How do you know God is calling you to be a priest?

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WhiteDove359

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Im 20 years old , and I belong to the Latin-Right/Roman Catholic Church in the United States. Im not doing well in college, im haveing a hard time getting through even high school level math. I know with some extra hard work, ill be able to pass it. but anways… lately ive been thinking about priesthood. ive atending RCIA clases with my friend who is a canidate and my other friend who is a sponcor ( im neither cause im already catholic) and its been an inspireing expereince for me. Ive been listening to music from Casting Crowns, and that really makes me feel moved. ive been going to mass every day, every weekday (thas what im doing for lent, but i started monday) and i go to confession weekly and atend the vigil mass and the mass on sundays. i spend countless hours on this site reading up on the faith, and im reading books such as, catholicism for dummies, the joy of priesthood by Fr. Stephen J. Rossetti, and im going to read the book, 101 inspriational stories of the preisthood, by sister patricia proctor, osc. ive read briefly about the Eucharstic Mircials, and its shocking.

Ive been thiking a lot about my future. so far ive had basicly a single life. no matter how much ive tryed i cant ever get a girl friend. i had one once, but it was a stupid high schol thing that lasted a month so it dosent count. however the ironic thing is, 80% of my friends are girls, and ive always gotton along better with them, and have always felt more comefortable with them. but im starting to feel like ill never get married, and no one has or wil ever love me…

the thing that got me started thinking about pristhood was midnight mass during christmas. ive had a very VERY powerful spirtual experince during mass. i mean, wouldent you when you just started comeing back to the church after 10 years, and 4 priest and 2 deacons walk up to the altar during the hym " o come all ye faithful" and kneel at the Altar at the same time? lol, that was very spirtual to me. and its left a scar on me. ive been saying to my self… “i wish i could do that” “I wish i could be as strong as him in faith” " i want to be able to help people grow spiritualy" “i want to get involved with the church but not sure how”

my heart just got so lifted up that night. and yes. from time to time its forgotton about that moment, but when i think of it now, it feels like its still there. its hard to explain…

i started praying the Rosary every night on mon-wed, and friday. im suposed to be starting meditations that my friend wanted me to do becuase she thinks it will help me grow spirutaly. my sister is getting married in a little over a year, and im really starting to wish my family would come backto he church…and…you get the idea…

ive been praying to God but i do feel kind of afraid to even try to be a priest, because im afraid of failure and i have problems with being lonlieness…but i want to be a better person… and be closer to God. our faith is all about sacrafice, what can be a better way to get to God then sacrafice one of the things you desire most in your life; to be in a relationship with someone, love.?

i obvously need spirtual direction on this, but not sure how to get it or where to go. is anyone here thats reading this already a priest? could you help me?
 
I’m not already a priest, but I remember my own questions about my vocation and what seemed to help me make decisions. It sounds like you are experiencing a call to a deeper relationship with God, which is wonderful! By all means continue to pray, attend the liturgy – all the things that you are already doing. These can help your faith grow and your vocation become clearer.

I do encourage you to find a spiritual director. Since you are considering a vocation to the priesthood, your diocese probably has a discernment process with retreat days, opportunities for spiritual direction, etc. Check out the website for your diocese or call their Vocations director for more information. Your parish priest may have additional ideas. A good source for spiritual directors is any retreat house that may be near your home.

You will want to consider whether you feel more drawn to diocesan priesthood, where you will likely serve in a parish, or to religious life, which can include life as a priest or a brother (non-ordained). Learn more about religous orders to see if one “fits”.
Religious life can take many forms, including service in a parish in the U.S., as a missionary, as a school teacher, as a monk in a monastery, etc., etc. You may find that you aren’t strong enough academically to get a college degree and do graduate work in theology, which is required for candidates to the priesthood. Nonetheless, you may find a way to dedicate yourself to God’s service as a brother that is satisfying and God-honoring. Or you may decide that you should really marry and be the world’s greatest husband and father. God will lead you if you are truly open to following where He leads.

A great way to explore your vocation is to volunteer for various works of service: at a soup kitchen or food pantry, teaching children, etc. You might also become involved in various parish ministries, such as eucharistic ministry, visiting the elderly or homebound, and so on. Ministry teaches us a lot about our gifts, talents and shortcomings.

