Detroit — This year, Priesthood Sunday — a day to show support for priests with prayer, celebration and dialogue — falls on Oct. 30.

Lay people around the country will mark the celebration by showing their appreciation for the devoted priests who serve God’s people with faith and wisdom.

It’s a day that founders of Priesthood Sunday — including the National Federation of Priests’ Councils, which represents more than 26,000 U.S. priests — hope will lead to more vocations around the country, as well.

“Our priests give of themselves every day in so many different ways. It is an honor to recognize them in a manner in which entire parishes may join together in an outpouring of appreciation,” says Gary Davis, past president of the USA Council of Serra International, the non-profit organization that helps promote Priesthood Sunday. “Affirming and supporting our priests are some of the most important things that we can do.”

In the Archdiocese of Detroit, the impact of priests is obvious. The metro area has more than 380 archdiocesan priests, and another 200 priests who belong to religious orders. They run our parishes, provide spiritual direction to schools, universities, and various other institutions. Most importantly, they are instrumental in the key moments of the lives of Catholics — hearing confession, officiating at weddings, baptizing, anointing the sick, presiding at funerals, and, of course, representing Christ at the altar at Mass.

Throughout the year, we here at The Michigan Catholic hear many uplifting stories about our priests. As people in the archdiocese offer their prayers, encouragement and support to members of the clergy, this special section of The Michigan Catholic is dedicated to recognizing just how much they mean to us all.