Discernment can be described as a process of spiritual exploration - a time in which a man or woman acknowledges God's call to serve Him in a particular vocation.  Discernment reaches beyond the realm of a religious vocation.  Oftentimes, people will spend some serious time with our Lord when a new job opportunity or the possibly of a promotion becomes available.  The process of discernment is needed in order to make a spiritually sound, morally certain decision.  The grace of the Holy Spirit is paramount to this process, and we look for signs from our Lord which will help guide us in our decision.

     Discernment can be thought of as a building project.  We don't leap into a project - buying supplies and materials, hiring extra help and beginning work, on the very first day of the project.  We must first take measurements, think about different ideas and decide what will work best before we can even begin to think about the actual work that the project entails.  When we discern a vocation to priesthood or religious life, we examine God's call from all perspectives - we spend time in prayer before our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, we consult family members and close friends and invite them to offer feedback on our urgings, we may talk with our parish priest or a member of a religious community to help us in our quest for the truth. 

     Discernment is a natural process, and everyone considering a call from our Lord experiences, to some degree, a time of discernment.  It's good to ask questions, to observe, to listen, and to dialogue with those whom you love - most importantly, our Lord!  If you are considering the possibility of priesthood or religious life, please allow us to aid you in your process of discernment - our office would be very happy to answer any questions or concerns that you might have.

     We've provided some helpful resources below which will aid you in your discernment.  Review these suggestions, and spend time in prayer while you are actively discerning our Lord's call.  Jesus says, "The harvest is plenty; the laborers are few."  Is our Lord calling you to reap a rich and bountiful harvest?  YES, He IS!  It is our job through discernment, to discover how best we will answer the Lord's call.

Look for signs from God!  Have you noticed any of the following things taking shape in your life?

Growing Faith - A person experiences an increased awareness of God in his or her life and a developing appreciation of Jesus, His way of life, His mission, His holy people the Church, His Body and Blood in the Eucharist, and His Sacraments.

Growing Zeal - A person's developing friendship with Jesus will lead him or her to desire more and more to share in His mission of saving the world, saving people and saving souls.

Growing Desire to be Consumed - A person's increasing desire to give himself or herself completely to the Lord.

Growing Interest in the Life and Work of a Priest or Religious - A person's growing wonderment at what it would be like to give themselves completely to the Lord and the works of the Lord - being Jesus for others, gathering all people into God's family, preaching the Word, celebrating the Holy Eucharist and Sacraments, and organizing people for service.

Growing Desire to Lead People - A man or woman exhibiting leadership skills in school, community and church.

Growing Sensitivity to the Needs of People - A man or woman who enjoys being around people and has a caring attitude toward all.

Growing Sense That God Has Something Great Planned for You - A man or woman with the sense that there are more important things in life, and that God is calling him or her to be part of these deeper mysteries.

 

 

 

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     Our hearts serve as a kind of "compass" to help us connect our activities with our feelings.  When we do something good, our heart tells us.  When we do something that we're not entirely proud of, our heart tells us that, too.

     What moves your heart?  Reflect and pray over that question for a moment.  Maybe your heart is moved by the same things that moved Jesus' heart.

     The gospels tell us that Jesus' heart was moved by the world's pain.  He was moved with compassion for the sick, for the blind, for those in the grip of demons.  He could not see someone who suffered without longing to ease the pain.  He longed to comfort and give strength to people weighed down by the burdens of this life.

     Jesus was moved by the world's hunger and poverty.  He knew that no one of us should be content to have to much while others have too little.  He was moved by the world's confusion.  He announced the truth of God's reign to an often disbelieving world.

     Jesus also desired to celebrate the joyful moments of life.  He came to show the way to the Father, the way to true happiness, so that people might have life more abundantly.

     In priesthood, a man accepts a call to be a sacrament of Jesus Christ in a profound way.  When we look upon the priest, we ought to see the love of Christ reaching out to everyone.  We ought to see a forgiving and healing presence of Christ.  We ought to see a presence of Christ who is not afraid to speak the truth in the midst of a disbelieving world.  We ought to see the Christ who singleheartedly works for the Kingdom of God.  We ought to see the sacrificing presence of Christ who gives his life for the sake of many.

      To help you in your discernment, ask yourself these questions about your vocation:

Do you consider a personal relationship with God an important part of your life?

Are you able and willing to talk to others about your faith?

Do you desire to serve others and make a difference in people's lives?

Do people see you as someone they can approach and talk to?

Do you enjoy life and people, and do you have a sense of humor?

Can you work with people of all ages?

Do you recognize the importance of the Church?

Do you have healthy relationships with other people - men and women?

Do you feel good about yourself and have good physical, mental and emotional health?

     If you answered YES to more than 7 of these questions, you may have a vocation to the priesthood or to religious life.  Are you being called to follow after the heart of Jesus as a priest?

To live in the midst of the world with no desire for all its pleasures;
To be a member of every family, yet belonging to none;
To share all sufferings; to penetrate all secrets, to heal all wounds;
To daily go from men to God to offer Him their homage and petitions;
To return from God to men to bring them His pardon and hope;
To have a heart of fire for charity and a heart of bronze for chastity:
To bless and to be blest forever.

