Marriages, ordinations, First Communions, and other special events are a cause for rejoicing. Joy for the people being married or receiving the sacraments is usually manifested not only by way of hearty congratulations, but in the form of gifts thoughtfully picked up for the occasion. There are special occasions, however, in which congratulations are in order, but gift giving generally becomes a nightmare for the giver.

These are the ceremonies in which a person becomes a consecrated religious by taking the vows to publicly follow the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience. After all, how do you give to a person who is renouncing his possessions in order to have the freedom to focus on the kingdom of God?

While certain items such as jewelry, luxury cars, and sumptuous vacations are obviously taboo, it is true that there are things, which may be used by the religious and/or his community. Although the following suggestions may prove helpful for getting a congratulatory gift for the new religious, keep in mind that the rules on property differ between Orders and Congregations.

A member of a religious Order with solemn vows cannot possess anything. The whole Community owns what he uses. If you give something, even if it is engraved with the religious’ name, there is no guarantee that he will actually be permitted to use it. For this reason, it is a good idea to check with the intended recipient or his superior to see if that stopwatch or bright medal of St. Lucy is the sort of thing that can be actually worn.

Since whatever is given to the religious may belong to the community even if it is assigned for the use of your friend, the most common gifts are monetary donations to the Community, Mass cards, spiritual bouquets, and the like. Other kinds of presents take some creativity. This is because religious are dedicated to living a life of poverty for the sake of having fewer impediments in living a holy life. To preserve the state of poverty – not destitution- there are rules governing how it is to be observed in each community.

One should become familiar with these rules which differ from place to place. For instance, one community has a rule that a religious may not request anything from anybody without permission of the superior. Suppose a religious in that community wanted to obtain a certain book for the library. He would not be able to bring that up to his sibling when communicating with him unless he first obtained permission to do so. Another community will not retain any money over a day. When the day’s necessities are bought, any money left over is immediately given to the poor.

Finding a non-monetary gift may seem an insolvable problem, yet there are actually a multitude of ways in which acceptable gifts may be found and given to the Community in the name of the religious. Take for instance the case of an owner of a dry-cleaning facility. An offer to give a vestment a free cleaning in honor of a first profession would probably be gratefully accepted.

Other services such as updating the equipment used for the Community’s support or picking up the mail might prove to be an answer to the prayers of the religious. Sometimes simple items may prove to be a great blessing. These may include fertilizer or a plant for the garden, postage stamps, or a delicacy for a sick consecrated person. Check with the superior to see if your proposed service or gift will be needed.

Following is a list of 12 suggestions for satisfying that gift-giving urge we all get when invited to an event such as Clothing/Investiture, First or Final Profession, or reception of the office of Abbot or Abbess.

1. Arrange or buy flowers for the event.

2. Purchase a statue and give it in honor of the religious.

3. Have a Novena of Masses said for the religious in honor of his patron saint.

4. If in a snowy area, maybe give a pair of snowshoes for outdoor exercise.

5. Volunteer for the ceremony as usher, cleaner, musician, or whatever you may be able to do.

6. Act as a tour guide for the immediate family of the religious if they are from out of town.

7. If you are going on a pilgrimage to a famous site, volunteer to bring written intentions there or bring back miraculous spring water and/or other devotional items.

8. Give a gift certificate for a Catholic Bookseller or maybe office supply company or store that sells groceries or things by catalog.

9. Donate to the poor in the name of the religious.

10. Pool resources to obtain a gold colored vestment for the priest religious.

11. Sponsor the health insurance of a religious.

12. Get people to commit to pray for the religious on a daily basis.

Do these tips get your creative juices flowing? Here are a couple other ideas to consider:

· A Christmas tree and/or ornaments may prove to be just right if it is Christmas time.

· It happens that several friends of a religious may not be present when he makes his vows. In such a case, they may want to make a collage or a scrapbook with their photos, drawings, and perhaps congratulatory notes. These can at least be presented to him as a token of their prayerful support and communion in spirit with him.

There are many ways in which you can give meaningful gifts to religious. If you should come up with other ones that people would find useful, feel free to post it in a comment here and it might come up in a future publication.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!