Help - Does God want me to become a priest?

[Thal59]

SpringBreeze, Gratias Grace,

I understand your point of view, but I still hold to what I have said. It is ,of course, my opinion and my prerogative. However, while I understand your separate points of view, I cannot help but feel that both of you are defining what it means to be “called” by God in too broad a sense. The examples you have given seem to be too all encompassing. Everything from a spiritual enlightenment from God to the most transitory casual thought in a man’s mind seems to qualify as a potential calling.

While we are all intended to be the children of God, we are not all called to the priesthood, which is what Christus Rex is concerned with.

Being called to the priesthood is no small matter; nor can it be compared to an individual being called to be a child of God. If the individual fails, he perils his soul. If the priest fails, he may endanger the souls of many. Also, the failure of a priest has greater ramifications than does the failure of the parishoner.

I have an uncle who is a retired Carmelite priest. He once told me that when he sins, he wil be punished for it twice as severely than someone who is not a priest because his sins also constitute sacrilege. Therefore, I cannot see a true calling to the priesthood as being something either casual on God’s part, or so shallow that the one being called would struggle with discerning whether or not he is being called at all.

One may resist accepting the call, out of fear or weak faith, but one would certainly know the call was given. But the theme of this thread is not… “God is calling me to be a priest, should I accept?” It is, rather, is God calling me at all?

Once again I offer that if one needs to converse with others about this, it is not a true calling. If it is a true calling, Christus Rex will answer it without our personal opinions, no matter how positive, or how suspicious they are.

Thal59

 

[love-bias]

God is calling me to be a Saint.
And my good passions inside are far more God-ordained than any “voices” in my head.

–this I might say, have I known since birth.

(Has anyone seen pics of JPII when he was only a young child? It really amazes me just how well I see “Shepherd” written on his forehead, even then!)

[images.google.com/images?q=tbn:7pqq2EBgIy0J:news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/38185000/jpg/_38185606_150pope_boy.jpg](http://images.google.com/imgres?img...v=/images?q=young+John+Paul+II&hl=en&lr=&sa=N)

:bounce: jason

P.s. Michael, what do you like, school-wise?

Did you ever really have a thing for Theology?

What about Counseling?

*Other *>>real life<< beings?

Is it (in all honesty) enjoyable to get inside heart and soul of another, and join them in an innate fellowship; while using personal control, self denial and hard-sought wisdom to try “digging them out of ditches” in existence? (Or at least guiding their feeble and blind hands so they might “free themselves”)

Michael, do you feel like being a Jesus Christ to flock of troublesome sheep, would be something you’d like to do in this lifetime? The rewards would be outstanding, I’m sure: to love is the best. (But there is more than one way to love.)

And in all truth, based on personal experiences, lemme tell ya: you can right now be a Jesus Christ to all beings, no matter what. You are already a Priest, Michael: now the question is would you prefer to work in a Church?

(I believe, in a way God has already spoken to most if not all of us at a very early age in life, regarding vocations and so forth. This is because I believe your vocation should match your self’s identity and likes and pleasures and so forth: thus if it may be true that, who we are now as persons is the same as who we were then as persons–the metaphysical soul not affected by outside forces–then it shouldn’t take many future “mishaps” etc to “point you in the right direction.” Maybe God spoke to Saints dramatically like this, not because God hadn’t revealed to them their destiny at a young age, but rather, because somehow the world tried to steel it from them; and they’d temporarily forgotten at an older age: God had to reawaken in them what God had given to them at BIRTH! Therefore search yourself. God is not a machinist trying to fit clay into “his” Grand Machine!!! Trinity has known all about you since long before your BIRTH.)

:twocents:

 

[love-bias]

heh heh, I can’t resist this one: did anyone catch my anti-Mason jib?

 

[Gratias_Grace]

Thal59:

I have an uncle who is a retired Carmelite priest.

Yes, but he is not the only priest in the world. Other priests may have other opinions!!!

Thal59:

Once again I offer that if one needs to converse with others about this, it is not a true calling. If it is a true calling, Christus Rex will answer it without our personal opinions, no matter how positive, or how suspicious they are.

