How to become a priest

[fogie]

My 15 year old son is “Quite sure” that he is being called to the priesthood. He is a home schooled junior in high school and taking chemistry and Spanish at the local community college. He will graduate from high school just before turning 17 with over a year of college done.

His mother and I have thought that he should get a four year degree before entering a seminary, preferably in something that would be marketable if he does not end up as a priest. He would like to be a missionary priest so he would like a degree he could use as a missionary priest. He is bright enough to get into a medical program, but it would delay him becoming a priest and it seems there would be no way for him to repay his student loans.

If he gets a four year degree before entering seminary, will he need to work for a few years to pay off his college loans before he can enter the seminary.

He is in an “Emmaus” group in the Rockford (IL) diocese. They show some nice movies, but are giving no advice. We are in the Joliet diocese but they just just have no idea what to do with us. Our priest is no help.

Advice?

 

[jpjd]

Who is “they” in the Joliet diocese? You need to talk to the Vocations Director of your diocese, or any diocese that will help you. Sheesh, you’d think they would be falling all over themselves to nurture a young man who is “quite sure” of his calling.

Also, it might be helpful to find a new priest who was ordained within, say, the last five years, who could give some current and meaningful advice on how to go about this.

 

[introibo]

If I may offer some advice, as a senior in college-

Do encourage him to take a four year degree before deciding on the priesthood. He’ll need one anyway- if he wants to stay on track to enter the seminary, encourage him to go to a Catholic university and major in philosophy or theology. That ought to satisfy the prerequisites for major seminary. With summers, he can also satisfy the med school prerequisites–if that’s something he’s really interested in, and not something that he feels like he ought to do because he’s smart enough. That way, he’s fully equipped to do just about anything he wants after school (provided he gets excellent grades).

Don’t worry about the marketability of the degree. Undergraduate business degrees are highly overrated; philosophy will prepare him for dealing with people, even if he needs some training in how to crunch numbers once he gets to work. The most important things I’ve learned in college weren’t facts or skills that have ‘practical’ implications, and I believe I’m a better person for having done something so impractical for four years. Now med school’s a-callin’, and it’s time to get practical. C’est la vie.

 

[InTheWilderness]

I know the diocese here sends its seminarians up to St. John Vianney Seminary for their first four years of college. Since it is located at the University of St. Thomas, then a seminarian still has all of the undergraduate options that any other student does, but they also are part of a structured discernment and formation program. You should check to see if the minor (undergraduate) seminary your diocese uses is similar to this.

After all, if he could enter formation and have a full college experience at the same time, that would seem to be the best of both worlds.

 

[abounaandre1]

If you might consider a small college where a student is never lost and where the education is first rate Catholic with a great philosophy program consider Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in Merrimack NH. Many students there are considering priesthood. The reason I said he wont get lost is because they only take about 100 students at a time. Oh I forgot, the 2nd semester of the 2nd year is spent in Rome.

 

[chicago]

My 15 year old son is “Quite sure” that he is being called to the priesthood. He is a home schooled junior in high school and taking chemistry and Spanish at the local community college. He will graduate from high school just before turning 17 with over a year of college done.

His mother and I have thought that he should get a four year degree before entering a seminary, preferably in something that would be marketable if he does not end up as a priest. He would like to be a missionary priest so he would like a degree he could use as a missionary priest. He is bright enough to get into a medical program, but it would delay him becoming a priest and it seems there would be no way for him to repay his student loans.

If he gets a four year degree before entering seminary, will he need to work for a few years to pay off his college loans before he can enter the seminary.

He is in an “Emmaus” group in the Rockford (IL) diocese. They show some nice movies, but are giving no advice. We are in the Joliet diocese but they just just have no idea what to do with us. Our priest is no help.

Advice?

Being in Joliet, have you considered sending him to St. Joseph’s Seminary at Loyola? He would get the basic philosophy and theology credits necessary to go on in seminary, while also being able to take courses in other subjects and receiving his ultimate diploma from Loyola.

