Desire to be a diocesan priest

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Marcel1

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I Greet you all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I am Seminarian from Nigeria. Growing up, it has always been my desire to be a Roman Catholic Priest. When the time came for me to decide, it wasn’t difficult for me to make up my mind. Then, I didn’t know the difference between a religious and a diocesan priest. All I wanted was just to be a priest. Now, with the help of my spiritual director, I have come to realize that I will best serve God as a diocesan.
When eventually I got the courage to tell my rector about this, he was not happy. However, he promised that he will recommend me for any diocese I wish to join. My problem now is to get any diocese to listen to me. The rules here in my country are very stringent. I really desire to be a priest.
Reading through each story here, I feel encouraged to keep trying. I trust so much in God and his mother and I want you to do the same.

God bless us all.
 
Why is your rector resistant?
Why will you need to convince your diocese?
 
My Rector was not happy with my decision to leave. He felt i could make a good priest for my congregation. However, when I told him I had discussed with my spiritual director for over two years now and my mind was made up, he blessed me and promise to support my decision.

Secondly, in my country Nigeria, there are some stringent rules in joining a diocese: ethnic barrier is one, you must have attended the minor seminary of the diocese is another. I feel all these rules are because we have vocation boom currently in the country.
My greatest disappointment was when I called a vocation director that I wanted to see him and over the phone, he asked me, “what do you want to see me for?” And when I told him I wanted to discuss vocation issues with him. He told me the diocese will not take me and he hung up the phone.
 
Ohh I didnt know you were in formation for a religious order…

@Cloisters thoughts?

Additionally, there are a fair amount of African priests in America serving American dioceses- there are 3 in mine.
If you cannot get your own diocese to take you, try to contact a US diocese. They should be happy to have you
 
Thank you Sir/Rev. Am not sure of who you are.
Two weeks ago, a friend of mine in the US told of the need for priests in the US. He also advised me to apply. Well, I prayed over it through the Holy week. I felt maybe God never wanted me to quit trying. I called 3 dioceses in US but they all had similar stories. One told me they don’t admit seminarians across boarders. Another told me, “well, if you ever find your way to US and happen to stay two years in our diocese, we can consider you”.
If you know of any diocese that can consider me, you can tell me. I will be glad to read up on such diocese and pray to God, before applying.
 
So they won’t consider you because you are not from their preferred ethnic group? Is that right?
 
I’m a teenager 😂 I just know some things.

I’ll look around and see if I can get you in contact with an African priest from my diocese. I’ll PM you.
 
Except for Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja. other dioceses, you must be from that diocese by way of origin or you must have spent most part of your life living in that diocese.
 
There is a chatter from Ghana called @Swalezil pming me.

scrap that , he said he prefers Diocese.
 
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After my ordeal, I sure can teach a classroom of students about the call to religious life and diocesan life.
But, for anyone who wishes to serve God, I will advice such person to first and always talk to God in prayer.
I will contact him via email.
 
He says the seminary he attended only gave him a transcript for philosophy studies. So I guess he has to start again in a new seminary to become a priest, overseas
 
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Thank you. A transcript for philosophy here is equivalent to pre-theology overseas. However, it depends on what is contained in the transcript.
 
I wondered if it was like theology.

I have given him links to the arch Dioceses here . I am thinking it’s best if he emails and asks how to get into a seminary here.
 
Do you want the links too. I have no idea how we get all the foreign Priests but we get lots from Asia and India. We have some from Africa and no doubt will start to get more.
 
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