A Father’s Day Gift Guide for Catholics

Of the many, many blessings that God has given me, the opportunity that I have to co-parent alongside my husband is one of the greatest. You all know: parenting is tough work. Raising our children to love God, follow Jesus, and use their gifts to make the world a better place is no easy task. But for me at least, it is made infinitely more doable and fun because I am working alongside a person who deeply loves his family, desires to be a Godly man, husband and father, and has the strength of spirit to do the right thing even when it’s hard.

With Father’s Day coming up (it’s on June 20th this year), I can’t wait to join my children in celebrating their wonderful Dad. I’m also taking the day as an opportunity to thank the many other men who have played important fatherly roles in my life, including my Dad, of course, and also an Uncle with whom I’m particularly close and the pastor of our parish (who is truly a father to many).

Here are some Father’s Day gift ideas for the Catholic dads in your life:

St. Joseph Statue

I’ve mentioned before that Pope Francis named 2021 “The Year of St. Joseph,” and he’s the perfect saint to remember on Father’s Day. As the earthly father of Jesus, St. Joseph was an exemplar of many of the qualities that I think make for the best dads: wisdom, trust-in-God, even-temperedness, faithfulness and love. Gifting a St. Joseph statue is a way to call attention to the gifts that the father you are honoring shares with St. Joseph, and a way to continually remind him of this hero and example from our faith. I gave this statue to my husband for a past Father’s Day, and it now lives on his bedside table.

Sacred Heart Holy Water Font

For all of the dads out there who have been working from home this year, this Sacred Heart Holy Water Font is a beautiful addition to any home office. One of the gifts that many dads provide for their families is sustenance — food, shelter, clothing, educational materials, and more — through their hours spent at their jobs. This font, placed at the threshold between home and work, can serve as a tangible reminder that work which allows a person to nourish and provide for their loved ones is holy work.

Wooden Rosary or Pocket Cross

Everyone knows that I am a big fan of gifting rosaries, not only because I love praying the rosary in full, but also because having a rosary close at hand serves as a frequent reminder for me to stop what I am doing and pray. This doesn’t mean that I halt dinner preparations or responding to customer emails to pray fifty Hail Mary’s anytime I catch sight of a rosary; instead, it means that I pray a single Hail Mary while I cut vegetables, or say prayers of petition for my children and siblings while I wash dishes. This Little French Rosary in Dark Wood can achieve the same end. Kept in a pocket, it can serve as a physical reminder to say a prayer as simple as “Thank You, God,” or “Lord, Have Mercy,” throughout the day.

A Meaningful Card

I think that one of the most meaningful gifts we can give a person is a card full of words of affirmation. Thank your husband, dad, uncle, mentor, priest, or friend for the fatherly gifts that they give you, specifically naming their qualities that you most appreciate and admire. Your note will mean so much to them that they’ll want to hang on to it, so it makes sense to preserve these words on a beautiful and classic piece of stationary.

Make a Donation in their Name

Here’s the thing about Catholic dads: they love and care about their biological, adopted and foster children — they would move mountains for their children! — but they also likely care about children around the world. After all, it is a feature of Catholicism to recognize that we are all brothers and sisters — one human family — regardless of our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological  differences. Consider showing your love for a dad in your life by sharing God’s love with vulnerable children in your community, state, country or world. You can do this by making a donation to an organization like Catholic Relief Services, your diocese’s Catholic Charities, or a favorite local charity.

The dads in our lives — our fathers, step-fathers, uncles, godfathers, neighbors, husbands, brothers, cousins, sons, and more — do so much to make our lives possible and joyful. I, for one, will never stop being grateful for the fatherly gifts that all these men bring me and my children. Join me in taking time to honor and celebrate these great dads on Father’s Day!