Your opinion is not in line with (as an example) THE IRISH VINCENTIANS: They tell that it is difficult to know if one are called to be a priest: “It is difficult to ‘know’ if one has a vocation to priesthood. It really only begins to emerge over time, most especially in conversation with someone else. It is in conversation with someone else, perhaps a spiritual director or a ‘soul friend’ that one begins to discern the presence of God’s spirit through events, beliefs and feelings.”
vincentians.ie/vocation.htm

Rev. Edward A. Sousa, Jr. also tells that it was difficult to find out if he was called to be a priest: “I rememaber spending time in prayer asking God that if he was really calling me to the priesthood to please give me a sign by having that same question, “have you ever thought about priesthood?” asked to me again. However, this time I asked it to be from someone whom I would never expect if from and I asked for Our Lady’s intercession as well”.
catholicpriest.com/Priest_Stories/sousa_story.htm

"But God makes his will known slowly … " says Msgr. Len Lunney, Director of Vocations:
ecclesia-ottawa.org/god-calling060303.html

Isaac Huss,19, from Coon Rapids, Minnesota, and currently a freshman at the University of St. Thomas, living in St. John Vianney Seminary also has something to say:
10000vocations.org/content.asp?id=577

Fr. Bill Byrne, ordained in 1994 puts it this way: “People often ask me when I decided to be a priest, and I respond, “my third year of seminary.” They look surprised as if I should have known the day I entered. It takes years of seminary to certify the initial desire to be a priest. That’s why seminaries exist”:
adw.org/vocations/priest_today.asp

I will stop the rattling off here. From the ones quoted it is clear that it is not so easy to know if God is calling someone to become a priest!!! :bible1:

Internet is a modern form of comunicating with others. It can not compensate for talks between people in real life, but it can be a place to start. I think it was wise of ‘Cristus Rex’ to start here :tiphat: (and I hope he is still listening to the discussion)!

 

[springbreeze]

Thal59:

SpringBreeze, Gratias Grace,

I understand your point of view, but I still hold to what I have said. It is ,of course, my opinion and my prerogative. However, while I understand your separate points of view, I cannot help but feel that both of you are defining what it means to be “called” by God in too broad a sense. The examples you have given seem to be too all encompassing. Everything from a spiritual enlightenment from God to the most transitory casual thought in a man’s mind seems to qualify as a potential calling.

While we are all intended to be the children of God, we are not all called to the priesthood, which is what Christus Rex is concerned with.

Being called to the priesthood is no small matter; nor can it be compared to an individual being called to be a child of God. If the individual fails, he perils his soul. If the priest fails, he may endanger the souls of many. Also, the failure of a priest has greater ramifications than does the failure of the parishoner.

I have an uncle who is a retired Carmelite priest. He once told me that when he sins, he wil be punished for it twice as severely than someone who is not a priest because his sins also constitute sacrilege. Therefore, I cannot see a true calling to the priesthood as being something either casual on God’s part, or so shallow that the one being called would struggle with discerning whether or not he is being called at all.

One may resist accepting the call, out of fear or weak faith, but one would certainly know the call was given. But the theme of this thread is not… “God is calling me to be a priest, should I accept?” It is, rather, is God calling me at all?

Once again I offer that if one needs to converse with others about this, it is not a true calling. If it is a true calling, Christus Rex will answer it without our personal opinions, no matter how positive, or how suspicious they are.

Thal59

Dear friend

You are entitled to your opinion, it is yours afterall.

Your opinion, however is not what I have experienced on broader terms. God doesn’t hit people on the forehead and say ‘hey you, be a Priest!’ It isn’t that direct, there isn’t such an exact KNOWING straight away, just as Christ Jesus didn’t lie in the manger knowing all the kings and shepherds names, nor knew from day one He was the Messiah, it was a constant revelation to Him and so it is for the Priest, God reveals to the man what God has chosen for his calling, his vocation in life and God being so very silent and gentle reveals this slowly and kindly to the heart, usually beginning with an attraction and a notion in childhood, that may get ignored after that for sometime, but either way God will continue to draw that person to Himself…still we as humans with freewill can reject the calling.

God Bless you and much love and peace to you

Teresa

 

[Thal59]

SpringBreeze: >>God doesn’t hit people on the forehead and say ‘hey you, be a Priest!’ It isn’t that direct, there isn’t such an exact KNOWING straight away<<

I never implied one was “hit” with a calling and knew it immediately. I simply state that if one is “called,” one will know it and follow it regardless of the opinions of others. How it plays out or how long it takes is up to the individual case.

