Diocesean, Jesuit, or OP?

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4givemeasinner

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I am in a bit of a flux right now. I am discerning a vocation to the priesthood with the hopes of being ordained and then entering the military chaplaincy. But I am caught in debate with myself. The diocesan priesthood it easier to be a military chaplain if you want. With the Jesuits, they seem to be the smartest and I have a great affinity for Ignation spirtuality. With the Dominicans, let’s face it, they have awesome robes. But apart from that, I feel Dominicans have retained more of the antiquity of the Church (in terms of liturgy, etc.(although so has the Jesuits))

Any helpful advice/red flags/arrow signs are appreciated.
 
There’s no “smartest”. 🙂 And Dominican scholarship is excellent! As for robes, that’s a joke, right? I hope the fashionable-ness of the uniform isn’t a real consideration.
 
4givemeasinner said:
I am in a bit of a flux right now. I am discerning a vocation to the priesthood with the hopes of being ordained and then entering the military chaplaincy. But I am caught in debate with myself. The diocesan priesthood it easier to be a military chaplain if you want. With the Jesuits, they seem to be the smartest and I have a great affinity for Ignation spirtuality. With the Dominicans, let’s face it, they have awesome robes. But apart from that, I feel Dominicans have retained more of the antiquity of the Church (in terms of liturgy, etc.(although so has the Jesuits))

Any helpful advice/red flags/arrow signs are appreciated.
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Boy, you are a programmed person.
Dont you leave something, I mean, a tiny little bit, for God to program?
Jesuits? Forget about plans! You must obey! If they say to you: “Go to China, tomorrow!” You go to China tomorrow. Or the slums of Calcutta. Or the Vatican. Or the United Nations.

Dominican for robes? Better go to Yves St-Laurent, Paris, France, Europe. They will make a Dominican robe 5 stars…

Parish Priest and Chaplain? Only if the Parish is in the middle of a Military base !!!

Sorry, as a person related to the 3, I could not be of more help.
Sorry, that is what I think: you should review the Your Program, which is full of virus…
What about letting God do the planning?
Tell you, He is a smart Programmer…
 
4givemeasinner said:
I am in a bit of a flux right now. I am discerning a vocation to the priesthood with the hopes of being ordained and then entering the military chaplaincy. But I am caught in debate with myself. The diocesan priesthood it easier to be a military chaplain if you want. With the Jesuits, they seem to be the smartest and I have a great affinity for Ignation spirtuality. With the Dominicans, let’s face it, they have awesome robes. But apart from that, I feel Dominicans have retained more of the antiquity of the Church (in terms of liturgy, etc.(although so has the Jesuits))

Any helpful advice/red flags/arrow signs are appreciated.
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If you are considering a vocation to the priesthood, I think that is great and I am glad to hear it. However, there are some things you need to work through. First, if you are interested in Dominican Spirituality, attracted to living and praying as a community, and living the life of a mendicant friar then you should look into the Order of Preachers further. If not, they are not for you. The Dominican order expects a great deal in terms of education and obedience. In fact some of the greatest Catholic universities in the world are run and staffed by Dominicans and the Holy Father’s personal theologian is always a Dominican friar. However, if you are attracted to the habit they wear or have strong opinions regarding where you wish to serve, the OP is likely not for you.

Yes, the Society of Jesus is very focused on education and formation of their priests. However, many orders and congregations expect much when it comes to education. If that is why you are attracted to them it may be more of an ego issue than it should be. If you are attracted to being sent anywhere in the world, probably by yourself, and Ignatian spirituality, then you might wish to consider the Jesuits. If not, then you need to look elsewhere.
 
4givemeasinner said:
I am in a bit of a flux right now. I am discerning a vocation to the priesthood with the hopes of being ordained and then entering the military chaplaincy. .
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Does the military have a preference? Have you spoken to a recruiter? Does your Diocese have a vocations director? How long until you graduate from HS?
 
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4givemeasinner:
I am in a bit of a flux right now. I am discerning a vocation to the priesthood with the hopes of being ordained and then entering the military chaplaincy. But I am caught in debate with myself. The diocesan priesthood it easier to be a military chaplain if you want. With the Jesuits, they seem to be the smartest and I have a great affinity for Ignation spirtuality. With the Dominicans, let’s face it, they have awesome robes. But apart from that, I feel Dominicans have retained more of the antiquity of the Church (in terms of liturgy, etc.(although so has the Jesuits))
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We definitely need military chaplains, but it is most important that you follow the vocation God has made for you. Vocations are not just about serving where there is a need, but about going where your needs will be met.
 
Dear 4givemeasinner,

Peace be with you – and thank you for taking this possible vocation seriously. Considering a vocation to the priesthood is a very selfless act!

I recently spent some time with the Jesuits, and I can tell you that they are a great order filled with wonderful people. That said, being in a religious order, you really need to have a strong love for the charism above all. Somewhat like you, I sort of chose the Jesuits because of their educational prowess, and then felt the spirituality was “good enough,” but it really has to be the other way around. A religious order cannot just be a vehicle to the kind of work you want to do. The charism of the order has to be your first love. This is true especially of the Jesuits, who are very open to your desires, but may have other ideas. For instance, my assistant novice director wanted to be a military chaplain, but he was asked to be asst. novice director for several years. Who knows if he will ever get to be a military chaplain. The Jesuits value obedience very highly, so you would really have to love the Jesuits in general more than you love the idea of one particular form of ministry.

Also, I don’t know if the Jesuits have retained “the antiquity of the Church” in terms of liturgy! Definitely not like the Dominicans have.

How firmly set are you on exploring military chaplaincy? I don’t know much about the military archdiocese which a previous poster linked to, but it seems to me to be the natural place to start if you know you want to do a military chaplaincy (as opposed to parish work, teaching, etc.). They need men and will be able to give you the special formation you need to do this work. If you have a love for education, all the better! An educated priest will be welcomed by any diocese and and be of value in any ministry.

Best wishes in your discernment, and Merry Christmas,
+AMDG+
 
If you’re calling is to military chaplaincy, then your path is diocesan. Once you’re military, you’ll do your own thing in seminary (for lack of a better phrase), but you’ll ultimately belong to the Archbishop of Military.

I’m in the Army. I hope you’ll go Army. We need so many combat chaplains, its unreal!
 
It shouldn’t be too hard to become a chaplain if you’re already a priest. That’s how it works, become a priest then become a chaplain. So all you have to do is become a priest of whatever kind will allow you most easily to go do military chaplaincy. It seems that would be the diocesan priesthood. After you’re ordained, it should be easy to become a chaplain as the military is really hurting for Catholic chaplains. Just make sure you’re in shape and you should be good to go after that. You have to meet the same physical and health requirements as anyone else.
 
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