Questions about priestly life

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JoshuaDurham

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Hi,

This is my first post here, but I’ve been lurking here for some time!

I’ve been discerning a vocation to the priesthood, I’m 17, and I had a few questions that I couldn’t find an answer to. So I was hoping someone here could help.

I live in the Diocese of Hexam and Newcastle but we don’t have our own seminary anymore. In England I believe there are two, one in Birmingham and London, but we also have one in Rome (studying there would be amazing, but I only speak English, and I’m ginger, so I’d melt :D), Spain and the Netherlands. My question, sorry for the introduction ;), is this…are priests ordained in another diocese sent back to their home diocese?

My second question is quite similar. Are priests, once ordained, ever sent to work in their home parish?

Thanks for reading.

Josh
 
We have many priests in our diocese that studied in Rome at the North American College, all came home to be ordained within our diocese, I think that is the norm. Most likely a priest is not place at his home parish after ordination. Hope that helps. May God bless you richly as you contemplate a call to a religious vocation.
 
As far as priests being sent home to work in their own parish - I don’t know if it is common, but a priest in my diocese claimed that he was assigned to his home parish because his brother was the bishop at the time and made it happen. 🙂
 
JoshuaDurham said:
Hi,

This is my first post here, but I’ve been lurking here for some time!

I’ve been discerning a vocation to the priesthood, I’m 17, and I had a few questions that I couldn’t find an answer to. So I was hoping someone here could help.

I live in the Diocese of Hexam and Newcastle but we don’t have our own seminary anymore. In England I believe there are two, one in Birmingham and London, but we also have one in Rome (studying there would be amazing, but I only speak English, and I’m ginger, so I’d melt :D), Spain and the Netherlands. My question, sorry for the introduction ;), is this…are priests ordained in another diocese sent back to their home diocese?
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How it works is that before you go to Seminary you are accepted by a Bishop to study for their diocese. For most guys, that means their home diocese, although there is nothing preventing someone from applying to a different diocese (although they will ask you why you want to be a part of that diocese instead of your own. For example, I’m studying for the diocese I went to university in, not the one that my hometown is a part of).

It’s not odd in this day and age to see only a few “regional” seminaries. For all intensive purposes, Canada has 2 “super-regional” english Seminaries: St. Joseph’s for Manitoba and everything else west, and St. Peter’s for Ontario and the Maritimes (Vancouver uses Christ the King in Mission and Toronto has their own, St. Augustine’s I believe).

So where you study does not have any impact on where you serve as a priest.
JoshuaDurham said:
My second question is quite similar. Are priests, once ordained, ever sent to work in their home parish?
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I have seen it happen, but it’s not guaranteed.

When a priest is ordained, they make a promise to obey their bishop and his successors, which includes being obedient to wherever and whatever parish the bishop may send them.
 
Hello,
curlycool89 had already answered correctly.

:thumbsup:May God bless you on your way to priesthood. 🙂

Fraternally,
frater Attempto
 
JoshuaDurham said:
Hi,
I live in the Diocese of Hexam and Newcastle but we don’t have our own seminary anymore. In England I believe there are two, one in Birmingham and London, but we also have one in Rome (studying there would be amazing, but I only speak English, and I’m ginger, so I’d melt :D), Spain and the Netherlands. My question, sorry for the introduction ;), is this…are priests ordained in another diocese sent back to their home diocese?

My second question is quite similar. Are priests, once ordained, ever sent to work in their home parish?
Click to expand...
Hi Josh, I think I’m right in saying that seminarians for Hexam and Newcastle mostly get sent to Oscott College in Birmingham rather than London although some may go to the English College in Rome. The other English seminary is in Surrey for students from the South of England and Wales.

In answer to your question, as CurlyCool has said where you study has no impact on which diocese you will be ordained for. As it happens I know a priest in London who is originally from Newcastle but was ordained for the Archdiocese of Westminster (PM me for details)! Studying alongside students from other parts of the country helps to being variety (and friendly rivalry) to seminary life.

In answer to your second question, yes priests do sometimes end up in there home parishes after ordination. That said, it wouldn’t be the first place they were sent to after ordination. Similarly, when seminarians spend what’s known as a pastoral year working in a parish in their diocese this wouldn’t be spent in their home parish.
 
maryj said:
Most likely a priest is not place at his home parish after ordination. Hope that helps. May God bless you richly as you contemplate a call to a religious vocation.
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It does sometimes happen though. It’s not something highly sought after given church politics.
 
JoshuaDurham said:
are priests ordained in another diocese sent back to their home diocese?
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Where you will be a priest depends on a thing called incardination, not where you study. All priests must be incardinated to a diocese, religious community or society of apostolic life. Incardination is like being the citizen of country X, even if you study in Tanzania, you are still British. The bishop / major superior of where you are incardinated determines where you study and where you work as a priest (usually with some consultation). The vast majority of priests incardinated into a diocese, do ministry there but not always. For instance I have a professor here in Rome incardinated into the diocese of Nottingham.

You are not technically incardinated till you are a deacon but when a diocese sponsor’s you, you will be incardinated there unless something else happens. This is even clearer when a community accepts someone for profession, especially if, like my community, all members are destined to the priesthood.
 
Every priest I know come back to their home diocese. Not many to home parishes. I only know 1.

God bless, know that your in my prayers.

Priez pour pape Francois
 
Once again thanks everyone for your answers!

I was wondering how one discerns if they have a vocation as a parish priest or as a priest within a religious community? I feel drawn to the Benedictines, and the Franciscans, but I’m not sure if it is simply intellectual interest or a spiritual vocation to one of their communities?
 
JoshuaDurham said:
I was wondering how one discerns if they have a vocation as a parish priest or as a priest within a religious community? I feel drawn to the Benedictines, and the Franciscans, but I’m not sure if it is simply intellectual interest or a spiritual vocation to one of their communities?
Click to expand...
The short answer is try before you buy 😃 In other words, spend some time with each community to see if they seem the right fit for you. This site might also be off some help: ukvocation.org/
 
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