‘You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of the darkness into his marvellous light’ (I Pet. 2.9). This priesthood of all the faithful is the basis of the lay apostolate. Parents have a particular apostolic responsibility and need to understand the nature of their priesthood if they are fruitfully to fulfill their role.

Throughout the scriptures the role of a priest is to offer a gift to God in an effort to get into a right relation to him. The gift that is offered may take the form of Old Testament ritual sacrifices, of the spiritual sacrifice of a holy life, or of the sharing in the one effective sacrifice ot Christ through baptism and the eucharist.