Process for becoming a priest?

[KarenElissa]

I was curious as to what the process is for becoming a priest. I know they go to seminary and such, but is there a standardized process for things like internships or does that just depend on the school and/or diocese? When are they generally ordained a deacon in this process?

I’m just curious as my parish was just assigned a seminarian that will spend a year with us.

 

[SMHW]

I was curious as to what the process is for becoming a priest. I know they go to seminary and such, but is there a standardized process for things like internships or does that just depend on the school and/or diocese? When are they generally ordained a deacon in this process?

I’m just curious as my parish was just assigned a seminarian that will spend a year with us.

A fair amount of this is going to vary by diocese. Also, it will not be the same for diocesan priests as for those who belong to religious orders.

What I can tell you from personal experience of growing up and living near a seminary is that at some point(s) during seminary training, seminarians will do work in parishes, schools (not necessarily Catholic), hospitals, missions, etc. During the time school is in session such work will need to take place within reaonable travel distance to the seminary. During school breaks it could be just about anywhere in the world. Ordination to the (transitional) diaconate is usually about a year before ordination to the priesthood. It is not unusual for a deacon to “intern” at a parish.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

A fair amount of this is going to vary by diocese. Also, it will not be the same for diocesan priests as for those who belong to religious orders.

What I can tell you from personal experience of growing up and living near a seminary is that at some point(s) during seminary training, seminarians will do work in parishes, schools (not necessarily Catholic), hospitals, missions, etc. During the time school is in session such work will need to take place within reaonable travel distance to the seminary. During school breaks it could be just about anywhere in the world. Ordination to the (transitional) diaconate is usually about a year before ordination to the priesthood. It is not unusual for a deacon to “intern” at a parish.

Couldn’t have said it any better myself.

I could go into detail how the formation process works for my province of the Carmelites (Most Pure Heart of Mary Province) but things are not always the same even within a single religious order as each province might have slight differences. I could also go into detail on the two eparchies (that greek for diocese) I looked into before I settled on the Carmelites.

 

[KarenElissa]

Thanks for both of your replies. I know he will be a diocesan priest. I also know he isn’t currently taking classes, at least he can’t be in person. He is here in Tucson and his seminary is in Chicago.

I would be interested to hear how the process works in the places you know Br. David. I’ve looked online and all I can find is you go to school and are ordained by your Bishop and if you are interested, talk to your diocese. I’d be interested to hear more about the details even if it isn’t exactly the same here.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

Thanks for both of your replies. I know he will be a diocesan priest. I also know he isn’t currently taking classes, at least he can’t be in person. He is here in Tucson and his seminary is in Chicago.

Many dioceses take a year of intership at a parish during their semianry education. It usually comes after a year or two of the seminary.

I would be interested to hear how the process works in the places you know Br. David. I’ve looked online and all I can find is you go to school and are ordained by your Bishop and if you are interested, talk to your diocese. I’d be interested to hear more about the details even if it isn’t exactly the same here.

For my province it goes like this.

1. A year or two in the pre-novitiate (finish any philosophy and theology requirements that are needed for the theologate (I will explain this word below))
2. Novitiate year
3. One year of theologate
4. Internship at one of our ministries for two years
5. Return to theologate for final 3 years of study
6. The summer before you start your third year of study you do a 30 day silent retreat for final vows
7. Final vows are taken during your third year of study
8. Ordained to the diaconate after your third year of study and spend summer at a parish
9. Ordained to the priesthood after graduation (fourth year of study)

During your second year and third year of study you have a ministry requirment from the theologate and a seminar class where papers are written about your ministry experiences.

A theologate is where a religious studies for the priesthood (normally). A semianry is where a diocesen candidate studies. The difference is where the spiritual formation takes place. At a seminary the formation takes place there, at a theologate no formation occurs as the formation is done at the house of studies where the religious lives.

The two eparchies are in the next post.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

The two epariches I looked at are in the Byzantine (Ruthenian) Catholic Church.

For both of them you attend the seminary and do ministry requirements while going to school. You spend your summers in parishes.

One of them ordains their men (at least at the time I looked at them) to the diaconate after they graduated and then they worked as a deacon for a year before being ordained to the priesthood.

The other eparchy ordains their men (again this goes for when I was looking at them) to the diaconate after their third year of study and they worked in parishes near the seminary during the school year. They were ordained to the priesthood after graduation.

Both eparchies assigned their candidates to parishes over the summers.

I hope this helps you out.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

It is important to note that what I have listed in the above two posts are the laid out plans for the process of formation for the priesthood.

They can be deviated from. In my religious formation it is acknowledged that we are individuals and they are not trying to force us into some mold that they have for the priesthood so there things that might be a bit different between individuals in the formation program.

 

[KarenElissa]

Thanks Br. David! If the process here is anything like in your province, I’m guessing he is close to the end of the process. He mentioned already having done another internship at a hospice/hospital/something like that.

Thanks again, I ways just curious to how some of the details worked.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

Thanks Br. David! If the process here is anything like in your province, I’m guessing he is close to the end of the process. He mentioned already having done another internship at a hospice/hospital/something like that.

Thanks again, I ways just curious to how some of the details worked.

No problem. Actually I enjoy talking about this with those who have an interest in knowing.

One thing I forgot. While for the diocese it is the bishop who decides if a man will be ordained for a religious it is the superior of the religious order who decides, a bishop is then asked to do the ordination but gets no say as to whether or not the man will be ordained.