Questions about being a religious priest/friar

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   I believe God is calling me to be a priest, however, I am still discerning whether God wants me to be a diocesan or a religious priest. I am interested in the Dominican order, and think God might be calling me to join it. Does anyone know much about the mendicant vow of obedience? I searched online, but I couldn’t find much information about it. I know that you vow obedience to a superior, but I have some questions about it. First of all, how strict is it? How much freedom do you have? Do you need your superior’s permission to do most things (i.e. leave the friary, visit your friends/family, etc.)? I also believe God is calling me to be a physicist. Would I need the superior’s permission to get a job as a physicist?

   Most importantly, what if I believe God wants me to do something, and the superior says that I can’t? Then what can I do?
Thank you and God Bless! 🙂
 
I’m no expert, but I’ll take a crack at it.

Your preferences are taken into account, but the end, your Superior makes the final decision, and as a matter of obedience, you obey his decision. I don’t know how much physics you’ll do as a priest, so I’d recommend getting your physics degree before you enter formation. Your Superior could also decide to have you continue your studies, or even study something else.
 
I am already a physics student at a university. I am 100% certain that God wants me to be a physicist. Can the superior really just decide that I can no longer be a physicist? I know that diocesan priest are discouraged from having jobs (other than being a priest), but if I were a diocesan priest, is there still a chance I might be allowed to be a physicist?
 
I know a Dominican friar who is both a priest and chemist. He teaches and utilizes his chemistry degree regularly in his current assignment; this wasn’t always the case for him. I know of another who has a biology degree, but as a parish pastor, he only makes use of it when advising the gardening committee on flower beds. I can give you several similar diocesan examples.

The bottom line is, you can study things prior to entry (most do), but if you’re called to be a priest, you’re a priest first, and whatever else your superior or bishop permits second.
 
I’m not sure about that either for the diocese. I imagine it would be the same, only now you deal with the Bishop of your diocese. But, as a fellow Dominican hopeful, I will say this. All Dominicans are required to study. That is how they – we – see God. We pursue God who is truth. Part of your day as a Dominican will be dedicated to study. While you may not be a physicist in the typical sense, you would certainly be allowed to study physics on your own to bring you closer to God. You could also, if the Dominicans need it, be a physics professor and teach other people.
 
Thanks for responding. What exactly do you mean by “current assignment”?
 
Priests of any variety, diocesan or religious, don’t typically hold the same post for more than an appointed term. It may vary by diocese or order, but they’re subject to being moved and responsibilities changed periodically. These days, at least around here, it’s rare to see a priest in one assignment more than 10-12 years max (though it has happened). The chemist I mentioned was previously doing parish work. Previous parish priests are assigned campus ministry or teaching positions. These changes happen based on current needs of the order and affiliated ministries more than anything else.

Have you not experienced a change in pastor? Some dioceses post their priest appointments online (ours does: http://www.archindy.org/archbishop/appointments/index.html). You can see how often they get shuffled around if you peruse those lists.
 
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There are many priests, both religious and diocesan, who are college professors. They do, of course, need the consent of their superior or ordinary.
 
Look into the Jesuits as well. Before making a decision. They , from what I am told by Jesuits here, all have education at the post grad level
 
I second the Jesuits as well. They have an extra vow of teaching so that means study as well. One Jesuit I know of had most of his work focusing on ethical questions regarding the field of medicine and health. Others are astronomers at the Vatican observatory.

In some ways, Dominicans and Jesuits are pretty similar when it comes to study, teaching and doing other work in combination with being a priest. If they are doing other work then they would not be as involved in parish work as a priest assigned to do parish work. It is still likely they would be living in a community with other brothers of their order.

God will use the gifts He gave you but also give you new ones when you need them.
 
Because the Jesuits are not mendicant, do they still take a vow of obedience? If so, is it different than the mendicant vow of obedience? Do they vow obedience to a superior? Do they always live in a community? How often do they switch locations? Are they part of a diocese (as opposed to a province) – like a diocesan priest? Are they obedient to their bishop – like a diocesan priest?
 
The Jesuits absolutely take a vow of obedience. They are obedient to their immediate superior as well as their Provincial. Generally they live in community, but in part that will depend on their exact mission. They change locations when they are needed somewhere else. There isn’t a fixed length of time that they stay in a particular place. They are a worldwide religious order so they don’t belong to a particular diocese.
 
Maybe… find out what the superior is talking about? Why did he say no?
May God bless you and enlighten both you and him.
 
When you show interest in a particular religious order, you’ll first go through some interviews, then a period as an aspirant. This is a short time to let you know what the order and the community are about and for them to learn about you.

Next, if all goes well, you’ll enter formation as a novitiate. This can take 3-5 years depending on you and the rule of life for the order.

There will be a formation director and you’ll be expected to be obedient to him, as well as the superiors of the order.

In all, just be sure the order you choose has papal approval and not a new start up order associated with others, which only has the local Bishop’s approval. I’ve seen where an order was approved by the sitting Bishop, only to be ordered disbanded by the new Bishop who replaced him.

Most of all, pray to God to guide you through discernment.

Jim
 
Do any Jesuits stay in the same place or local area for most of their lives? I’m not really sure if I like the idea of changing locations very frequently. Do you know of any other orders that don’t change locations very frequently (other than a monastic order)?
 
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I promise that you will change perspectives as a 30-year-old, 40-year-old, 50-year-old etc until your natural death. What you believe is important now, will not matter when you are 60. Even in a monastery you will do more cooking some years and cleaning or gardening other years.

My bishop entered the monastery and thought he would be a brother and stay in the monastery most, if not all, of the time. God had other plans for him. You never know for how long you will stay in one location or what kind of work you will do.

One of the Jesuits I know is doing his last preparations before final vows. He was asked to learn another language, but since he already knew it asked if he could learn a different language instead, which was accepted.

Priests and deacons are asked by the bishop and his representatives to take on new assignments or parishes. They have a vow to the bishop and will do what he asks of them. If there will be complications of one sort or the other then it is everyone’s responsibility to let the other person know.

Get to know the different religious orders and go for a visit. God will let you know where He wants you to be.
 
The Jesuits I know are pretty mobile. Part of their charism is to be ready and willing to be missioned where they are needed. You might end up someplace where you stay for a while, but you may also be asked to move frequently.
 
Do you know of any orders that don’t change locations frequently? If I were to teach physics at a university, I would want to stay at the same university. I would not want to frequently change universities because I was relocated by the order.
 
Benedictine take a vow of stability so they don’t more from place to place. I would imagine that pretty much any order that might make you a physics professor probably wouldn’t move you too often. The Jesuits have a number of universities but how many would actually be looking for new physics faculty at any given time? On the other hand, they might need your skills elsewhere and that would take precedence. It’s not a one-sided thing. You discuss your assignment with your provincial, but you need to be open to go where you’re needed.
 
I appreciate your feedback, but Benedictines are monks, and I don’t believe God is calling me to be a monk. Correct me if I’m wrong, but monks are isolated from the outside world. They rarely make contact with the outside world. How can I be a physics professor if I’m isolated from the outside world?
 
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