To begin, one seriously prays about it. Everyone who does not yet know their vocation should be praying about it and should be completely open to God’s plan for them.
Next, if a person feels even a little bit of a tug toward the priesthood, he should talk to the vocations director of his diocese. I know in my diocese we have a great retreat for anybody who is thinking about the priesthood.
After retreats, prayer, talking to priests/religious (especially vocations directors), one discerns an even deeper feeling that he called to the priesthood, he should begin the application process to join the seminary through an order or diocese. One thing that has helped many of the guys that are in seminary with me is the reminder that the seminary is not a “priest making factory.” No one here seriously
knows that God wants him to be a priest–it is our uncertainty that makes us more open to God’s plan. In fact, after being in the seminary for over a yeat, I am actually
less sure about what God wants me to do, and it’s an awesome, trusting feeling that I have!
So there is definitely a reason that God places feelings of priesthood in a person’s heart. The only way to know that reason is to ask Him.
–Timothy
P.S. You may private message me, e-mail me, or contact me via AIM if you would like to talk more about the call to be a priest, about the seminary, or about spiritual life in general. I’m no expert, but I’m a companion on the journey.
I’ve also written various things about my vocation story:
geocities.com/bluemit11/articles/seminary.html
geocities.com/bluemit11/articles/answerpanel2.html
geocities.com/bluemit11/articles/answerpanel6.html
geocities.com/bluemit11/articles/fulfillment.html