Vocation To The Priesthood

[ATeutonicKnight]

Is anyone else discerning this great life? I know I am for sure. I constantly find myself imagining what it’s going to be like to be a Priest. I imagine myself consecrating the Host, doing Confessions, saying the Mass, or even just walking throughout my assigned Church in my Cathedral Cassock, Rosary beads in hand as I mouth my favorite devotion to Mary. Does anyone else have daydreams such as these? I find them occurring more and more as I get older, and as they do this the more I want to become one. I often find myself chanting “Three more years, three more years…” as the days go by. I know the moment I turn eighteen I’ll be in my car going the speed of light to the Cathedral to talk to the Bishop.

 

[Bl_Pope_Pius_IX]

Is anyone else discerning this great life? I know I am for sure. I constantly find myself imagining what it’s going to be like to be a Priest. I imagine myself consecrating the Host, doing Confessions, saying the Mass, or even just walking throughout my assigned Church in my Cathedral Cassock, Rosary beads in hand as I mouth my favorite devotion to Mary. Does anyone else have daydreams such as these? I find them occurring more and more as I get older, and as they do this the more I want to become one. I often find myself chanting “Three more years, three more years…” as the days go by. I know the moment I turn eighteen I’ll be in my car going the speed of light to the Cathedral to talk to the Bishop.

You wont be alone! I too do this often. Good luck and God bless!

~ Pius :knight1:

 

[bobballen_18]

I am “discerning this great life,” although it is a pretty difficult thing, discernment is. There are so many things to think about, with the biggest one, for me, being whether my desires match up with God’s will for me. Desire to be a priest, although it can be a sign, does not mean there is a calling.

So I guess you are only fifteen then TeutonicKnight? That’s awesome…I think it’s safe to say that many high schoolers try to push away the thought of being a priest, rather than to entertain it. Keep praying to know God’s will for you, for both now and in the future!

 

[tbtcom1213]

I too am also striving to hear The Lord’s call to holy orders. If it is God’s will that I am granted the privelege to discern the priesthood in seminary, Vivat Jesus! For now I must live a life of and strive for holiness. Oremus pro invicem semper

Recommended Reading:

*Come and Follow Me * by Father Stefano Manelli, FI

Deep Conversion/Deep Prayer by Fr Thomas Dubay

 

[ATeutonicKnight]

I am “discerning this great life,” although it is a pretty difficult thing, discernment is. There are so many things to think about, with the biggest one, for me, being whether my desires match up with God’s will for me. Desire to be a priest, although it can be a sign, does not mean there is a calling.

So I guess you are only fifteen then TeutonicKnight? That’s awesome…I think it’s safe to say that many high schoolers try to push away the thought of being a priest, rather than to entertain it. Keep praying to know God’s will for you, for both now and in the future!

I hear it’s difficult for some, but it’s not for me. For me it was a hard thing to accept, but after that, it’s been very easy to discern, almost as if it’s a commonly known fact. I’m still open to thinking about other things, but I’m almost dead-set on becoming a Priest. This is a feeling that I’ve had for almost a year, and unlike any of my other career choices, I haven’t grown tired of it within a day, which says to me that this could very possibly be what I’m called to do.

Yes, I just turned fifteen on the sixth. It is sad that most young men and women don’t even think about it. I used to be like that, unfortunately. When my sister brought it up, I would always tell her “There’s no way in a million years that I am going to be a Priest.” No, the Priesthood was not for me. I was meant to be a billionaire Rock Star with overpriced cars and houses, and sleep with thousands of women! Well, God has a funny sense of humor I suppose, and he took those words of mine and called me to the Priesthood out of spite.

 

[ATeutonicKnight]

I too am also striving to hear The Lord’s call to holy orders. If it is God’s will that I am granted the privelege to discern the priesthood in seminary, Vivat Jesus! For now I must live a life of and strive for holiness. Oremus pro invicem semper

Recommended Reading:

*Come and Follow Me * by Father Stefano Manelli, FI

Deep Conversion/Deep Prayer by Fr Thomas Dubay

Thanks for the comment and recommended reading. I’m sure I’ll at least read the one by Father Stefano Manelli soon.

 

[JVSantos]

Just a reminder of what formation is,
" It is not about coasting towards the priesthood but an authentic discernment that often demands a response. There is no time to grow lax. One must be constantly listening to the voice of God."

