportive conversation (including compliments).
Background video on Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney, known as John in English, born 8 May 1786 in Dardilly France
Background notes on St John Vianney