Vocation issue

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Hello everyone!

My name is Bryan, and I am currently being considered by the Archdiocese of Seattle for formation to the priesthood. (I havn’t been officially accepted yet, due to the fact I turned in my application late.)

I have recently told my relatives and friends about my vocation and the results have been mixed. My father’s side of my family is struggling with it the most (They were all raised Catholic, yet most of them have left the faith). Please pray for me, and my family, during this time.

Also, I just want to say how excited I am to begin my formation. I will be entering seminary with a bachelor’s degree in history, so I will have 2 years of pretheology, 4 years of theology, and 1 year of pastoral internship. That means 7 years till my ordination! I can’t wait! I can’t express to you all the excitement I have to serve you all, the faithful people of God. I can’t wait to hear your confessions, celebrate the Eucharist, and walk with you all during the hard times we all face.

We need a separate Vocations thread!

Thank you,

Bryan
 
Bryan,

My prayers are with you. Good luck!
I will say a prayer to St. John Vianney for you as well.
 
Hey Bryan,
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  I will keep you in my prayers. You rock! I'm also basically the only Catholic left in my family. Keep fighting the good fight for the next 7 years. I think it's awesome what you're doing and look forward to you being a priest.
Christ’s peace,

Don
 
Bryan, I will keep you in my prayers. Funny to know you are only a few counties away! There seem to be several fellow Vikings on this board. My husband also attended WWU. It is wonderful to hear that another young man has decided to embark on this journey. I really enjoyed reading about the four new priests that were ordained this weekend in Seattle. Maybe you will be my own pastor someday. Think of that! 👍
 
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wwuseminarian:
We need a separate Vocations thread!
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I agree!
 
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wwuseminarian:
I will have 2 years of pretheology, 4 years of theology, and 1 year of pastoral internship.
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Could you explain what “pretheology” means?
 
My daughter and some of her friends pray 15 min each week in front of the Blessed Sacrament for vocations and the intentions of the Holy Father. I’m sure their prayers are bearing much fruit! God Bless your vocation. --KCT
 
Hi Bryan,

I too am a serminarian for the Archdiocese of Seattle was accepted on June 18,2003. I will be starting my pre-theology at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, California. Here is my e-mail: baonguyen4795@yahoo.com. E-mail me anytime and we can talk. I will be 36 years when I get ordain.

God Bless,

Bao
 
God bless you, Bryan! You will be in my prayers. You sound like you will be an excellent priest! 👍
 
Pre-theology is a 2 years studies before entering into theology. They wants the serminarian who did not went through college-seminary to have a strong foundation before going into first pre-theology.

Bao
 
pre-theology

kind of like the remedial math classes at the college

not bad to take, it’s just there to make sure you are up to speed and give you the best chance of success
 
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futurepriest:
Pre-theology is a 2 years studies before entering into theology. They wants the serminarian who did not went through college-seminary to have a strong foundation before going into first pre-theology.

Bao
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Bryan,

First of all, congratulations on discerning a vocation to the priesthood. Having spent six years in formation myself, I can tell you that they are wonderful years and they will go by FAST 😉

Do persevere and remember to pray everyday. Not just the Liturgy of the Hours and any other prayers that are required in formation, but spend some time in front of the Blessed Sacrament everyday if you can, pray the Rosary OFTEN, and continue to spend time listening carefully to the voice of God - all things you’re probably already doing 👍

I might add a bit to your explanation of pre-theology. It is, indeed, a time for a man to get a solid foundation in a number of things, one of the main ones being the study of philosophy. I had a degree in philosophy and theology before entering the seminary, so I was able to go directly into first theology.

For those, like yourself, who have not had that grounding in the study of philosophy, the Church requires that before one studies theology. Some may wonder why, but if one takes a look back at most of the major heresies in the history of the Church, they all sprang more from faulty philosophy than from bad theology.

And today, more than ever, it’s crucial that priests (dare I say, all of us?) be schooled in sound philosophical principles, for our culture and society are crumbling due to a lack of grounding in areas like metaphysics, ethics, and the like.

So, Bryan, may the Lord be with you each moment of your formation. And be assured that you will have the prayers of MANY people, including me. Be equally assured that you will come under more intense spiritual attack than ever before. As St. Peter says in one of his epistles, don’t be surprised by that. If the enemy can derail you before you reach the finish line (ordination), he surely will try. Of course, he won’t stop at that point if you do proceed all the way to ordination. That’s why you must pray fervently for the grace of perseverance.

God bless!

Jerry

P.S. Keep us posted in the coming years as you progress toward the awesome office of the priesthood! :blessyou:
 
Currently, I am discerning a vocation to the holy priesthood of Jesus Christ, specifically within the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter or the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest.

It is good to hear of people also discerning a vocation, and also to hear that people pray for good, holy priests in these present times. It is only through intense prayer and the reverential and proper celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass that the Church can receive the graces to overcome her current struggles. It is only through these means that the world will be converted.

Now, I have encountered many in my family and in my surrounding family-friends a strong repulsion against me being a priest, a holy, celibate, Christ-like man. Upon hearing that I want to be a priest, some have said, “Is he gay?” Others have said, “Oh, what a shame! He could’ve done so much with his life!” This latter quote came from a Catholic.

From comments like these, the impact of the homosexual scandal among the clergy of this country seems to have greatly affected those of shaky or misguided “faith.” Also, shear ignorance of the importance and dignity of the man in Holy Orders has overwhelmed and blinded many. Oftentimes, the idea of a priest is nothing more than a bachelor social worker. No wonder so many question the reasons for Christ-like celebacy!

Pray, fellow Christians, that the dignity of the priesthood will be proclaimed from the rooftops! Pray that the Mass will be seen as the true and authentic ritual sacrifice whereby God is infinitely glorified, adored, and praised by the sacramental represenation of Christ’s self-oblation on the Cross, the Holy Mass! Pray that we may worthily present ourselves before the Father at Holy Mass as spiritual sacrifices in union with Christ’s ultimate sacrifice in order to receive the infinite graces God has to bestow upon us! Pray that priests and those to become priests take to heart and to practice the words of St. Paul in Galatians 2:19-20, “with Christ I am nailed to the cross. And I live, now not I; but Christ liveth in me.”

I ask for your comments and thoughts.

In caritate Christi et Mariae,
David
 
peace be with you all! Since this has become a vocations thread, I would like to join in on this! I too am discerning a vocation to the priesthood and religious life and am glad to be in the company of those who are also discerning. I am much more drawn to religious life than the diocesan priesthood. I have prayed very often over the last 2-3 years asking God which congregation I should join and when, etc. but i feel like God’s will for me right now is that I don’t know His will for me later. He is just teaching me to love and trust Him now in the present moment without any worries or ideas/imaginations about what I will do later. I will certainly be keeping you all in prayer as you discern as well!
 
Hello, am happy all of you are in the process of answering God’s call. I on the other hand, am how do you say unable to know what His will is. Kept trying to, but unable to understand. Hope to be able to serve Him asap.
 
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