For those with time to plan, it would be nice to find out well in advance from an immediate family member what the new priest needs and whether there are any restrictions he must observe about receiving gifts. (For example, the property of a religious order priest belongs to his order, although his superior might allow him to keep some items for personal use.) Since you don’t have the luxury of time at this point, you might make a donation in the priest’s name to his order if he is a consecrated religious; if he is a diocesan priest, you could enclose a check in a card with a notation for some suggested use (e.g., “To assist you in establishing your personal library”).