Goodluck to you

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

Is anyone else discerning this great life? I know I am for sure. I constantly find myself imagining what it’s going to be like to be a Priest. I imagine myself consecrating the Host, doing Confessions, saying the Mass, or even just walking throughout my assigned Church in my Cathedral Cassock, Rosary beads in hand as I mouth my favorite devotion to Mary. Does anyone else have daydreams such as these? I find them occurring more and more as I get older, and as they do this the more I want to become one. I often find myself chanting “Three more years, three more years…” as the days go by. I know the moment I turn eighteen I’ll be in my car going the speed of light to the Cathedral to talk to the Bishop.

While dreams are nice it is important that you do not get to hung up on an idealized version of what the priesthood is.

That will not do anyone any good.

I think the best place to talk about this and many of the other posts you have on this anonymous internet forum is with a spiritual director.

 

[ATeutonicKnight]

While dreams are nice it is important that you do not get to hung up on an idealized version of what the priesthood is.

That will not do anyone any good.

I think the best place to talk about this and many of the other posts you have on this anonymous internet forum is with a spiritual director.

We’ve talked before about it, but I don’t believe you understand the condition of my diocese. You see, there are no spiritual directors usually. Nobody has even heard of them here. The Priest I asked said he nearly died of shock and he asked me how I found about about spiritual directors. People don’t know they shouldn’t receive the Eucharist in Mortal Sin. People don’t even know what Mortal Sin is! Nobody knows what a good Catholic should know here. It’s a broken down diocese that’s been a mess since the start (Which is documented if you look up the Dodge City Diocese in history books and such). I have to ask these questions because I literally have nowhere else to go. Besides, I’ve seen many threads like these. This is just a forum for those discerning the Priesthood. I don’t think asking my spiritual director if he’s discerning the Priesthood would be an appropriate question for him.

You’re right though. Daydreaming about the Priesthood can be dangerous. I’m careful not to make my own idea of the Priesthood though. I simply think about the Confessional and my homilies and such, and I simply set the standard for the kind of Priest I’m going to strive to be. I’m careful never to make my own idea of the Priesthood. What I daydream about is from the lives of the Saints such as Saint John Vianney, who had a rather normal Priestly life. Thank you for your concern.

 

[Oneofthewomen]

Is anyone else discerning this great life? I know I am for sure. I constantly find myself imagining what it’s going to be like to be a Priest. I imagine myself consecrating the Host, doing Confessions, saying the Mass, or even just walking throughout my assigned Church in my Cathedral Cassock, Rosary beads in hand as I mouth my favorite devotion to Mary. Does anyone else have daydreams such as these? I find them occurring more and more as I get older, and as they do this the more I want to become one. I often find myself chanting “Three more years, three more years…” as the days go by. I know the moment I turn eighteen I’ll be in my car going the speed of light to the Cathedral to talk to the Bishop.

You don’t have to wait until you are 18 to talk to your Bishop.

Go here,
and check out an event coming up in November.
It’s free and they take care of transportation, what more can a young man who is aspiring to the priesthood want?!

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

We’ve talked before about it, but I don’t believe you understand the condition of my diocese.

No, I understand what you perceive of the condition of your diocese.

I did a short search. Did not take me more than 15 minutes and I found that there is a Dominican Mother House in Great Bend.

Spiritual directors do not have to be priests. My current spiritual director is an OCD nun.

I also found Newman University Western Kansas Center, they have adoration at their chapel so it can’t be all that bad.

Found this through the Diocese of Dodge City website.

 

[Providence_Peep]

I spent a year in a seminary when I was younger, and even though I’m not there anymore I’m still discerning a call to the Priesthood.

 

[ATeutonicKnight]

No, I understand what you perceive of the condition of your diocese.

I did a short search. Did not take me more than 15 minutes and I found that there is a Dominican Mother House in Great Bend.

Spiritual directors do not have to be priests. My current spiritual director is an OCD nun.

I also found Newman University Western Kansas Center, they have adoration at their chapel so it can’t be all that bad.

Found this through the Diocese of Dodge City website.

