Question About My Possible Vocation

[bben15]

Hello. Some of you may know me, and may know that I have been discerning a vocation to the priesthood since last February. I met with my current pastor for spiritual guidance, but I feel like he was not good at it. I told him in June of last year, and in August, I asked him again if we could meet for spiritual guidance. He said he didn’t have time, but then, he pulled me into the confessional to talk to me. The talk lasted about three minutes. I explained to him my situation, and all he said is, “Well, when you grow up, you can become a priest. If you decide you want to be a diocesan priest, we’re always in need of priests. Continue to study the Faith, and continue coming here.” Then he motioned for me to leave the confessional.

Note that I am not putting down my priest. He is a very nice person, and is loved by many. But, he doesn’t seem willing to meet with me on a regular basis. Plus, even though I am new to this, and am young, and I could be wrong, but I keep getting the feeling like he should have said more, or should have asked to meet with me periodically.

How do I find a good, solidly orthodox spiritual director? I read that I should find one, and meet with him on a regular basis. Since I do not think I can go to my pastor for it, how do I find one?

Thank you for answering my question.

God bless.

 

[steymard]

If your diocesan priest isn’t helping as much as you’d like, you might try religious priests or priests attached to an organization within the Church.

I personally like to recommend Opus Dei priests, who I go to for spiritual direction. They are very well-formed and love to help people like you grow in holiness. This is from their website:

“Opus Dei has more than 60 centers in or near 19 cities in the U.S.: Boston; Chicago; Dallas; Delray Beach, FL; Houston; Los Angeles; Miami; Milwaukee; New York; Pittsburgh; Princeton, NJ; Providence; St. Louis; San Antonio; San Francisco; South Bend, IN; South Orange, NJ; Urbana, IL; and Washington, DC. Additionally, Opus Dei conducts activities in many other cities. To learn more about Opus Dei’s activities in your area, please send an e-mail to info@opusdei.org indicating where you are writing from and any other details you wish to include.”

If you live in one of those cities, you could try e-mailing them to find out where a center is. You could look around for religious orders in the area. There are some Cistercians close to where I live and I would feel pretty comfortable contacting them to arrange for spiritual direction. Do you drive a car? Without it, you’ll probably have some difficulty.

Look, if you’re stumped, you could also PM me, tell me your general location, and I’ll try to look around your area for places.

 

[bardegaulois]

I would seek a recommendation from your diocese’s vocations director. He’s certainly referred a good many young aspirants to spiritual director, and thus ought to be able to help you find someone good not very far from you.

God bless.

 

[kmuestwin]

Be patient and contact the vocation director in your diocese.

I suggest that you get a part time job. It has been my experience that most seminarians start their journey at seminary with a rose colored view of the world and of people in general. It would be good for you to get a job in a non-church setting. There’s a lot you can learn from a secular job.

Your priest’s suggestion that you consider a vocation while you grow up is good advice. You change a lot from 16-18. I know that I was a different person at 16 than 18 and now I’m a different person than when I was in my teens and early twenties.

You have a lot of growing to do and you can afford to pace yourself.

 

[steymard]

I think it’s great that you want to find a good spiritual director. If you do find a priest who wants to recruit you for the diocesan priesthood, or if you find a religious priest who wants to recruit you for his order, take it with a grain of salt. My Opus Dei spiritual director doesn’t try to push me into Opus Dei, and I appreciate that. Remember, spiritual direction is primarily offered so that we might live holy lives. Take it as it is. You don’t even have to mention a religious vocation. Even if you end up never considering a religious or priestly vocation, you will benefit greatly from spiritual direction for the rest of your life.

 

[grasscutter]

It’s possible that he was being sensitive to your personal situation while still encouraging your discernment. In his position, I would imagine that he couldn’t say much more until (as you are - under law - a minor child whose parents don’t yet approve of your conversion) you are fully a member of the Catholic Church. Certainly, he can’t be seen as overriding your parent’s wishes.

If it’s okay, I would like to pray (if it’s God’s Will) that your parents will soon have a change of heart.

 

[bben15]

It’s possible that he was being sensitive to your personal situation while still encouraging your discernment. In his position, I would imagine that he couldn’t say much more until (as you are - under law - a minor child whose parents don’t yet approve of your conversion) you are fully a member of the Catholic Church. Certainly, he can’t be seen as overriding your parent’s wishes.

If it’s okay, I would like to pray (if it’s God’s Will) that your parents will soon have a change of heart.

Please. I need all the prayers I can get.

I’ll be sure to pray for you, as well.

 

[grasscutter]

Please. I need all the prayers I can get.

I’ll be sure to pray for you, as well.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart! Pray especially for me to understand and do God’s Will if you would.

 

[trevorhall]

Been following your posts and will continue to pray for you.

 

[tawny]

Hello. Some of you may know me, and may know that I have been discerning a vocation to the priesthood since last February. I met with my current pastor for spiritual guidance, but I feel like he was not good at it. I told him in June of last year, and in August, I asked him again if we could meet for spiritual guidance. He said he didn’t have time, but then, he pulled me into the confessional to talk to me. The talk lasted about three minutes. I explained to him my situation, and all he said is, “Well, when you grow up, you can become a priest. If you decide you want to be a diocesan priest, we’re always in need of priests. Continue to study the Faith, and continue coming here.” Then he motioned for me to leave the confessional.

Note that I am not putting down my priest. He is a very nice person, and is loved by many. But, he doesn’t seem willing to meet with me on a regular basis. Plus, even though I am new to this, and am young, and I could be wrong, but I keep getting the feeling like he should have said more, or should have asked to meet with me periodically.

How do I find a good, solidly orthodox spiritual director? I read that I should find one, and meet with him on a regular basis. Since I do not think I can go to my pastor for it, how do I find one?

Thank you for answering my question.

God bless.

Praying to the Holy Spirit to give you guidance & direction.

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

If the OP is a minor, as I assume, there may be issues in terms of being alone with an adult.

Spiritual direction is normally a one-on-one activity. However, these days, priests and other adults don’t normally spend one-on-one time with minors.