Discernment and application file?

[Justin1224]

Starting when I was a tween, I wanted to be a priest. For a many years thats all I was focusing on. I graduated from a public high school in 1994 and then enrolled at Magdalen College. I was a member of the class of 1998. In the spring of 1999 I got in touch with our diocesan seminarian director and gave me the application materirals and also invided me to a weekend retreat with the other seminarians of the diocese. I was slowing working on my application so it would be perfect. It was almost 30 pages. Just before this retreat I also had my psychological evaluation. Later in the summer I made a couple visit to the seminary in Boston, and had an interview. They felt I was not ready. Just before the following lent I went to visit st. Mary’s in Baltimore. They also deemed me not ready to enter the seminary. So I continued to discern. In 2004 I starting going to a discernment evening with other men every other week. On Easter Friday 2005, the assisant vocation director called me to talk to me about how he and the other vocation director came to the conclusion that they didn’t think I had a vocation to the diocesan priesthood. I wonder now 5 years later, do you think the diocese still has a file with my application and evaluation and all?

 

[Sister_Rose]

I don’t know whether they still would have your application or if that had an effect on your acceptance. This may be something you’d have to ask them about. Before you do ask them about specifics though, you may want to prepare yourself. It may not be what you want to hear.
You could try asking them, if they do not think you are called to the diocesan priesthood, what they think you could be called to.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

While they might not have a list of all those turned away so long ago there is a question that is standard on all applications. That of whether or not you have applied before and been turned down.

You should answer that honestly.