I also encourage you to become involved in the young adults ministry or small sharing groups in your parish. Interacting with other people in sharing your faith helps define your thoughts and feelings and receive encouragement in following Christ.

In the end, you make a decision. Very seldom is there a bolt from heaven that directs you one way or the other. You search your soul, you grow in one direction or another, you pray, you talk things over with others, and you decide with God’s help. God bless your search. Don’t be in a big hurry. Let the process take as much time as it takes for you to make the kind of decision you can live with for a lifetime.
 
Thank you for your suggestions. youve given me a lot to think about.
 
Hi, my friend!
Code: 
 Alan55 practically nailed everything on the head, but I’ll throw in my 2 cents..  I am around your age and I will (God willing)be entering seminary next year.  So far the experiences and instances God has put into my life have been amazing.  Like Alan said, our call is not necessarily to a certain vocation – we have plenty of time for that – right now it is a call to a deeper relationship with our Savior.  

 I highly recommend going and meeting with a trusted priest and/or vocations director.  That has helped me a ton.  If you are feeling an urge to give seminary a try, don’t be afraid to pursue the vocations director for your diocese.  He will be able to give you a whole bunch of info, but the best part is that he will be able to pray for you.  You have to remember that entering seminary does not mean you’re automatically a priest.  That is where the discerning only begins, amigo.  I know many guys that have dropped from seminary because they realized God is calling them to a different vocation than the priesthood.. And that’s perfectly fine!

 I have made up my mind that whether or not God is calling me to be a priest, brother, husband or single person, I will give my whole life to Him and dedicate time to the Church.  Just stay committed and trust in Jesus.. That is the biggest thing.  Make sure to trust 110%!

 Keep praying to our Mother and never stop praying.  God’s hand will lead you even in your tough moments.  That is awesome you are thinking about the priesthood and I commend you for standing up in our society where it is so easy to be drawn in.  Best of Luck!
God Bless,

-Matt 👍

P.S. I forgot to add: Pray to St. John Vianney. He had an awfully hard time with his studies but he was positive God was calling him to become a priest. He will surely help you!
 
Right now, your vocation is to get through college, and do as well as you can at your studies.

About the future, discuss this with a competent spiritual director.
 
I live on the door step pretty much of Madonna University in Livonia, MI. Its a Catholic College but its mostly well knowen for its nursing program thorugh out the contry. it occured to me the other day if i should be considering on transfering, or at the very least take a class there that has to do with relgion.

I kind of feel like this though… that it may be wise to learn ABOUT other faiths (muslim, jews , etc) to get the general understanding of them in a nut shell, because that should prepare you for when you encounter people of thoughs other relgions…or am i wrong?.. i defently feel the same though when it comes to the protostants and greek orthadox… just curosity.
 
WhiteDove359 said:
I kind of feel like this though… that it may be wise to learn ABOUT other faiths (muslim, jews , etc) to get the general understanding of them in a nut shell, because that should prepare you for when you encounter people of thoughs other relgions…or am i wrong?.. i defently feel the same though when it comes to the protostants and greek orthadox… just curosity.
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I wouldn’t recommend doing too much of this. Learning the basics is ok, but the devil loves to work on us when we are sticking our noses outside of our faith.

Let me ask you this: Why would you need to know someone else’s faith to be able to stand up for yours? I don’t see any real reasons. Take this time and learn more about our faith and the history of our faith. It will be much more fulfilling!

Have a great day
-Matt
 
oh beleve me i want to learn a lot about our faith. i just want to learn the basics about others just to get the gist of it.
 
Matt_707 said:
Let me ask you this: Why would you need to know someone else’s faith to be able to stand up for yours? I don’t see any real reasons. Take this time and learn more about our faith and the history of our faith. It will be much more fulfilling!
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There is nothing wrong about learning about world religions, but G.K. Chesterton nails it on the head when he says, “Merely having an open mind is nothing. The object of opening the mind, as of opening the mouth, is to shut it again on something solid.”

