H
HolyWhiteKnight
Guest
This is a long post but I have to get some background information out first.
Well let me first say that I am a 22 year old single male who is a senior math education major at a public university in the Diocese of Charleston, South Carolina. I came into the Church last Easter (Easter 2007). I started the RCIA program in September 2006.
Ever since day one of RCIA, Ive always went to Sunday Mass. I grew very close to the Lord and the Church during RCIA. After RCIA, I still continued to grow in faith and some point around this time I felt God calling me to the priesthood.
I now attend daily Mass, pray Liturgy of the Hours, and daily full Rosary, and I have a daily quiet time and meditation session. I also serve the Church and Community through volunteering and the Knights of Columbus. This is not about pride or showing off. If I don’t do these things, I feel empty inside. There is also the side reason that I am a praetorian in the Legion of Mary. (Ive also had to become a practical apologist as well; the Southern Baptists have a strong presence on this particular campus, so does Satan because many people are “partyers” who don’t care about God) I really love and adore God very much (its all about Jesus, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit), I am close to Mary and the Saints as well. (If anyone is wondering, ive worn the green scapular since Ive been a Catholic)
In our diocese, you must be a practicing Catholic for 2 years before applying to seminary. So this first year, as I call it, has really tested my faith and I feel like my soul has become refined gold in the purification fires of God.
I thought about leaving the Church, at least 3 times, to become a Greek Orthodox but every time I prayed about it and researched and I developed reasons why I should remain Catholic. I also went through a relationship this year which didn’t work out, but that means Ive also experienced love (3rd major relationship in my life).
I do not know how God will test my faith in the future, but I say now that my calling is to serve the Church as a priest, and that I will always grow in my faith with God. I have attended a discernment retreat which reinforced my decision about my future vocation. I also learned what it means to be a parent, the spiritual dangers of marriage (you have to be devoted to a creature and most likely physically raise children which leaves minimal time for God and it is really easy to slip away from your faith if you aren’t careful).
I guess with a comment like that, you can figure that I am a virgin, another reason I feel called to the single life. (I just haven’t had much experience with women as most of my peers has) but I feel this good because I don’t have memories of “how great sex felt.” I know for many people they can’t leave sex behind and it haunts them. Another reason I do all the stuff I mentioned above is because it fills me. Most people look forward to being with their wife or husband, especially the love making part, but for me I look forward to spending time with God and spending as much time as possible in prayer and devotion with receiving Holy Communion being the fullest expression of the love between God and I and I see it as being similar to sex (may sound weird but before you judge me, check out Pope John Paul’s Theology of the Body).
I would say I have learned a lot about my vocation over the last couple of years and hope to grow in that vocation.
So now that I have this background information out of the way, I can get on with the rest of the post.
The only thing holding me back are student loans and something else which I will now clarify and ask about, with one exception. I feel like I should work as a public school teacher for a few years to get some leadership experience and working with people experience.
(I could apply to be a Carmelite priest when I finish college next year, they pay student loans)
A major decision that pre-seminarians have to make is to be a diocesan priest or a religious order priest? I am not sure how to answer this question but if anyone could offer me some advice, I would surely appreciate it. I do know I want to be in a posiiton where I can teach math, which means I would work at a Catholic high school, either through a diocese, private, or through a religious order.
Im not sure if I can postpone my student loans until the end of seminary, God that would be awesome if I could do that.
So I am asking for advice in general and for your prayers. Ive also talked with our diocesan vocation’s director and with various priests and deacons about this. I am documenting this stuff for a portfolio I am creating when I apply to be a seminarian so I can talk about how I feel God is calling me to the priesthood.
Michael
Well let me first say that I am a 22 year old single male who is a senior math education major at a public university in the Diocese of Charleston, South Carolina. I came into the Church last Easter (Easter 2007). I started the RCIA program in September 2006.
Ever since day one of RCIA, Ive always went to Sunday Mass. I grew very close to the Lord and the Church during RCIA. After RCIA, I still continued to grow in faith and some point around this time I felt God calling me to the priesthood.
I now attend daily Mass, pray Liturgy of the Hours, and daily full Rosary, and I have a daily quiet time and meditation session. I also serve the Church and Community through volunteering and the Knights of Columbus. This is not about pride or showing off. If I don’t do these things, I feel empty inside. There is also the side reason that I am a praetorian in the Legion of Mary. (Ive also had to become a practical apologist as well; the Southern Baptists have a strong presence on this particular campus, so does Satan because many people are “partyers” who don’t care about God) I really love and adore God very much (its all about Jesus, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit), I am close to Mary and the Saints as well. (If anyone is wondering, ive worn the green scapular since Ive been a Catholic)
In our diocese, you must be a practicing Catholic for 2 years before applying to seminary. So this first year, as I call it, has really tested my faith and I feel like my soul has become refined gold in the purification fires of God.
I thought about leaving the Church, at least 3 times, to become a Greek Orthodox but every time I prayed about it and researched and I developed reasons why I should remain Catholic. I also went through a relationship this year which didn’t work out, but that means Ive also experienced love (3rd major relationship in my life).
I do not know how God will test my faith in the future, but I say now that my calling is to serve the Church as a priest, and that I will always grow in my faith with God. I have attended a discernment retreat which reinforced my decision about my future vocation. I also learned what it means to be a parent, the spiritual dangers of marriage (you have to be devoted to a creature and most likely physically raise children which leaves minimal time for God and it is really easy to slip away from your faith if you aren’t careful).
I guess with a comment like that, you can figure that I am a virgin, another reason I feel called to the single life. (I just haven’t had much experience with women as most of my peers has) but I feel this good because I don’t have memories of “how great sex felt.” I know for many people they can’t leave sex behind and it haunts them. Another reason I do all the stuff I mentioned above is because it fills me. Most people look forward to being with their wife or husband, especially the love making part, but for me I look forward to spending time with God and spending as much time as possible in prayer and devotion with receiving Holy Communion being the fullest expression of the love between God and I and I see it as being similar to sex (may sound weird but before you judge me, check out Pope John Paul’s Theology of the Body).
I would say I have learned a lot about my vocation over the last couple of years and hope to grow in that vocation.
So now that I have this background information out of the way, I can get on with the rest of the post.
The only thing holding me back are student loans and something else which I will now clarify and ask about, with one exception. I feel like I should work as a public school teacher for a few years to get some leadership experience and working with people experience.
(I could apply to be a Carmelite priest when I finish college next year, they pay student loans)
A major decision that pre-seminarians have to make is to be a diocesan priest or a religious order priest? I am not sure how to answer this question but if anyone could offer me some advice, I would surely appreciate it. I do know I want to be in a posiiton where I can teach math, which means I would work at a Catholic high school, either through a diocese, private, or through a religious order.
Im not sure if I can postpone my student loans until the end of seminary, God that would be awesome if I could do that.
So I am asking for advice in general and for your prayers. Ive also talked with our diocesan vocation’s director and with various priests and deacons about this. I am documenting this stuff for a portfolio I am creating when I apply to be a seminarian so I can talk about how I feel God is calling me to the priesthood.
Michael