Clergy Appreciation Week 2020

Clergy Appreciation Week is a Civitan International service project that began in 1963. The annual week of celebration was inspired by an event from 20 years earlier, the story of the Four Chaplains. In 1943, four military chaplains, a Methodist minister, a Catholic priest, a Reformed minister, and a Jewish rabbi sacrificed their lives on the USS Dorchester by giving their life jackets to other soldiers on board the vessel.

Clubs around the world continue to celebrate Clergy Appreciation Week in a variety of ways. While this year’s appreciation celebrations may look different, here are a few ways you can take part in the time-honored Civitan tradition of Clergy Appreciation Week, while staying safe during the COVID-19 pandemic:

• Make a donation –  find a local place of worship that supports a community program and make a donation to support that activity
  • Examples might include a community food pantry, providing refuge from the cold, or youth programs
• Support an in-house program – find out what the organization supports internally, and take part
  • Examples might include serving meals, donating to a clothing drive, or providing toys for child care programs
• Drop-off an appreciation package or mail thank you notes to local clergy
• Host a virtual panel of local clergy
  • Ask questions about the processes and procedures of each place of worship
  • Ask about how they serve in the community
  • Work together to plan a project for everyone to take part in

In order to stay safe, consider hosting these events virtually by Zoom. If you have questions about how your club can take part in Clergy Appreciation Week or want to share photos from your event, contact growth@civitan.org.