Gratias Crace: >>Fr. Bill Byrne, ordained in 1994 puts it this way: “People often ask me when I decided to be a priest, and I respond, “my third year of seminary.” They look surprised as if I should have known the day I entered. It takes years of seminary to certify the initial desire to be a priest. That’s why seminaries exist”:<<

All of your quotes are well taken, however take a look at the one above. Fr.Bill Byrne was asked “when he decided,” and he replied “…the initial desire.” In other words, he may not have been called, he may very well have **decided **to become a priest on his own personal desire to commit himself to God.

I suppose what is at issue here is the notion that anyone entering a religious order is called. I do not believe so. Many enter such religious orders out of their own personal desire to serve the Lord and humanity. To me, a calling occurs when God moves a person into a unique role in life, not necessarily a religious order, because God has a special task He wants them to accomplish.

The nun who was the principal of my Catholic elementary school may not have been “called” into the sisterhood as her life of service, while admirable, could have been offered by virtually anyone. But not everyone could have succeeded where St. Faustina did. If you read her diary, she was definately “called” to be the saint she became. And, she endured much opposition from within and without.

I suppose the problem is that I feel too many people are willing to call any personal desire or inclination of religious nature a “calling.” It is almost as if people want to say that I am a religious because God himself has personally called me out from among the masses. (There is an element of arrogance in that.) It is almost as if no one wants to say that I have become a priest or a nun, not because God has called me, but because I have called out to Him of my own free will.

Most vocations come from one’s own free will, not a calling. One does not need to be called to enter a religious life; personal desire to better serve the Lord is justification enough.

Thal59

 

[Gratias_Grace]

Thal59:

I suppose the problem is that I feel too many people are willing to call any personal desire or inclination of religious nature a “calling.” It is almost as if people want to say that I am a religious because God himself has personally called me out from among the masses. (There is an element of arrogance in that.) It is almost as if no one wants to say that I have become a priest or a nun, not because God has called me, but because I have called out to Him of my own free will.

Most vocations come from one’s own free will, not a calling. One does not need to be called to enter a religious life; personal desire to better serve the Lord is justification enough.

Thal59!

I **do understand ** the problems you ty to rise. It’s like you are saying that not every one that is a priest, nun etc are called to it. Some became priests because they wanted it!

Well, so be it! Neither you nor I have tools to find out wich ones of our priests that wanted it so much that they became priests without feeling that they had a call. AND I want to add: How can we know if it wasn’t Gods work that those whom had no feelings of having a special call to be priests, became priests because God wanted it to be so? (They can have been called in a more subtil and quiet way).

All this will end up in meaningless speculations. A priest is a priest when he is ordained. What circumstances that brought him there has nothing to do with the reality that when ordained priest he is a priest.

I do not agree that there **has to be ** an element of arrogance in being chosen. Many will probably feel it like a burden to have to leave the life they want to live behind and to follow the way God has chosen for them instead.Remember Moses? He did not jump for joy when God called him!

(Some may feel some sort of arrogance, but that is their sins that they have to confess and get Gods grace to get rid of (like everyone else need Gods grace to overcome their sins). The priests, too, need God’s GRACE to grow!

Arrogance can show itself at many levels. To submit a massive statement that ‘Cristus Rex’ has no real call to pristhood because he askes about what we think about his “voices”, can also be called some sort of arrogance! YOU KNOW BEST! You don’t! (I only mention this, not to say that you really are arrogant, but to demonstrate that the sins one sees in others very likely affects oneselves, too)!

What happend to those who wanted to be BEST and challenged Gods chosen authority, Moses, in the wildernes? Miriam, Korah?Do you remember? (Fortunately we live in the New Covenant with God now (after the resurrection) but still we can learn much from looking at what happend in OT )!

I still admire ‘Christus Rex’ for his courage to ask his questions in the forum. That, I will call humility, not arrogance!!! (He seem to demonstrate a will to be obediant to God! He dosen’t want to mistake what may be own fault (voices produced by himself for some reason) for someone else’s, God’s. He had no problems admitting that he felt confused in his understanding of what had happend to him)!