If you only knew what went on in that Dominican house… Please, don’t give me an infraction for this. This is simply my experience with them and it can be proven by simply visiting them. They teach at the diocese from time to time. My grandmother went to these classes, and these things are what she learned: Mortal Sin does not exist, women should be allowed to become Priests, Pope Benedict XVI is a complete nut job, etc. I visited them with our youth group at my parish. This is what I gathered from that grand experience: When you do the sign of the cross, you say “In the name of the Father, and of the Mother, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” In terms of prayer, you don’t kneel. Instead, you sit on a pad with your legs crossed. Idea courtesy of Buddhists and other Eastern Religions. Confession is completely unnecessary since, after all, Mortal Sin just doesn’t exist. When you refer to God, he is referred to as a she. The list goes on and on, unfortunately. The new Bishop is trying to have a talk with them about these things and hopefully he’ll have these unfortunate problems solved. So, in terms of having them as a spiritual director, not only are they two hours away, but their advice isn’t exactly infallible when it comes to theological matters.

Again, please don’t give me an infraction. I can tell you many good things about these Sisters as well. They’re extremely welcoming, they’re all nice, they have a good sense of humor, etc. They just unfortunately aren’t sound theologically. As I said, hopefully the Bishop will have the problem dealt with soon.

Newman University is a pretty good college. Its Priest that says Mass and hears confession there is one of my favorites. However it is in the Wichita Diocese, which is one of the best dioceses in the nation. It’s orthodoxy and traditionalism is very well known, and it has over fifty seminarians as opposed to our seven or eight. The Bishop there has done a very great job. Our new one is doing great so far, but he has quite a mess to clean up left after our previous one, unfortunately. Our previous Bishop was a great Bishop, but he didn’t do anything as a Bishop, really. He let everything slide. He was Bishop for quite a few years and I can honestly say I can’t think of one thing he did other than be friendly and well-liked by the people.

 

[ATeutonicKnight]

You don’t have to wait until you are 18 to talk to your Bishop.

Go here,
and check out an event coming up in November.
It’s free and they take care of transportation, what more can a young man who is aspiring to the priesthood want?!

Oh trust me, I’ve spoken to him about it already. He was very good to me, and he gave me a lot of great advice. His main goal right now is to increase vocations, as we have so very few Priests. In fact, they estimated that if things kept going like they are we would be out of Priests in forty years, so you can imagine why this would be his main interest at the moment. Even though he had things to do, I’m sure, when I asked him to talk for a moment about vocations he completely shut down everything else going on in his day to talk to me for about twenty-five minutes or so. He told me to keep thinking hard about it and to keep in touch with him. He even wrote down some things for me to look up. His handwriting goes the speed of light, I swear. I thought he was writing in cursive since he was going so unbelievably fast but it turned out he wasn’t. And when I looked at the card the writing was perfect. It’s not surprising, really, he did go to Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas.

 

[ATeutonicKnight]

You don’t have to wait until you are 18 to talk to your Bishop.

Go here,
and check out an event coming up in November.
It’s free and they take care of transportation, what more can a young man who is aspiring to the priesthood want?!

And actually, I would love to go to the retreat, but unfortunately I’m a sophomore, not a Junior, so I’ll have to wait an entire year. How will I ever manage?

 

[bobballen_18]

If you only knew what went on in that Dominican house… Please, don’t give me an infraction for this. This is simply my experience with them and it can be proven by simply visiting them. They teach at the diocese from time to time. My grandmother went to these classes, and these things are what she learned: Mortal Sin does not exist, women should be allowed to become Priests, Pope Benedict XVI is a complete nut job, etc. I visited them with our youth group at my parish. This is what I gathered from that grand experience: When you do the sign of the cross, you say “In the name of the Father, and of the Mother, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” In terms of prayer, you don’t kneel. Instead, you sit on a pad with your legs crossed. Idea courtesy of Buddhists and other Eastern Religions. Confession is completely unnecessary since, after all, Mortal Sin just doesn’t exist. When you refer to God, he is referred to as a she. The list goes on and on, unfortunately. The new Bishop is trying to have a talk with them about these things and hopefully he’ll have these unfortunate problems solved. So, in terms of having them as a spiritual director, not only are they two hours away, but their advice isn’t exactly infallible when it comes to theological matters.

