NEW YORK, APRIL 10, 2009 (Zenit.org).- A group of Catholic communications professionals is promoting a way to claim Christ every time you open your wallet -- a Catholic identity card.

WorldPriest, based in both the United States and Ireland, is launching the initiative this Easter. The group noted the timeliness of the initiative, given that Benedict XVI has declared June 19, 2009, to June 19, 2010, the Year for Priests.

The card's designer, Marion Mulhall, president of the organization, explained: "Our wallets are filled with plastic cards proclaiming we shop at this store, deal with this bank or are a member of that gym. 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 card announces: "I am a Catholic. In the event of an accident or emergency, please contact a priest."

The card thus serves a dual purpose in that it allows a person to confirm his identity as a Catholic and ensures that if he is in need of the sacrament of the sick, he will receive it.

"The sacrament of the sick is a very healing one, which can only be administered by a priest," Marion noted. "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 card is available without cost at www.worldpriest.com.

http://www.zenit.org/article-25627?l=english