Catholic Identity Card

Press Release
9th April 2009

Catholic Identity Card Launches at Easter
to Proclaim Personal Faith & Promote the Priesthood

NEW YORK—Worldpriest, a group of committed Catholic communications lay people, will launch their latest initiative to promote the Priesthood—a Catholic Identity Card—on Easter Sunday, 12th April 2009.

Based in both the United States and Ireland Worldpriest is made up of a group of communications professionals who love and cherish the Priesthood of Jesus Christ and employ their skills to promote the Priesthood.

The Catholic Identity Card concept was devised by Marion Mulhall, President of Worldpriest Inc to allow people the opportunity to confirm their identity as Catholics and acknowledge the integral role of Priests in the Church and in their lives. “Our wallets are filled with plastic cards proclaiming we shop at this store, deal with this bank or are a member of that gym,” Mulhall explains. “In this context, we feel it is surely the right time, in a gentle personal fashion, to make a statement proclaiming that we are Catholic by carrying a Catholic Identity Card”.

The Catholic Identity Card is the culmination of two years work for the group. But according to Marion, the Catholic Identity Card only became possible through the generosity of a ‘kind gentleman’ who saw the value of such a card in daily life thus allowing the project to come to life.

The card serves a dual purpose in that it allows a person to both confirm their identity as a Catholic and ensure that if the cardholder is in need of the sacrament of the sick, they will receive it. “The sacrament of the sick is a very healing one, which can only be administered by a Priest,” says Marion. “In times of great need or crisis, we should feel content to know that we carry a card which will help ensure that a priest, one of God’s representatives on Earth, will be called to give us comfort.”

The launch of the Catholic Identity Card this Easter (the most important date of the Catholic calendar) has a particular significance as 2009 has been dedicated as the Year for Priests, as announced on 16th March 2009 by Pope Benedict XVI.

The Catholic Identity Card is available free from www.worldpriest.com with a maximum of 3 cards per order with a contribution towards shipping costs for we are a Not-for-Profit Organisation...

For further Information about the Catholic Identity Card or for comment, please contact: Marion Mulhall, Worldpriest Inc. marion@worldpriest.com

• Worldpriest set up the websites www.worldpriestday.com in 2003 to facilitate the World Day of Prayer for Priests and www.worldpriest.com in 2005 as a central resource website for clergy worldwide