Again, please don’t give me an infraction. I can tell you many good things about these Sisters as well. They’re extremely welcoming, they’re all nice, they have a good sense of humor, etc. They just unfortunately aren’t sound theologically. As I said, hopefully the Bishop will have the problem dealt with soon.

Newman University is a pretty good college. Its Priest that says Mass and hears confession there is one of my favorites. However it is in the Wichita Diocese, which is one of the best dioceses in the nation. It’s orthodoxy and traditionalism is very well known, and it has over fifty seminarians as opposed to our seven or eight. The Bishop there has done a very great job. Our new one is doing great so far, but he has quite a mess to clean up left after our previous one, unfortunately. Our previous Bishop was a great Bishop, but he didn’t do anything as a Bishop, really. He let everything slide. He was Bishop for quite a few years and I can honestly say I can’t think of one thing he did other than be friendly and well-liked by the people.

Wow, you make me realize how lucky I am to have grown up in the Diocese of Wichita when there is such a questionable one right next to it! Good luck in your discernment!

 

[DarrenOglesby]

I am discerning, I will also be applying to seminary here soon for the next school year. I am already in college though. I will pray for you.
My advice to you is to keep praying. Things will come up. But we can only know that these things are from God is if we keep a good prayer life with him. Sometimes I find myself forgetting to pray, and my discernment get’s a little shaky. So pray pray pray. Both four yourself and for others.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

If you only knew what went on in that Dominican house… Please, don’t give me an infraction for this. This is simply my experience with them and it can be proven by simply visiting them. They teach at the diocese from time to time. My grandmother went to these classes, and these things are what she learned: Mortal Sin does not exist, women should be allowed to become Priests, Pope Benedict XVI is a complete nut job, etc. I visited them with our youth group at my parish. This is what I gathered from that grand experience: When you do the sign of the cross, you say “In the name of the Father, and of the Mother, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” In terms of prayer, you don’t kneel. Instead, you sit on a pad with your legs crossed. Idea courtesy of Buddhists and other Eastern Religions. Confession is completely unnecessary since, after all, Mortal Sin just doesn’t exist. When you refer to God, he is referred to as a she. The list goes on and on, unfortunately. The new Bishop is trying to have a talk with them about these things and hopefully he’ll have these unfortunate problems solved. So, in terms of having them as a spiritual director, not only are they two hours away, but their advice isn’t exactly infallible when it comes to theological matters.

Again, please don’t give me an infraction. I can tell you many good things about these Sisters as well. They’re extremely welcoming, they’re all nice, they have a good sense of humor, etc. They just unfortunately aren’t sound theologically. As I said, hopefully the Bishop will have the problem dealt with soon.

Not to question your perspective but…

At 15 years of age you have enough personal experience with this group of sisters to paint their community with such a broad brush?

On another note, I do not know if you have answered this before but do you volunteer in your parish?

 

[Providence_Peep]

I constantly find myself imagining what it’s going to be like to be a Priest. I imagine myself consecrating the Host, doing Confessions, saying the Mass, or even just walking throughout my assigned Church in my Cathedral Cassock, Rosary beads in hand as I mouth my favorite devotion to Mary.

Oh, so you would be one of the priests who walks around in a clerical cassock.
I think it’s great that there are people, like myself, who are discerning a priestly vocation.
I just don’t understand the fascination with the cassock.

 

[ATeutonicKnight]

Not to question your perspective but…

At 15 years of age you have enough personal experience with this group of sisters to paint their community with such a broad brush?

On another note, I do not know if you have answered this before but do you volunteer in your parish?

I have a friend who works closely with them who is a good Catholic and he says things that are far worse than what I’ve said. He plays the organ for them and visits them everyday. Also, you add my visits and experiences with them and other experiences of people I know with that, so yes, I can paint this sort of a picture. They don’t even wear Habits, which in the biographies I’ve read Saint Dominic held the Habit in high regard and wanted all in the Dominican order to wear one. To intentionally not wear them for feminist reasons is to undermine their very founder.

I respect these Sisters very much, and I always treat them charitably whenever I see them, even though they have basically stated to my mother before that home schooling wasn’t the right option and that we’re going to be horrible people for it.

No I don’t, as my parish doesn’t do anything at all so there’s nothing to volunteer for. I don’t attend my parish anyway. I attend another one. It doesn’t really do much either so I can’t volunteer for it.