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Young_Thinker
Guest
All right.
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Hereswith
Guest
Hey Mike! NO I expected you were joking, but someone else spoke about the white coats too, so I wanted to step in and say something. Guess I didn’t hear the joke in it. I’m a newbie.Um, I was kind of joking about the white coats.(I’m pretty sure Brother David was as well!). For what its worth, I was a nurse for 20 years and I’ve seen (and worn!) many a white coat in my time. My point was that clothing changes over time in most walks of life, including the priesthood.
Then again - perhaps you knew that and were joking too.
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Young_Thinker
Guest
However, I, for one, was not talking in jest.Hey Mike! NO I expected you were joking, but someone else spoke about the white coats too, so I wanted to step in and say something. Guess I didn’t hear the joke in it. I’m a newbie.
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Young_Thinker
Guest
Everyone who has been reading my statements probably thinks that I am crazy by now! Speaking about different orders, hoping to obtaining a degree in canon law, thinking about becoming a chaplain in the US armed forces…
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Friar_David_O.Carm
Guest
No I think you are scattered.
You need to get a spiritual director and to start contacting vocation directors.
You also need to understand that it is not what you want that you are called to it is where you are needed.
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Young_Thinker
Guest
Do orders tend to more accepting if one “just” wants to join the reserves or National Guard?
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Young_Thinker
Guest
Thank you; I know. Maybe it will become a little clearer to me once I am able to actually visit various communities(later this year or early in the next). I am in a somewhat complicated situation, so that I cannot do very much at the present time.
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Friar_David_O.Carm
Guest
I think you need a spiritual director before you do anything else.
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Young_Thinker
Guest
Do not worry, Brother David. That is my intention, and I am trying my best.
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Young_Thinker
Guest
And I certainly would not rule out the possibility of acquiring a medical degree and becoming a missionary. For instance, considering my ethnicity(Iranian), I would not be too surprised if I were asked to go to Afghanistan. An interesting combination:a white coat, a fez or turban, and a clerical vest!
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Young_Thinker
Guest
…Not to mention that it might be fascinating to work as a hospital-chaplain while a medical student or intern.
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Friar_David_O.Carm
Guest
I am not aware of any orders/communities that would pay for you to attend medical school.
We have had doctors in our province but they were already finished and licensed before they entered.
Also they found that there was not really much in the way of ministry opportunity for their medical interests and the last one we had left during formation.
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Young_Thinker
Guest
All right, Brother David. I have about a year to decide, but if I really wanted to serve as a medical missionary, would my best route be to enter a order that emphasizes evangelization like the Redemptorists? If permitted to do so, I might be able to fund that part of my education through other means.
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Friar_David_O.Carm
Guest
If you join an order there will not be “other means”. You will not be allowed to spend any of your own money due to the vow of poverty. You will not have to sign over any property/money until you make your final vows but you will not be allowed to use it.
Part of this is the fairness of it. It is not fair that some with money can spend it on themselves, even for education, while others who do not have access to money can not do so. It can cause splits in the community as some are view to be being treated different than others in formation.
I would suggest you speak to the vocation directors explicity and openly about your wants. While this may hurt your chances with a group if you have too many wants it will save you and the community issues in the future.
I am not aware of any order/community that does medical missionary work. They may support it but I believe Doctors without Borders is the main group out there. The main reasons orders are not doing this is cost. It costs alot to train a doctor and then to get experience. I can not see a doctor going straight from internship/residency to such work without gaining some experience first.
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Young_Thinker
Guest
Thank you. Do you think that it would actually be better for me to become a secular priest and join Opus Dei or the like? For certain reasons(not having to do with money), I cannot feasibly go to medical school first and then join an order.
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Friar_David_O.Carm
Guest
Being a secular priest will not get you into medical school either though you will be able to pay for it yourself.
Opus Dei is a special case like all communities of secular priests. You do not become a priest and then join it, you join it like an order and then they work you through their formation and have you ordained. I do not believe one joins Opus Dei with the goal of priesthood as they have many levels for laity within their group.
I am sorry but I must say this.
All your posts seem to be about you and what you want to do, rather than answering the call and doing what God wants you to do.
When I entered religious life I had vague ideas of what I might want to do, those are starting to solidify as I work through formation but they are doing so in consultation with my formators, nothing is done on my own.
You seem to have such a mismash of ideas, military chaplain, doctor missionary, work in the curia, bishop, canon lawyer (did I get them all). None of these are charisms of any religious order/community I know of. You seem to have a lot of wants and not much being open to what the community wants/needs.
I think you need to get a spiritual director right now, start talking with vocation directors (it does not matter that you can’t do anything right now, it will get you a relationship with them and help you to narrow down where you feel called to go, usually a vocation director wants to be in contact with a man for a period of time before he will even offer him an applicaiton, some like this to be a year or so). I also think you have some maturing to do (I am sorry if this is hard to hear but I feel I must speak the truth). One of the main reasons we turn down candidates is that they are not mature enough.
I think it might be better if I refrain from replying to you any longer as your posts seem to be biting on my last nerve.
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Friar_David_O.Carm
Guest
Another reason that candidates get turned down is that they are not active in the local church. How can you feel called to religious life and not feel called to be active in your parish?
So another think I would ask you to look at, as you have not stated anything in this area, is are you active in your local chuch/parish?
It would also be good if you have a history of this rather than starting to get involved as your vocation discernment hits high gear, that would give the appearance that you are only doing so for the vocation directors benefit and believe me, they do pay attention.
So another think I would ask you to look at, as you have not stated anything in this area, is are you active in your local chuch/parish?
It would also be good if you have a history of this rather than starting to get involved as your vocation discernment hits high gear, that would give the appearance that you are only doing so for the vocation directors benefit and believe me, they do pay attention.
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Young_Thinker
Guest
Thank you, and I apologize for annoying you. I have a habit of asking a lot of questions, not to mention having a creative spirit. I hope that I have not appeared as being overly self-centered. I do not beleve that it is all about my desires. I feel that whatever God wants to do, He shall make a path for me; I am just trying to make sure that I am “doing it right.” Also, as for saying, “…become a secular priest and join Opus Dei,” I meant joining it as an associate first. In addition, I certainly would not mind having to pay for my education(I already am doing so as an undergraduate).
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Friar_David_O.Carm
Guest
It is important that you realize how you appear as vocation directors might be lurking out there.
Businesses are starting to look at social media, internet blogs, facebook, etc., when intervieing applicants, I do not think vocation directors will be far behind in checking these things out. After all, what you leave on the internet is a light on to you, it can also be a light onto the order if they accept people who have posted immodest pictures or pictures of drug abuse.
As for going to medical school after ordination, you might find that a hard sell. After all they are ordaining you to be a priest and to serve the community, medical school is full time and really would not leave you much time for anything else, especially when you get into the internship and residency programs as both of those average over 70+ hours a week.
Yes, part of my frustration is that you ask a lot of questions, make a lot of statements, but really share no information about yourself or your spiritual life. You ask for our help but then provide no feedback as to if that help is actually helpful besides a “thank you”.
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Young_Thinker
Guest
All right. I can obviously can get quite “carried away.” As for not explaining much about my life while asking many questions is partly because I am a very private person (and neither do I like to ask others a lot about their lives).
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