No one in this forum is qualified to atribute those voices to God or to someone else (the information that was given was not very strong)!

The only thing we can do, are to advice him to contact people in AUTHORTY out there in the real life, to help him (get his health examined, arrange for regularly guidance by a priest that he trusts and to concider if he should take a year off from school to get some time to mature. The last (i.e. take a year off from school to mature) I can say with authoroty, **at a general level **, because I have worked with youth and young adults. But neither I, you or the others that has written on this thread can look through the monitor and see him. He has to **seek out ** profesionals in the real world to get the help he need to go on with his life as someone who prepare for priesthood or for some other way to serve God.

Now that he has asked questions at Internet, like wise people do in our modern time (when they are in situations where they feel uncertain), I hope we have given him some food for thougth, so he is better prepared for the talks with priest, doctor, parents, friends etc, than he was before!

As far as I am concerned: CASE IS CLOSED (for my participation on this topic)!

 

[Thal59]

Gratias Grace.

I do not agree that there **has to be **an element of arrogance in being chosen. <<

I never said there 'has to be." You are responding to my post like a Protestant. (Are you a cradle Catholic, or a convert to the faith?) What I mean by that is; whenever I debated with Protestants on their websites, I would say something in a theoretical manner, and they would pounce on it as if I spoke in concrete terms. You have done the same thing…

Thal59 - I suppose the problem is that I feel too many people are willing to call any personal desire or inclination of religious nature a “calling.” It is almost as if people want to say that I am a religious because God himself has personally called me out from among the masses. (There is an element of arrogance in that.) It is almost as if no one wants to say that I have become a priest or a nun, not because God has called me, but because I have called out to Him of my own free will.

Gratias Grace -

1. I do not agree that there **has to be **an element of arrogance in being chosen.
2. Some may feel some sort of arrogance…
3. Arrogance can show itself at many levels. To submit a massive statement that ‘Christus Rex’ has no real call to pristhood because he askes about what we think about his “voices”, can also be called some sort of arrogance! YOU KNOW BEST! You don’t! (I only mention this, not to say that you really are arrogant, but to demonstrate that the sins one sees in others very likely affects oneselves, too)!

Your replies are all predicated on the notion that I was accusing someone of arrogance, which I never did. And so, having been against my posts from the beginning of this thread, you decided to attack and call me arrogant in spite of the double-tongued remark you tried to use to mask your stance against me.

What happend to those who wanted to be BEST and challenged Gods chosen authority, Moses, in the wildernes? Miriam, Korah?Do you remember?<<

What? Moses challenged Gods authority??? Miriam too? I understand Korah challenging the authority of Moses and Aaron, but I have no idea as to what you are talking about regarding the Moses and Miriam examples.

I still admire ‘Christus Rex’ for his courage to ask his questions in the forum. That, I will call humility, not arrogance!!!<<

Again, you are inferring that I called his questioning of his possible calling arrogance and I never did.

No one in this forum is qualified to atribute those voices to God or to someone else (the information that was given was not very strong)!<<

No one has professed to be qualified; you are taking all of this much too personally, which is odd since you are not the one who started this thread.

The only thing we can do, are to advice him to contact people in AUTHORTY out there in the real life, to help him (get his health examined, arrange for regularly guidance by a priest that he trusts and to concider if he should take a year off from school to get some time to mature. The last (i.e. take a year off from school to mature) I can say with authoroty, **at a general level **, because I have worked with youth and young adults. But neither I, you or the others that has written on this thread can look through the monitor and see him. He has to seek out profesionals in the real world to get the help he need to go on with his life as someone who prepare for priesthood or for some other way to serve God.<<

All of this may be valid, or it may be worthless; it is all your personal opinion. Just as my words are my opinion. Christus Rex asked a question. Some said yes, some said maybe, some offered advice, one said probably not. It doesn’t matter what you think of my opinion as I didn’t give it to you. You decided that I was wrong and that you would stand against my opinion and fight to the end.

As far as I am concerned: CASE IS CLOSED (for my participation on this topic)!<<

That’s a good idea. No offense, but you are letting your anger get the best of you. You may not have intended it, but this last post of yours really seems to shout in anger, or maybe its just me.