I beleive that Joliet sends it’s college seminarians to the seminary in Minneapolis (I forget it’s name, unfortunately).

I agree you should contact the diocesan vocations director to seek further advice.

 

[chicago]

I know the diocese here sends its seminarians up to St. John Vianney Seminary for their first four years of college. Since it is located at the University of St. Thomas, then a seminarian still has all of the undergraduate options that any other student does, but they also are part of a structured discernment and formation program. You should check to see if the minor (undergraduate) seminary your diocese uses is similar to this.

After all, if he could enter formation and have a full college experience at the same time, that would seem to be the best of both worlds.

That’s what I’m thinking, also. Oh, that also hapens to be the seminary I had in mind but couldn’t remember where I think Joliet sends their guys.

 

[chicago]

Sheesh, you’d think they would be falling all over themselves to nurture a young man who is “quite sure” of his calling.

Unfortunately, not necessarily. Some consider the ones who feel “sure” as being bad candidates who are too idealistic or haven’t had certain trials. There are people in some places who woudl much rather have someone who is wrangling at best.

 

[ChemicalBean]

Unfortunately, not necessarily. Some consider the ones who feel “sure” as being bad candidates who are too idealistic or haven’t had certain trials. There are people in some places who woudl much rather have someone who is wrangling at best.

Actually, I’ve wondered about that too. Could you explain that some more?

 

[chicago]

Actually, I’ve wondered about that too. Could you explain that some more?

Well, personally, I think that some of it comes both from priests who didn’t start discerning their vocation while young as well as priests who did, but saw many of their peers fail to mature extensively.

There is the matter of it, perhaps, truly being a case that it is hard to be confident of a call which has not been tested and come through trials.

But, then, there may simply be a reticence to recognize that someone can be so solid in their faith and call as to become suspect and resent that “type”. If there is an orthodoxy in that candidate, there could be a desire to see it squashed as it upsets some.

 

[jpjd]

Are you saying that some priests or other people get upset at a man who pursues the priesthood right out of high school, who perhaps has not succumbed to serious sin and negative experiences, who has perhaps maintained a somewhat pure life? Are you saying that there are people, especially priests, who get upset at that???

Do these people even try to pursue increased holiness in themselves? And what does it say about themselves if they get jealous at someone else’s perceived greater holiness? I am especially appalled at any priest who would feel that way.

 

[chicago]

Are you saying that some priests or other people get upset at a man who pursues the priesthood right out of high school, who perhaps has not succumbed to serious sin and negative experiences, who has perhaps maintained a somewhat pure life? Are you saying that there are people, especially priests, who get upset at that???

Do these people even try to pursue increased holiness in themselves? And what does it say about themselves if they get jealous at someone else’s perceived greater holiness? I am especially appalled at any priest who would feel that way.

Well, I don’t think it is necessarily about sex, or just about sex.

Realize that I come at this from the perspective of a Chicagoan. Here, historically, most of our priests have been “lifers”. That is to say that they came up “through the system” of Catholic grade school, seminary high school, philosophical and theological studies in college and/or major seminary. As things transitioned over recent times, many more priests nowadays (in fact it is now the norm - to the point that the seminary high school will close this June) don’t even enter discernment until they are at least in college or further on in life. So part of it is merely people speaking out of their own perspective. If a priest hadn’t even thought about the call until he was 25 and then had to go through everything that maybe another man dealt with at a younger age or not at all, it can be difficult for him to recognize that a teenager could possibly be confident in a call, knowing that he sure wasn’t personally confident about anything at the age of 16.

