Rejected from Five Seminaries due to Celiac/Gluten Intolerance

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 I have been discerning the priesthood for a long time. It wasn't until my Junior year of high school that I found out that I had some kind of gluten intolerance. Although undiagnosed, as soon as I had removed gluten from my diet, most of the digestion issues and dyspepsia I grew up with disappeared. I didn't initially realize this would become an issue in discerning the priesthood. It never occurred to me that although the consecrated host is no longer bread, the material effects on the body of bread remain. Although it is possible for a priest to use a low gluten presider host at Mass as long as he can consume it, I have still been rejected by five seminaries.
 One of the added problems in me finding a seminary is that I originally was looking for one that could teach me how to celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass. After I had come to the Franciscan University of Steubenville, I had my first experience with the Traditional Latin Mass. After initially getting over the fact that the prayers are said silently (I had attended a few Novus Ordo Latin Masses before), I had grown fond of the older form of the Mass. Now at Franciscan University, on most Sundays, I attend Latin Mass at the local parish St. Peter.
One of my friends at the University began introducing me to audio sermons from the Sensus Fidelium channel on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3x3gDTqUYy_bFZWS-U_mZQ
Most of the priests on the channel are from the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP). Unlike some other traditionalist groups, they are not sedevacantist and remain true to the Church’s teaching. I was impressed with their degree of leaning, so I considered applying to enroll in Our Lady of Guadalupe seminary in Denton, Nebraska. Unfortunately, this is where my problems finding a seminary began. Just when I had already booked a flight to visit the place right after the end of my semester, they inform me that they would not be able to accommodate my dietary restrictions. Although, they agreed to refund me for the flight, my search for seminaries didn’t get any better.
After my rejection from the FSSP, I found absolutely no seminaries in North America that could offer any training in the extraordinary form, so I emailed the FSSP back for help finding other seminaries that might be able to teach me the Extraordinary form. Unfortunately, the two places they suggested to look (the Cannons Regular of St. John Cantius and the Cannons Regular of the New Jerusalem) could not accommodate me either.
The problem seems not to just be celebrating the Extraordinary Form. I was also rejected from two other communities of consecrated religious— the Norbertines of St. Michael’s Abbey in California and the CRNJ in Carrolton, Ohio.
It looks like I have to give up searching for seminaries that offer training in the Traditional Latin Mass. I don’t know any other languages fluently besides English (Although I do know some Latin and Greek.)
 
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I don't trust that my Archdiocese of Cincinnati could at least guarantee that they don't water down formation with modern Freudian or Humanistic Psychological theory at the expense of sound doctrine, and when I tried interviewing the vocations director for the Diocese of Steubenville, he couldn't give me any definite answers either about what would be in the curricula at the seminaries for the Diocese.
None of the spiritual directors that I have tried to make appointments with at Franciscan University have been any help either. My first spiritual director refused to see me next semester because he though I had Autism and wasn't getting proper treatment and counseling for the condition at home. Although I was and still am seeking counseling and a Psychiatrist at home, somehow he didn't quite understand what I was trying to tell him. My second spiritual director whom I tried to see got mad at me for wanting to celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass (Because I didn't grow up with it) and that I couldn't give him a coherent answer at the time why I wanted to become a priest. Coincidentally, he cancelled my appointment that I would have had with him in November (He had a funeral to attend to.), and so I could only get one appointment with him. I don't try to be rude with my spiritual directors. Have no idea what is going on.
 I have not forgotten why I wanted to be a priest even if I could not give my spiritual director a coherent answer at the time. I want to be able to devote my life entirely to the care of souls and follow Jesus in the manner He called his Apostles.
 
Hm, perhaps look into places where it is not just the TLM for now. I don’t know if this means you can never celebrate the TLM, or if at some later date you could, but perhaps you are not supposed to focus on it.
Or, perhaps, you are being “tested” as metal is tested for how far you will go for this.
God bless you in your searching.
 
There are other traditional orders like Canons of St John of Canitus, Congregation of the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer known as the Transalpine Redemptorists, etc… you can try with them.
 
I was already rejected by the Cannons Regular of St. John Cantius, and with a name like “Transalpine”, it sounds like I would have to learn French of German to attent classes there. Are they in Europe or in North america? Are they at least in the British isles? I don’t wants to spend four years learning a modern language. I have $78,440 in student loan debts I have to pay off somehow. I would’ve contacted the Labouré Society https://labouresociety.org, but I need to know for sure which seminary or religious comunity I am going to attend.
 
I do not think learning French and German is one of their requirements as from what I know they are serving and present only in English speaking countries… The UK and New Zealand to be more specific. They were initially connected with the SSPX but then now they have come into communion with Rome.

This is a line to their site… From what I have heard they have members from various parts of the world.

http://papastronsay.blogspot.com/
 
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I will have to read more about them, but I would have to find out if they could still accept me with my dietary restrictions. Where do they send their priests to study anyway?
 
If you are a celiac and cannot receive any gluten at all then unfortunately you won’t find anywhere to take you as a priest as you must be able to receive the Eucharist under both species in order to celebrate mass, as far as I know. @1ke might be able to shed further light.
 
If I understand properly, you aren’t diagnosed as Celiacs; rather, you tried excluding it from your diet and believed you saw an improvement. Perhaps a good first step would be to seek an actual diagnosis from a doctor, to determine if this dietary issue is something that could be managed.
 
OP,

You have some dietary issues, but you also reference being under a psychologist’s care, you have concerns about your own diocesan seminary program vis-à-vis “modern Freudian or Humanistic Psychological theory”, you are on the autism spectrum, and you have over $78K in student loan debt.

There are multiple issues here that may have gone into the decision that you are not a candidate for formation in the priesthood.

I know it may be difficult to accept, but perhaps your vocation does not lie in the priesthood or religious life. You’ve talked with spiritual directors and vocations directors. Perhaps for the time being you need to focus on your mental health and finding a job in your career field to pay off your student loans.

Thanks @AdamPeter for tagging me.
 
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I plan on trying some milder einkorn wheat this Summer and get some tests done for celiac disease or other related problems. Although no one in my family has been diagnosed with Celiac, I think one of my relatives had died fron krohn’s didease.
 
The Laboure Society should be able to help I assume as i do know personally some religious who have been assisted through the Laboure Society to clear their loans.
 
In my Diocese a man was ordained a priest two years who has celiac disease. He consumes a low-gluten host during the consecration.

I don’t know of any diocese that will admit a man to the seminary with unpaid student loans. Certainly a religious order will not.
 
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