Strangely enough, while a handful of people have stood against me on this issue; certain that I am wrong and almost adamantly set against my opinions, the one person who has not replied in a confrontational manner is Christus Rex.

Thal59

 

[springbreeze]

Thal59:

Gratias Grace.

I do not agree that there **has to be **an element of arrogance in being chosen. <<

I never said there 'has to be." You are responding to my post like a Protestant. (Are you a cradle Catholic, or a convert to the faith?) What I mean by that is; whenever I debated with Protestants on their websites, I would say something in a theoretical manner, and they would pounce on it as if I spoke in concrete terms. You have done the same thing…

Thal59 - I suppose the problem is that I feel too many people are willing to call any personal desire or inclination of religious nature a “calling.” It is almost as if people want to say that I am a religious because God himself has personally called me out from among the masses. (There is an element of arrogance in that.) It is almost as if no one wants to say that I have become a priest or a nun, not because God has called me, but because I have called out to Him of my own free will.

Gratias Grace -

1. I do not agree that there **has to be **an element of arrogance in being chosen.
2. Some may feel some sort of arrogance…
3. Arrogance can show itself at many levels. To submit a massive statement that ‘Christus Rex’ has no real call to pristhood because he askes about what we think about his “voices”, can also be called some sort of arrogance! YOU KNOW BEST! You don’t! (I only mention this, not to say that you really are arrogant, but to demonstrate that the sins one sees in others very likely affects oneselves, too)!

Your replies are all predicated on the notion that I was accusing someone of arrogance, which I never did. And so, having been against my posts from the beginning of this thread, you decided to attack and call me arrogant in spite of the double-tongued remark you tried to use to mask your stance against me.

What happend to those who wanted to be BEST and challenged Gods chosen authority, Moses, in the wildernes? Miriam, Korah?Do you remember?<<

What? Moses challenged Gods authority??? Miriam too? I understand Korah challenging the authority of Moses and Aaron, but I have no idea as to what you are talking about regarding the Moses and Miriam examples.

I still admire ‘Christus Rex’ for his courage to ask his questions in the forum. That, I will call humility, not arrogance!!!<<

Again, you are inferring that I called his questioning of his possible calling arrogance and I never did.

No one in this forum is qualified to atribute those voices to God or to someone else (the information that was given was not very strong)!<<

No one has professed to be qualified; you are taking all of this much too personally, which is odd since you are not the one who started this thread.

The only thing we can do, are to advice him to contact people in AUTHORTY out there in the real life, to help him (get his health examined, arrange for regularly guidance by a priest that he trusts and to concider if he should take a year off from school to get some time to mature. The last (i.e. take a year off from school to mature) I can say with authoroty, **at a general level **, because I have worked with youth and young adults. But neither I, you or the others that has written on this thread can look through the monitor and see him. He has to seek out profesionals in the real world to get the help he need to go on with his life as someone who prepare for priesthood or for some other way to serve God.<<

All of this may be valid, or it may be worthless; it is all your personal opinion. Just as my words are my opinion. Christus Rex asked a question. Some said yes, some said maybe, some offered advice, one said probably not. It doesn’t matter what you think of my opinion as I didn’t give it to you. You decided that I was wrong and that you would stand against my opinion and fight to the end.

As far as I am concerned: CASE IS CLOSED (for my participation on this topic)!<<

That’s a good idea. No offense, but you are letting your anger get the best of you. You may not have intended it, but this last post of yours really seems to shout in anger, or maybe its just me.

Strangely enough, while a handful of people have stood against me on this issue; certain that I am wrong and almost adamantly set against my opinions, the one person who has not replied in a confrontational manner is Christus Rex.

Thal59

Dear friend

Ever heard of having the last word?

Just kidding

God Bless you and much love and peace to you

Teresa

 

[Gratias_Grace]

My dearest Thal59!

Thal59:

What? Moses challenged Gods authority??? Miriam too? I understand Korah challenging the authority of Moses and Aaron, but I have no idea as to what you are talking about regarding the Moses and Miriam examples.

Good you know about the Korah-rebellion against Moses authority! Miriams rebellion was of the same kind. God punished her with leprosy for challenging the authoroty of Moses. (Numbers 12:1-16).

