I want to be a priest

  • Thread starter Thread starter Eljams91
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
E

Eljams91

Guest
If Not a priest, maybe a school teacher… Would it be ok if I wear a Roman Collar at school?
 
Glad to hear you are thinking about being a priest. That being said, wearing a Roman collar is reserved to priests and seminarians. So, no, wearing one would not be a good idea at this stage.
 
Eljams91 said:
Mmmm… I’m not that crazy !!! But seriously I think I would look so cool with it and people at the street would be like “ohh wow thats awesome!” LOL
Click to expand...
If people thought you were wearing the collar for the purpose of looking cool, they wouldn’t think it was very awesome. In fact, many sincere Christians would probably think you were just buying into the shallow cultural assumption that beauty and sense of style equals goodness. I’m not saying this is true of you, but wearing a collar just to look cool strikes me as a sickening and cynical abuse of religion to preen and primp and display a false sense of pride in much the same way as a peacock.
 
SerraSemper said:
Glad to hear you are thinking about being a priest. That being said, wearing a Roman collar is reserved to priests and seminarians. So, no, wearing one would not be a good idea at this stage.
Click to expand...
It is not just reserved to priests and seminarians. Deacons and vowed religious may also wear the Roman collar.
 
Wow you’re making me feel horrible now… I didnt mean it as a fashon thing… And what’s a Deacon?
Tsuwano said:
If people thought you were wearing the collar for the purpose of looking cool, they wouldn’t think it was very awesome. In fact, many sincere Christians would probably think you were just buying into the shallow cultural assumption that beauty and sense of style equals goodness. I’m not saying this is true of you, but wearing a collar just to look cool strikes me as a sickening and cynical abuse of religion to preen and primp and display a false sense of pride in much the same way as a peacock.
Click to expand...
 
Clerical dress is reserved to clerics. In light of longstanding practice, the privilege is extended to seminarians who under present law are not technically clerics until ordained Deacons and to altar servers while performing their liturgical duties. The proper dress of avowed religious is not the Roman Collar, but the habit. Religious who are also clerics of course have the option to wear both, according to the practice of their order.

As for people who are not entitled to wear clerical dress, but doing so anyway, this is considered “impersonating a cleric” by the Code of Canon Law. This is very bad, and subject to canonical sanctions (ie: it’s a crime and you could be punished). This is especially true if one is impersonating a cleric with malevolent cause - assuming honours not in accord with one’s personal dignity, abusing the confidence of the faithful, etc.

Basically, unless the Church tells you that you can wear a Roman Collar, you shouldn’t be anywhere near it. If your primary reason for wanting to be a priest is to wear the uniform… frankly, it’s not unheard of. All vocations start somewhere, and many priests have admitted that the first time they thought about it was imagining themselves in the collar.

But it takes prayer to get any further, prayer and study. Finding out what a deacon is might be a good start. =)
 
Toribus said:
Clerical dress is reserved to clerics. In light of longstanding practice, the privilege is extended to seminarians who under present law are not technically clerics until ordained Deacons and to altar servers while performing their liturgical duties. The proper dress of avowed religious is not the Roman Collar, but the habit. Religious who are also clerics of course have the option to wear both, according to the practice of their order.
Click to expand...
This is plain untrue.

As a vowed religious I know. Yes we have our habit but there are places were we can not wear our habits when we minister. Some hospitals do not allow us to wear our habits also, in areas of high heat, the wearing of the habit is not always practical. In those situations we can and do wear the Roman Collar. This is, as you say, according to the practice of the order.

Do not forget, that some orders do not have a habit so all of their members wear the Roman collar.
 
Its a crime??:confused: meaning that I could go to jail for just wearing it ?
Toribus said:
Clerical dress is reserved to clerics. In light of longstanding practice, the privilege is extended to seminarians who under present law are not technically clerics until ordained Deacons and to altar servers while performing their liturgical duties. The proper dress of avowed religious is not the Roman Collar, but the habit. Religious who are also clerics of course have the option to wear both, according to the practice of their order.

As for people who are not entitled to wear clerical dress, but doing so anyway, this is considered “impersonating a cleric” by the Code of Canon Law. This is very bad, and subject to canonical sanctions (ie: it’s a crime and you could be punished). This is especially true if one is impersonating a cleric with malevolent cause - assuming honours not in accord with one’s personal dignity, abusing the confidence of the faithful, etc.

Basically, unless the Church tells you that you can wear a Roman Collar, you shouldn’t be anywhere near it. If your primary reason for wanting to be a priest is to wear the uniform… frankly, it’s not unheard of. All vocations start somewhere, and many priests have admitted that the first time they thought about it was imagining themselves in the collar.

But it takes prayer to get any further, prayer and study. Finding out what a deacon is might be a good start. =)
Click to expand...
 
Eljams91 said:
Its a crime??:confused: meaning that I could go to jail for just wearing it ?
Click to expand...
Most likely not, but you would not be who you are claiming to be by just putting on the Roman Collar. You have no right to wear it and lead people into believing that you are what you are not.

You have yet to answer why you wish to wear it.

I am sorry but I have to wonder about this thread and you. You list yourself as Catholic yet you do not know what a deacon is. How old are you?
 
