Possible Vocation to the Priesthood- Help with College Major

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RCIAcollegeKID

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To begin, I am (finally!) coming into the Church this Easter after three years of study, contemplation, and prayer. It’s been a very long journey, and, needless to say, I am extremely excited to receive the sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist in just a few weeks. Over the last few months though, I have experienced a persistent nagging on my soul- a nagging which has scared me to the core at times, made me absolutely elated at others, and has really thrown me a curve ball as to what my collegiate studies should center upon. And, as is quite obvious from this thread’s title, that nagging is the Priesthood.

I will graduate from a local community college with my Associates of Arts in Spanish at the end of the summer. After that, I am transferring to a near-by state school to finish my Bachelors of Arts in Spanish. My question is as follows: if I were to apply to my Diocese after undergrad, and I were accepted, would the Seminary prefer I have a minor in Philosophy, a minor in Religious Studies, both, or neither? :confused:

A concern of mine is, were I to minor in either of the above two at the state school, that the classes would be secular or anti-Christian/Catholic in nature. Would it be better for me to pursue learning another or more languages, e.g. Latin, Italian, German, Portuguese?

Being a new convert, I definitely feel that I should spend at least two more years discerning the Priestly vocation before doing anything officially. I have always believed that if something is meant to be today, it will still be meant to be tomorrow… that’s been my guiding philosophy for the past three years!

Keep me in your prayers, and I look forward to your thoughts!

In Christ and His Mother
 
RCIAcollegeKID said:
To begin, I am (finally!) coming into the Church this Easter after three years of study, contemplation, and prayer. It’s been a very long journey, and, needless to say, I am extremely excited to receive the sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist in just a few weeks. Over the last few months though, I have experienced a persistent nagging on my soul- a nagging which has scared me to the core at times, made me absolutely elated at others, and has really thrown me a curve ball as to what my collegiate studies should center upon. And, as is quite obvious from this thread’s title, that nagging is the Priesthood.

I will graduate from a local community college with my Associates of Arts in Spanish at the end of the summer. After that, I am transferring to a near-by state school to finish my Bachelors of Arts in Spanish. My question is as follows: if I were to apply to my Diocese after undergrad, and I were accepted, would the Seminary prefer I have a minor in Philosophy, a minor in Religious Studies, both, or neither? :confused:

A concern of mine is, were I to minor in either of the above two at the state school, that the classes would be secular or anti-Christian/Catholic in nature. Would it be better for me to pursue learning another or more languages, e.g. Latin, Italian, German, Portuguese?

Being a new convert, I definitely feel that I should spend at least two more years discerning the Priestly vocation before doing anything officially. I have always believed that if something is meant to be today, it will still be meant to be tomorrow… that’s been my guiding philosophy for the past three years!

Keep me in your prayers, and I look forward to your thoughts!

In Christ and His Mother
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  1. Continue developing your spiritual life, especially learning to love Jesus personally. Reading the more spiritual works of Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman and of couse those of our beloved Cardinal Ratzinger.
  2. Since you will be making career decisions now or soon I suggest that another language as minor would be preferrable to studing philosophy at a secular institute. Latin of course would seem to be a logical choice but not necessary.
  3. You will find that it is not necessary to have a philosophy background, good but not necessary. If you do go into seminary you may have a year of philosophy before being admitted to Theology.
  4. As soon as possible after being recieved into the Church, if you still feel drawn to the priesthood, make an appointment to see the local director of vocations and let him know of your desires.
  5. Yes a bachelors degree is usually required. However you can get this at the seminary if you don’t have it already.
Good luck and prayers. Linus2nd
 
I would think a prospective seminarian who has a Spanish major and a Latin minor would be a great asset to any bishop. I agree with Linus II that you should probably wait to study philosophy and theology until you’re in the seminary. If you were at a Catholic university I might say differently. I also agree that you shouldn’t wait until you’re ready to graduate to speak to the vocations director - it can sometimes take a year or more just to get through the application process. God bless you on your decision to come home to the Church and I pray for you tomorrow night when we pray the following in our family bedtime prayers:

materecclesiae.org/prayers/prayer-for-religious-vocations/
 
I believe the Program for Priestly Formation wants you to have 30 credits of philosophy and 12 credits of theology before moving on to Major Seminary Studies. It’s best to contact your vocations director to discern the best path, but it’s likely you’d take care of all these credits in your pre-theology studies.
 
Your best bet is philosophy. Religious studies programs at state schools are usually comparative and have few theology requirements.
 
Talk to the vocation director. When I first entered the Church, I wanted to be a Carmelite nun with all my heart. Still do, as a matter of fact. But I was told to wait awhile to see if it was a true calling or just overenthusiasm. Besides, my age was also a problem. So, get on top of this asap. If possible, consider spending one year at a Catholic college to study theology and all that. It’s already been said, but I also encourage you to steer clear of those subjects in a secular college.
 
Thank you all so much for the responses thus far! After having read through them, I can definitely see that it would be better to leave the philosophy to the Seminary (should God call me there). Also, I didn’t realize that it took so long to actually go through the application process- this summer, if I still feel that tug on my heart, I will speak with my priest. I will update here when a decision is made.

Also, thank you for the prayers! They are always appreciated!

In Christ and His Mother
 
Linusthe2nd said:
  1. Continue developing your spiritual life, especially learning to love Jesus personally. Reading the more spiritual works of Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman and of couse those of our beloved Cardinal Ratzinger.
  2. Since you will be making career decisions now or soon I suggest that another language as minor would be preferrable to studing philosophy at a secular institute. Latin of course would seem to be a logical choice but not necessary.
  3. You will find that it is not necessary to have a philosophy background, good but not necessary. If you do go into seminary you may have a year of philosophy before being admitted to Theology.
  4. As soon as possible after being recieved into the Church, if you still feel drawn to the priesthood, make an appointment to see the local director of vocations and let him know of your desires.
  5. Yes a bachelors degree is usually required. However you can get this at the seminary if you don’t have it already.
Good luck and prayers. Linus2nd
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Agreed, I’m also aspiring to the religious life and will be majoring in Television and Digital Media and minoring in Philosophy since my parents want me to have something practical in case my vocation is delayed and hey the order that I am inquiring about doesn’t have an undergraduate seminary and I need more time to discern. Also, find a spiritual director before going there if you will be moving from your home to a dorm, just saying.
 
Not to change subjects, but, going off of Capuchinfan1337 's reply, what would be some good qualities to look for in a spiritual director? I have heard the phrase used very often, but I am a bit confused as to how one goes about actually finding one.
 
You might want to talk to your parish priest about this as well. A spiritual director is someone who can guide you in your decernment. He, or she, needs to be strong in their faith, and willing to share it. I tried a spiritual director for awhile, but didn’t hit it off with the on I was paired with. Though I ride the bus, and getting to her place was a problem, she always insisted I meet at her place. And her place was tons nicer than mine. I think that was part of it. She had a place in an expensive apartment complex, while I had cheap public housing. Come to think of it, I’m still in public housing!! Maybe God is trying to tell me something. :o
 
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