Thal59:

Gratias Grace.

As far as I am concerned: CASE IS CLOSED (for my participation on this topic)!<<

That’s a good idea. No offense, but you are letting your anger get the best of you. You may not have intended it, but this last post of yours really seems to shout in anger, or maybe its just me.

I appreciate your sence of humor: Without knowing me you label my emotions: “---- you are letting your anger get the best of you”.

Case **is ** closed for **my participation ** on the topic ‘Christus Rex’ introduced. I have given him my advice, (that’s what he asked for). There is no need for me to continue the conversation. My warmest thoughts and my prayers is sent for *Christus Rex’ to get the help he need in this stage of his life.

But of course you and the others are free to continue if you want to!

My best wishes!

 

[Joysong]

Christus Rex,

Are you still around?

 

[Christus_Rex]

Hello everyone!

Thank you for SO MANY replies! I’d left it because I thought that people had finished with this thread, but I’m so glad I was wrong.

Thal59, you are so wrong! I don’t know many Catholics. I’m 14, and none of my friends at school are Catholic, I cna’t talk to them about it. Most would laugh if I said I wanted to become a priest. I would not be comfortable talking to my parents about it and I’ve recently started going to a new church, and i have to get to know the priest and the parishioners before I can start to talk to them about a discerning vocation. I came on this forum to seek advice form other Catholics, some who may be having/ have had the same experience as me.

Some of the advice I’ve had on here is great.

I’ve always had a passion to help people. I’m a kind, friendly, empathetic person and I’ve always been able to advise people with their problems. When I heard the “voice” (it wasn’t so much a voice) it just fitted so well with my personality, what I want to do with my time on this Earth.

Some of the people who replied about the “voice” seemed to think it was some kind of mental voice. It wasn’t, it just popped out of nowhere. That’s why I was so confused as to whether **I **was the one who ‘thought’ it, or whether God was speaking to me.

I’ve always wanted to be a father, but I am willing to give that up to father Christ’s flock if that is what he wants.

I did not come on here to seek approval, I came here to see what people thought and to get some encouragement which I can not get in my home.

Thank you to all who supported me, and advised me to pray, I hope that people will keep me in their prayers.

Michael http://forum.catholic.com/images/smilies/prayer/praying.gif

PS. Teresa, which county are you in? Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire or Yorkshire?

 

[Lux_et_veritas]

Michael, one thing I would encourage you to do is to find a spiritual director, but not just any spiritual director. Because you feel that Pope Benedict is great, I would encourage you to find an orthodox spiritual director in your area. Orthodox meaning a priest who adheres to the Magisterium and Vicar of Christ.

Maybe Call to Holiness can help you find such a priest in your area. There are things happening in seminaries that can really hurt a well-intended, orthodox minded young man. Read on for more info, followed by Call to Holiness link.

Scroll down to a Pastor’s Descant by Fr. Eduard Perrone

diocesereport.com/the_record/2002_10_06_archive.shtml

Click the “about CTH” to understand what kind of priests and laity are involved in this organization founded by the author of the above article. Fr. Perrone is also featured in the book “Priest” which chronicles 10 good priests. I’ll post a link below which gives you something else to ponder when you look just a little at what is said about him. I have the book and the Chapter on him was really interesting when it got into the details of what he had to stand up against. He is pastor of Assumption Grotto where I’m planning on joining just a few miles from my home.

calltoholiness.com/

Scroll down to “Hello, Good Men”, then you’ll find just a sampling of what is in Michael S. Rose’s book on him. The key you will find, is a prayerful life and nothing stops you from trying that out now. But find yourself a priest who is prayerful. Call to Holiness can help you do that.

catholic.com/thisrock/2004/0409revw.asp

I’ll probably take some heat for putting this info up, but I’d hate to see yet another orthodox Catholic young man wind up in a tempest. If you contact CTH, ask them for a list of seminaries they deem “safe”. There is a rise in interest in young people with orthodox Catholicism and I believe it is the work of the Holy Spirit.

God bless and pray.

 

[Ter]

Hi Michael,

First off, don’t feel you have to discuss this with your family, friends etc. yet. After all at 14 you can’t really do anything concrete about it for a few years at least. It is important, though that you try & go mass frequently (daily if possible) and read up. I would recommend reading the lives of St. John Bosco & St. John Vianney, two great priests. I used to always pray to God that I would “discover my true vocation”.