Please take your time and talk at length with the priest at your church about the various ministries and how you may be called to serve. It is an incredible privilege and responsibility to be a priest, and it is something you must fully understand. It sounds as though you are very young and know very little about the faith, so before deciding on whether to take on the responsibilities of the priesthood you should learn your faith.
 
Eljams91 said:
Its a crime??:confused: meaning that I could go to jail for just wearing it ?
Click to expand...
I think there is confusion here. Under the old rite a seminarian who was tonsured (i.e. a cleric) could wear a clerical collar - it is not reserved for ordained ministers (Deacon/Priest). I think the same now applies to Admission.

And yes, in England, it is illegal to wear a clerical collar in public because you are presenting yourself as something you are not.

Just to confuse things even more, Vatican pre-seminary altar servers are allowed to wear it! I have a strong desire to become a priest (I’m just turned 15) and my parish priest allows me to wear a collar ONLY when I am altar-serving as a sign of vocation.
I find that very rewarding - everybody in the parish knows that I long to be a priest, they pray for me, and they tell me I would make a good priest which I hope is true. It has had another side-effect: two other altar servers told me they want to be priests and although they are younger, they haven’t told their parents yet.

Don’t seek the clerical collar for looking good or cool, at this stage of the Church’s crisis of ordained ministry, you might find people shouting at you and being offensive!

All that having been said, as someone else has pointed out, maybe the first shoots of a priestly vocation are started for all the wrong reasons, and then God slowly purifies them.

www.catholicpriest.me.uk/stories.html
 
Thanks for answering my question ! And I am glad I’m not the only teenager in this forum (I’m 17)… When I used to live way back in 2000 in Mexico, I used to help the priest too. (I think I was like 9 or 10) It was a wonderful experience ! I did that for almost 2yrs because I came back to the USA so yeah…I wish I could help the local priest here in the USA too but I can’t because of school work other things…
hitherwood1 said:
I think there is confusion here. Under the old rite a seminarian who was tonsured (i.e. a cleric) could wear a clerical collar - it is not reserved for ordained ministers (Deacon/Priest). I think the same now applies to Admission.

And yes, in England, it is illegal to wear a clerical collar in public because you are presenting yourself as something you are not.

Just to confuse things even more, Vatican pre-seminary altar servers are allowed to wear it! I have a strong desire to become a priest (I’m just turned 15) and my parish priest allows me to wear a collar ONLY when I am altar-serving as a sign of vocation.
I find that very rewarding - everybody in the parish knows that I long to be a priest, they pray for me, and they tell me I would make a good priest which I hope is true. It has had another side-effect: two other altar servers told me they want to be priests and although they are younger, they haven’t told their parents yet.

Don’t seek the clerical collar for looking good or cool, at this stage of the Church’s crisis of ordained ministry, you might find people shouting at you and being offensive!

All that having been said, as someone else has pointed out, maybe the first shoots of a priestly vocation are started for all the wrong reasons, and then God slowly purifies them.

www.catholicpriest.me.uk/stories.html
Click to expand...
 
I know I feel stupid for not knowing what a deacon is… But I know now! I’m 17yrs old… I don’t know why exacly why I wish I could wear one but maybe its because I feel different in some ways just like priests… U know what im saying? Like this time when I was at the airport I saw a priest wearing it and I just had a feeling… Something that was calling me or something like that… I don’t know what it was but it was special…
ByzCath said:
Most likely not, but you would not be who you are claiming to be by just putting on the Roman Collar. You have no right to wear it and lead people into believing that you are what you are not.

You have yet to answer why you wish to wear it.

I am sorry but I have to wonder about this thread and you. You list yourself as Catholic yet you do not know what a deacon is. How old are you?
Click to expand...
 
A few suggestions if you think you may be called to the priesthood.

Pray. A lot.

Receive the sacraments often. Go to Mass every Sunday, and daily if possible. Go to Confession as necessary, monthly or more if possible.

Consider attending a vocations discernment retreat.

Contact your diocese’s vocations director.

Pray some more.

I’ll be praying for you!
 
Eljams91 said:
I know I feel stupid for not knowing what a deacon is… But I know now! I’m 17yrs old…
Click to expand...
Do not feel stupid, just spend the time to learn more of the faith.
I don’t know why exacly why I wish I could wear one but maybe its because I feel different in some ways just like priests… U know what im saying? Like this time when I was at the airport I saw a priest wearing it and I just had a feeling… Something that was calling me or something like that… I don’t know what it was but it was special…
Click to expand...
Yes I know what you are saying. Growing up I felt different, that I was called to something more but as I was raised with no faith formation I could not put a name on it. Then I found and fully entered the Catholic Church and realized what that feeling was. Now I am in simple vows with the Carmelites in formation for the priesthood.
 
Watch “Life on the Rock” tonight on EWTN television. If you do not have cable you can watch it live on your computer by going to EWTN.com and find the television tab. The show tonight will be about a soccer player who just entered the seminary.
 
Eljams91 said:
If Not a priest, maybe a school teacher… Would it be ok if I wear a Roman Collar at school?
Click to expand...
I think this is wonderful. Don’t let anything stop you if the Lord has called you to serve him.
Talk to a qualified person for direction. Pray. 🙂

God bless,
jean
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top