Becoming an emotional wreck waiting for response from my Bishop

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So on Wednesday I went in front of an interview panel to see if I have a vocation to the Priesthood, after four years of discerning and going through the hurdles with the Vocations Director and doing a Psychological Exam i’m just emotionally exhausted. After doing all this for so long to then sit face with the Bishop, two lay women and another Priest for an interview, it feels bizarre.

On top of this I feel as if the interview went horribly, I think looking back that I didn’t make myself clear, I repeated myself a few times and that it only lasted only 10 minutes or so. The fact that it was sorter than I expected than it was concerns me.

I also worry about my grades, I haven’t went to university, I dropped the ball when it came to the end of Secondary School and that I also only made the minimum requirement for the amount of grades you need to enter seminary. I made it up however by going to a technical and doing a few courses there which helped me.

Now I have to wait for the letter from Bishop on whether I am in or not and it makes me just so nervous and scared what the response is. I just constantly thinking hes going to say no and that will hurt very badly.

I write this just to get my feelings off my chest and if anyone had to go through this, could you tell me of your experience. I also ask please pray for because right now I need it.

Many thanks.
 
I wish you luck with your vocation, may God’s will be done.
 
Sounds emotionally draining! Saying a prayer for you now.

Merciful Savior, please bring peace and guidance to this soul that wishes to serve you.
 
Catholic_Nation said:
So on Wednesday I went in front of an interview panel to see if I have a vocation to the Priesthood, after four years of discerning and going through the hurdles with the Vocations Director and doing a Psychological Exam i’m just emotionally exhausted. After doing all this for so long to then sit face with the Bishop, two lay women and another Priest for an interview, it feels bizarre.

On top of this I feel as if the interview went horribly, I think looking back that I didn’t make myself clear, I repeated myself a few times and that it only lasted only 10 minutes or so. The fact that it was sorter than I expected than it was concerns me.

I also worry about my grades, I haven’t went to university, I dropped the ball when it came to the end of Secondary School and that I also only made the minimum requirement for the amount of grades you need to enter seminary. I made it up however by going to a technical and doing a few courses there which helped me.

Now I have to wait for the letter from Bishop on whether I am in or not and it makes me just so nervous and scared what the response is. I just constantly thinking hes going to say no and that will hurt very badly.

I write this just to get my feelings off my chest and if anyone had to go through this, could you tell me of your experience. I also ask please pray for because right now I need it.

Many thanks.
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I pray they accept you. God knows Ireland needs the priesthood vocations.

Blessings,
Cloisters
 
I can understand your concerns. I spent the last two years of my secondary schooling discussing my possible vocation; the psych. tests, the interviews. Everything was in order to go to the seminary the next year. During my last exams I had a bad period of asthma attacks which left me in the ICU every Saturday during my exam period. I did well enough to get three scholarships to University; two federal; one State. I turned them down as I was going into the Seminary for seven years. Then I got a call from my advisor, saying they had become aware of my poor health during the last two months. They then told me that due to the asthma I would not be able to cope with the rigors of the first three years of the Seminary life in the Blue Mountains just outside of Sydney.
I explained that I had not applied to Uni and had rejected three scholarships only the month before on the understanding given in writing that my application was accepted. Too bad was the response. You can apply again next year when your asthma may not be as bad.
I have never forgotten the charity and compassion shown to me by the Archdiocesan authorities.
Went on to gain degrees in Philosophy; Psychology and Law;successful career;and happily married for over twenty years with a great son. If God does not want it, it will not happen. But don’t think that rejection is the end of the world. It is just God’s way of opening other doors. Pray for His Will only, not yours.
 
You have my prayers and support. I can only imagine the exhaustion!
Try not to read too much into each and every part of the process; it will make you batty!!!:eek:

When waiting for an acceptance letter to a program that I applied for and then for the board exam for licensure I made myself crazy with self-doubt and worse case scenarios. Everything worked out and I completed my program and passed the board exam with flying colours!!!👍

But, not everything has gone the way I wanted it to go. There have been job opportunities that I thought were great for me and I have been devastated when I was not chosen, but do you know what? It has ALWAYS been for the best; although it didn’t seem so at the time! :rolleyes:

Everything happens for a reason. Keep your head up. Place your trust in God and know that His will always prevails! Praying for your peace of mind during this rigorous process!God bless you! Peace and all good! 🙂
 
I had no idea it was such a rigorous process to discern a vocation and It sounds extremely stressful. You have had some good thoughts on this thread and I wish you the very best.
 
I can relate somewhat to what you are going through as I just completed my aspirancy year of the permanent diaconate and I am waiting to hear from the Bishop too.

Let me tell you what helped me. While sitting in front of the Eucharist, I realized that this was not about me at all. Me being accepted or not into the diaconate formation was not about me or what I want, but what God wants. I believe the same applies to you as well. We can’t control what the Bishop, the Church and our heavenly Father decide, as God controls all of this.

I know it is easier said than done, but if you trust God, let the worry go. If you can’t let the worry go, then possibly you need to look deeper and reflect on why that is the case. Talk with your spiritual director as they may be able to help with that reflection if it is needed.

I will keep you in my prayers. Whatever God decides though, it will be awesome!

Peace,

John
 
Catholic_Nation said:
Now I have to wait for the letter from Bishop on whether I am in or not and it makes me just so nervous and scared what the response is. I just constantly thinking hes going to say no and that will hurt very badly.

I write this just to get my feelings off my chest and if anyone had to go through this, could you tell me of your experience. I also ask please pray for because right now I need it.
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I know this feeling only too well! The first thing I’ll say is that if you’re at this stage, it’s a good sign. to put it another way, if you were a hopeless case then they’d have told you so by now. What’s important to remember is that this isn’t a job interview and so they’re not looking for perfect candidates or men who are ready to be ordained. What they are looking for is material that they can work with and form into a man who is ready to be ordained - a process that takes a number of years, and for good reason. While I certainly sympathise with Petaro’s experience, from my own experience (as well as observing others’) I would say that things have (mostly) changed for the better.

It may well be that you bishop does have some concerns but if he does and even if this means that you are not accepted then it is far more likely to be “not now” rather than “not ever” - discernment is as much about when as it is what. Of course even being told that is far from easy to accept - rejection sucks in other words - but often it is for the better (certainly that was my experience).

Finally, on a note of optimism, like you I sweated out the weeks of uncertainty as I waited to hear from my bishop - even though everything had gone well during the interviews. In the end though it all turned out fine. Feel free to PM me if you think it might help.
 
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