When I was sixteen (about to sit my Junior Cert) I told my mother that it didn’t matter what subjects I studied for the Leaving Cert because I was going to be a nun. She told me that no convent would take me until I’d finished college so I should pick my subjects & college course as though that was going to be my career. I believed her & didn’t mention my possible vocation to my parents again until after I finished college, had started work (I decided I would have to work for a few years to pay back my parents for the cost of college & that if after working I still felt I should be a nun, then it was likely a ‘real’ vocation) & was attending a discernment program. In school, when people (teachers etc.) asked what I was going to do I told them I was going to be an accountant, which is what I studied in College. It is was not their business whether I became a nun & that avoided all the tedious conversations of them trying to talk me out of it 'cos I was ‘so intelligent with such a bright future’, which I woud be throwing away. Of course, Ireland having no college fees made my choice to attend college & then enter a lot easier.

The fact that the thought of becoming a priest keeps coming back is often a sign that it is what God wants you to do. I would investigate the priesthood, while at the same time making subject/college choices as if what you are doing will be your career - you can always refuse a college place, or defer for a year, while you do a ‘live-in’ with a religious order or something. There are many possibilities depending on whether you want to be a diocesian or order priest.

 

[Lux_et_veritas]

Ter:

Hi Michael,

First off, don’t feel you have to discuss this with your family, friends etc. yet.

I’m now recalling how things were when I was young. I never did tell my mother or father that I was considering the Franciscan Sistershood until the decision was made laughs and I was 18, headed out the door to a European country laughs harder. I worked with the priests.

In my case, my Dad wasn’t the issue, it was my mother. Dad was a devout Catholic and although he would have loved to see me married, I think he was actually proud to have a child enter religious life. But mom was another story. She went to church weekly, but this just wasn’t her bag and she couldn’t comprehend it. I wanted to make my decision without any influence from my family. It was between me and God and I finally decided to limit my discussions with the priests and sisters I had befriended. They helped me to discern.

I stayed in that convent for over 2 years and it killed me to leave and come back home, but I had been sickly. I was to go back into a convent here in the US, but at the time I was still getting ill with different things (non life-threatening, but costly).

I was exhausted physically and mentally and let my mother get the best of me and never finished really discerning the way I should have. I don’t know if my sick health would have been interpreted by them as sick enough health to not return. I have deep regrets in not trying to find out.

For this reason, I agree above that sometimes it is best to stick to your spiritual director(s).

Make use of email and get to know members from different orders and get guidance that way too. If you are really comfortable with your parents and they are open to Holy Orders, then by all means include them in discussion, but it is a life choice only you can make and if anything they say makes you uncomfortable then don’t discuss it with them.

 

[Kyenta]

Christus Rex,

Only 14 and already so understanding of the Catholic faith. I am just letting you know that I am proud of you.

I know what you mean by “voice” and it isn’t something heard but felt. You have years ahead to grow in mental strength, and continue deep prayer if a vocation to the Priesthood is for you.

I have many family members who are either nuns or priests and they are the happiest members of the family. Being a priest is not an easy life and is full of sacrifice but what greater sacrifice is there for God? The Blessed Mother is especially powerful for her children - the priests.

There are some wonderful websites you can read. The one that comes to mind is Legionaires of Christ and their stories of how these men were called to the Priesthood. They are wonderful and you might identify with some of them. One well known Legionaire is Fr. John Bartunek LC. He is a beautiful soul and has spoken quite a bit on television during our Holy Fathers death.

I will keep you in my prayers. Pray before the Blessed Sacrament. In time, you will receive the knowledge you need.
Yours in Christ,
Keyenta

 

[Christus_Rex]

Kyenta:

Christus Rex,

Only 14 and already so understanding of the Catholic faith. I am just letting you know that I am proud of you.

I know what you mean by “voice” and it isn’t something heard but felt. You have years ahead to grow in mental strength, and continue deep prayer if a vocation to the Priesthood is for you.

Thank you!

You’ve put into words exactly what I meant, it was something felt not heard - you’ve summed it up perfectly!

Thank you everyone who is keeping me in their prayers.

Michael