Hey guys, I am also discerning a vocation to the priesthood, you can read my abridged story at my Catholicanswers profile. So far I have been praying about this and I have made a big step in telling my mother that I feel God is calling me. I think my next step will be to talk to my parish priest from back home (I’m currently in college and although I do like the priest here I truly respect my home parish priest). I always used to think that it would be great to be a father and husband, and it is a little scary of a thought to be giving that up, but I’ve begun to realize that this is ultimately Chirst’s decision, and He wouldn’t mislead. God Bless.
 
I suggest you finish college and try to get good grades becuase that will look good on a canidate for the priesthood. While you are doing that you can find a priest you are fond of and ask him questions about the priesthood. You should also look into what kind of priest you want to be, either religous or secular. There is a huge difference between the two so you should do some research. The most important thing to do is to pray for God’s will. I suggest to go to weekly adoration too becuase it is a great time to be with the lord. I hope God will lead you to be the man he wants you to be.

God bless!!!
 
WhiteDove, find a spiritual director, do what he says. While you are looking for one, speak with priests you rust/get to know priests. If you want, contact whichever applicable vocations office. Seek spiritual advice from people who know what they’re doing. What do you know about us forumers?

I’m not disparaging other posters, and I will admit to seeing plenty of wisdom in this thread and elsewhere, but, well, this isn’t really the place for the kind of spiritual help that you’re looking for.
 
Dear WhiteDove,

I live in a city near you, I am a member of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Plymouth.
I would to invite you to our parish mission. It is starting next week, on Sunday. Our pastor Fr. John Riccardo will be leading the mission himself: “Turning Up The Flame: To Set the World on Fire”. Sunday February 28, Time 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM (Four nights Sunday to Wednesday).

I am thinking you need your flame turned up…

We have a person here, Deacon Tim, that has time most every day to speak to people on spiritual matters. Check our parish bulletin for specifics. Also the associate pastor Fr. Acervo, is the chairman of the parish vocations committee, I am sure he would be happy to speak to you even if you are not a member of our parish.

Also, my personal experience is that I grew greatly in my ability to listen to and hear God, when I started praying the Liturgy of the Hours (I pray Vespers). I have written about this and other prayer in a small document on prayer titled: “The Stages of Prayer”, it is available for free on my blog.

www.olgcparish.net
shamrockdeacon.blogspot.com/
fatheracervo.wordpress.com/
stagesofprayer.wordpress.com/

Your wanting to learn about other religions is probably a desire to learn Catholic Apologetics. There are books available for purchase on this web site on that subject. For example Catholicism and Fundamentalism. You could also listen to the Catholic Answers Live radio program to learn about this subject.
 
out of all the priest at our lady, fr. Acervo is the one i know the best and feel the most comefortable with. I was tinking about talking to him.
 
I am also in college, and I have been wondering if you should forgo the intention of becoming a physician and instead plan upon becoming a priest. Having thought about it lately, if I were to do so, I would want to be a Jesuit. Vatican diplomacy sounds fascinating, yet so does being a professor in the sciences. However, if I do not know if I will do that, since I would like to marry someday and have children.
 
As for becoming a religious priest, cannot one at the same time belong to a group like the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter(that is, when also being a Jesuit or the like)?
 
…I am guessing no. If so, is still possible for one to receive a first clerical tonsure if that is not your order’s norm?
 
Young_Thinker said:
As for becoming a religious priest, cannot one at the same time belong to a group like the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter(that is, when also being a Jesuit or the like)?
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Young_Thinker said:
…I am guessing no. If so, is still possible for one to receive a first clerical tonsure if that is not your order’s norm?
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Correct, you cannot be both. Tonsure is largely suppressed, you would only receive it in orders such as the FSSP.
 
CDNowak said:
Correct, you cannot be both. Tonsure is largely suppressed, you would only receive it in orders such as the FSSP.
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Thank you; but you know if one could ask for permission to receive the tonsure, as from your order’s superior-general(or whatever his title may be) or the Holy Father?
 
Young_Thinker said:
Thank you; but you know if one could ask for permission to receive the tonsure, as from your order’s superior-general(or whatever his title may be) or the Holy Father?
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You can always ask, but what they’ll tell you, if sympathetic, is that is was abolished by Pope Paul VI with the minor orders in Ministeria Qauedam. If not sympathetic, it could hasten your discernment to another vocation.
 
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