O God, what a life, and it is yours, O Priest of Jesus Christ

Thou Art a Priest Forever
by Jean-Baptiste Henri Lacordaire, OP (1802-61)

 

Is celibacy better than marriage?

     Celibacy does not make anyone "better" than anyone else.  Neither does marriage make a person better than a single person.  Every person is called to share himself or herself in a commitment to love, whether that is through the vows of marriage or celibacy or as a single person.

Does living as a celibate mean you don't love anyone?

     Absolutely not!  We would be terrible celibates and priests if the reason we were priests was because we decided we didn't love anyone, and we were celibate because we couldn't find anyone to marry.  True celibacy as Jesus lived it requires a great capacity and desire to love.

I think I'm falling in love.  Does that mean I shouldn't be a priest?

     Falling in love is natural and human.  We wouldn't have very many priests if we only ordained people who have never fallen in love.  If a man feels called to priesthood and finds himself falling in love, this does not necessarily mean he is no longer called to priesthood.  It could very well be an opportunity to look at the deeper aspects of love and commitment and ask the question, "In  what way is God asking me to love others?"

Since many clergy in Protestant churches are married, why can't priests be married?

     There are many different Protestant denominations, many of which allow married men (and women) to be clergy.  A complete answer embracing all forms of Protestant belief is not possible here.  The Catholic Church, with its unique emphasis on the sacramental nature of priesthood, upholds a priestly life modeled after Christ himself.  For Catholics, the priest must be "another Christ".  Most Protestants would not view their clergy in the same way.  Since they don't see their clergy as sacramentally "another Christ", celibacy is not seen as an important value in their ministers.

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What is ordination?

     Ordination is the sacramental ceremony in which a man becomes a deacon, priest or bishop and enabled to minister in Christ's name and that of the Church.  There are three ordinations in the Sacrament of Holy Orders:  deaconate, priesthood and episcopacy (bishop).  The ordination ceremony includes various rituals that are rich in meaning and history, such as the prostration, the laying on of hands, the anointing of the hands, the giving of the chalice and patton and the sign of peace.

When the ordination actually take place?

     The essential rite of the sacrament - when it takes place - is the laying on of hands and the prayer of consecration.  Each of the seven sacraments has matter and form.  The matter for the Sacramnt of Holy Orders is the laying on of hands, and the form is the prayer of consecration.  This is an ancient tradition of the Church - one that we get from the Bible.

Who can ordain priests?

     Only a bishop can ordain a priest because he shares in the ministry of Jesus passed down through the Apostles.

What is the meaning of the laying on of hands?

     By this ritual, the ordaining bishop and the other priests invoke the Holy Spirit to come down upon the one to be ordained, giving him a sacred character and setting him apart for ministry in the Church.

Why does the ordinand lie prostrate during the ordination?

     The ordinand lies prostrate during the Litany of Saints and the prayer that follows it.  It symbolizes his unworthiness for the office to be assumed and his dependence upon God and the prayers of the Christian community.

What is the meaning of the newly ordained priest receiving the stole and chasuble?

     These are vestments which pertain to his office and have symbolic meaning.  The stole symbolizes the authority and responsibility to serve in imitation of Christ.  It reflects the line from the Scripture:  "For my yoke is easy, and my burden light" (Matthew 11:30).  The chasuble is the principal garment of the priest celebrating the Eucharist and is the outermost vestment.

What does the anointing of the hands signify?

     Anointing with oil stems from the Old Testament and indicates that someone or something is being set apart for a sacred task or duty.  The anointing of the hands signifies that the hands of the newly ordained priest are being prepared for the sacred duties and vessels which will be part of the priestly ministry - offering the bread and wine, anointing the sick and blessing people.  The bishop says as he anoints the hands:  "The Father anointed our Lord Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.  May Jesus preserve you to sanctify the Christian people and to offer sacrifice to God."

How does one prepare for ordination to the priesthood?

     A man has to engage in a challenging program of academic and spiritual formation which lasts between 6 and 7 years, and is dependent upon previous educational background.  There are ordinarily three levels of seminary:  high school seminary (4 years); college seminary (4-5 years); a program of Pre-Theology (2 years), and a program of Theological Studies (4 years).  Some candidates have attended public universities and have completed other programs.  These men are placed into formation at the appropriate level.

     Semiaries address four types of formation:  human, spiritual, academic & intellectual and pastoral.  In addition to the academic coursework, seminarians participate in a full schedule of spiritual activities - e.g., daily Mass, praying the Liturgy of the Hours, spiritual direction and retreats.  At each level of seminary training, the seminarian prepares for future pastoral ministry in various settings, such as school, religious education programs, hospitals and parishes.  All of the formation takes into consideration the human person.  Human growth and development is fostered by community living, workshops and other programs.  The formation of future priests includes practical learning as well, including courses related to preaching, celebration of the Sacraments and pastoral counseling.

Do priests take vows?

     Priests who belong to a religious order (like the Benedictines, Dominicans and Franciscans) take three vows:  poverty, chastity and obedience.  Diocesan priests make three promises:  prayer, celibacy and obedience.  These promises are a part of the ordination ceremony.  It is also expected that diocesan priests will lead a life of simplicity consonant with the people they serve.