Barred From Vocation/Seminary?

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Catholic4Jesus

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Are there certain things that would absolutely bar you from joining a Catholic seminary to discern a call? I heard there were a few things.

If you’ve ever had sex with someone?
If you’ve ever masturbated?
If you have debt to pay off including but not limited to (college loans, car payments, mortgage, credit card bills, house payments, and many others)?

Do these things bar you from a vocation or not?
And are there any other things that can bar you from a vocation?
 
No of course you would have to go to confession for the first two and not be active for two years before applying. When it comes to debt it is up to how your diocese deals with people in debt, normally they’ll cover it for you, but if you leave the debt will come right back to you.
 
intratext.com/IXT/ENG0017/_P3R.HTM

Canonical impediments to ordination

Irregularities
  • Mental illness that prevents fulfillment of the duties of the priesthood.
  • Physical incapacity to perform the rites of the Church. A priest must have his hands to celebrate the sacraments. He must also be able to ingest the wheat host and the wine. (A complete gluten intolerance, for example, is an impediment).
  • Apostasy, heresy or schism. Previous rejection of the faith which was public and notorious is an impediment.
  • Attempted marriage. The attempt to marry despite an existing valid marriage or vow of chastity, or the marriage to a woman who had an existing valid marriage or vow of chastity forms an irregularity even after the death of the spouse.
  • Participation in an abortion or murder. Any prior act, statement, financial or moral support which contributed positively to a specific case of successful abortion or murder is an impediment. This could include driving a woman to the abortion clinic or paying for her abortion. Paying taxes to a state that funds abortions would generally not be considered a “positive” contribution to the abortion.
  • Attempted suicide, self mutilation, or mutilation of others. Any premeditated attempt at suicide disqualifies one as a candidate for ordination. The act of mutilation must be performed “graviter et dolose” in order for it to be an impediment (cutting off a hand or foot, castration, etc.)
  • Attempt to perform an act proper to the priesthood or episcopate. This applies to acts such as hearing confessions, etc. when one has not received the proper ordination to do so.
Simple impediments to ordination
  • Previous marriage. This applies to Latin Rite priests and bishops and Eastern Catholic bishops only. All previous marriages must be declared null, or the spouse must have died. In the case of a deceased spouse, most bishops require that the children be raised to adulthood before the man can undertake a vocation to the priesthood.
  • Political office or other positions that a priest is not permitted to occupy. This impediment disappears as soon as the candidate is no longer in office.
  • Recent baptism. The bishop must determine when a newly baptized person is sufficiently mature in his faith to undertake an ordained ministry in the Church.
 
Original Poster, tell us what you think. Do you think that those things should bar a man from the seminary?
 
vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccatheduc/documents/rc_con_ccatheduc_doc_20051104_istruzione_en.html
In the light of such teaching, this Dicastery, in accord with the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, believes it necessary to state clearly that the Church, while profoundly respecting the persons in question, cannot admit to the seminary or to holy orders those who practise homosexuality, present deep-seated homosexual tendencies or support the so-called “gay culture”
Click to expand...
 
Likewise, I would imagine that, particularly in the West, those with (how do I put it?) other immoral sexual attractions would also be inordainable.
 
triumphguy said:
  • Recent baptism. The bishop must determine when a newly baptized person is sufficiently mature in his faith to undertake an ordained ministry in the Church.
Click to expand...
I miss the good ol’ days of St. Ambrose! 😃
 
Catholic4Jesus said:
Are there certain things that would absolutely bar you from joining a Catholic seminary to discern a call? I heard there were a few things.

If you’ve ever had sex with someone?
If you’ve ever masturbated?
If you have debt to pay off including but not limited to (college loans, car payments, mortgage, credit card bills, house payments, and many others)?

Do these things bar you from a vocation or not?
And are there any other things that can bar you from a vocation?
Click to expand...
Well the first would apply to anyone who was a widower with children…
 
Honestly, if you are discerning a vocation, I would make an appointment with a vocations director. While these questions are good, they need to be answered in a more private context. Vocations directors have good reasons for asking these kind of questions too, so don’t be offended.

However, I will give a few guidelines:
  1. Widowers and never married men are often asked whether or not they have been celibate for at least two years.
  2. Some dioceses (some, not all) will take men who have been divorced and annulled, but that is examined on a case-by-case basis.
  3. I know one diocese that asks recent converts to wait at least three years before applying to seminary.
  4. As far as debt, I do know that in the case of a widower, many dioceses want to make sure that all financial obligations to children are taken care of. This is why many widowers (and other “late” or “delayed” vocations) often do not begin formation until they are “empty nesters”.
With few exceptions, I have also seen more of the “later vocations” entering the Roman Catholic priesthood under the Pastoral Provision (i.e. converts from Episcopalian) whose children are grown and on their own.
 
Participation in an abortion or murder

This would include anything you do to advance,support or are indifferent to these causes. If you vote for someone who advocates these, then it would be a mortal sin. Through a Catholic’s baptismal promise, he is to be a crusader against these.
 
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