But, that said, yes I do think that there are some priests (and “others” as you well note) who - either because they have witnessed the sometimes immaturity of their brother priests who were lifers or because of their own life experience or even because they have a more liberal bent on the faith - think that it may be helpful to be out in the world for awhile experiencing “real life” and learning from that. Are they necessarily promoting immorality? No. (Though I can’t say it’s always a definitive no in every case.) But they do believe that someone who seems “gung-ho” or “set in their ways” may not have been tested and could fail when they eventually make it to ministry and need to deal with all of the real world challenges that a mere direct path of prayer and faithfulness in formation led them to. That could be a foreign concept which challenges some priests (and others) of a certain age and background. They don’t like it and will do what they can to discourage it. It also appears rigid and if you like to be more loose about things, this could be seen as a bad candidate to continue your way of thinking.

Realize that the Church is raft with a certain politic. Always has been that way, always will be. There’s a definite human element which affacts this all. And the people in power get to call the shots in developing a future direction. Naturally, many of them have their agendas and want to do what is possible to secure such.

 

[rtconstant]

If you wouldn’t mind an additional 2 cents here is mine. Before I converted to Catholicism. I was on the way to being Southern Baptist Pastor. I was in the seminary and met many different types of people from different back grounds. Perhaps some of my experiences will help shed light.

When I was there I met people who had been around the block and people who had been brought up “in the system” as they say. What I noticed was that while those that had been reared up religiously had very strong convictions but they didn’t really know how to defend them or put them into practical application when dealing with the “average Joe”.

Living around and experiencing people who are from different socio/economic backgrounds, religions and life styles. Helps to mature one’s ability to see God in all of these types of people and to relate to them in a positive and empathetic way. When I was in seminary I saw young men who couldn’t deal with being confronted by a homosexual which is not good.

While it is important that a priest be firm in his convictions of right and wrong. He still has to be able to deal with people of types on an equal footing in order to help through their personal trials.

Now after saying all of that. Don’t get the impression that I’m making a judgement on your son or his readiness I’m just saying that likely the more seasoned priests are probably looking at things from this perspective. I think you can see the wisdom in it.

Anyway, as has been said here earlier I would encourage your son to go to college. I actually have no doubt that he is serious about his calling but 4 years is a short time and he will only mature and become stronger in his faith during this time. He will probably learn many valuable lessons and will go on to be a great priest.

Also you have to keep in mind that a congregations impressions are important in this as well. Most people are more trusting of those they think have had some of the same experiences they have had. Age and experience double for credibility for most people and this certainly applies to the ministry.

Remember Jesus didn’t begin His ministry until He was 30 I’m pretty sure that He knew his calling early on too. Yet by waiting 30 years he got to experience things age to a point of credibility for His larger audience.

 

[Ave_Maria_1]

I would recommend The Franciscan University at Steubenville.
They have an excellent pre-theologate there. He can pursue a degree and also be discerning.

Also it is a very good and orthodox Catholic University and that is VERY important!

Ave Maria!

 

[Titus]

I know the diocese here sends its seminarians up to St. John Vianney Seminary for their first four years of college. Since it is located at the University of St. Thomas, then a seminarian still has all of the undergraduate options that any other student does, but they also are part of a structured discernment and formation program. You should check to see if the minor (undergraduate) seminary your diocese uses is similar to this.

After all, if he could enter formation and have a full college experience at the same time, that would seem to be the best of both worlds.

I thought minor seminary was high school? In my diocese there are no minor seminaries, but you can join seminary at 18, or later.

 

[Nelson89]

I myself, am from Rockford. I would definetly give the vocations director a call. I don’t know if I can mention his name here, but he is quite a ncie guy, and really helps people out with entering a seminary, academic wise and what they can and can’t do an all.

 

[chicago]

I thought minor seminary was high school? In my diocese there are no minor seminaries, but you can join seminary at 18, or later.

Traditionally, that was, indeed, the case. But considering how there are very few high school seminaries remaining and most people don’t even know that such a thing ever existed, college seminaries are now often being referred to as minor seminaries. Whether this usage is most appropriate is debateable, but it’s becoming all the more common.