Q: What is a vocation?
A: The word vocation comes from the Latin word "vocare" which means "to call". Throughout history, God has called his people. As members of God's people, we believe he calls us too. God made us and He knows why He did so. God has a plan for our lives. His plan is our vocation. For some, that vocation means marriage, for others it's in priesthood and religious life, for still others through the single life. But for all of us our vocation is to live as God desires us to live, to be holy.
Q: How do I know what my vocation is?
A: Knowing one's vocation is a process of discovery. We discover our vocation as we come to learn more about God, about ourselves and about others. As we come to know God through our prayer, the sacraments and our living of our Christian life, we come to hear his call. We learn to hear his voice and what he is inviting us to do.
As we come to know ourselves, discovering our gifts and talents, our likes and dislikes, we come to find particular desires in our heart. A desire for a family may point to a vocation to Marriage. A desire for service and ministry may point to a vocation to Priesthood or Religious Life.
Finally, as we grow in our relationship with others, we begin to find our vocation. Often other people serve as "mirrors" to us. They help us to see ourselves, our gifts and talents. People may ask us, "Did you ever think about becoming a priest?" Such a question can help serve as a great consideration to one who is discerning.
Q: "I think I might be called to the priesthood, but how will I know?"
A: We only know our vocation by coming to know God. He is the source of everything, the author of life and it is He who gives our life direction. Therefore, in coming to know our vocation, it is important to come to know the Lord. This is prayer. Prayer is the act of bringing everything before God -- our ideas, thoughts, concerns and situations. As we bring these things to Him, he begins to reveal himself to us and will show us the way through consolations of the Holy Spirit.
We can also take steps to investigate our interests: Participate more in parish events, talk to a priest, visit the seminary, read a book on the priesthood. As you take these steps, you can be discerning your own spirit, how the Lord is leading, where he is leading you now.
Q: "I know a lot of guys that I think are holier than me. Could I still have a vocation to the priesthood?"
A: Yes. God's call, as evidenced in the Scripture, is not based on our holiness. Rather, his call is for our holiness. God calls us not because we are holy, but he calls us to make us holy. We see that this is what God did this with all the Saints (i.e. Peter, Paul and Augustine) and he does so with us. Therefore, the main question is not who is more holy than I, but rather, how is it that I am called to be holy. For some, that being made holy comes through the gift of being a priest.
Q: "I think God's calling me to the priesthood but sometimes I feel attracted to girls."
A: Attraction to girls is a normal thing and is not an obstacle to the priesthood. But like all of our attractions, we need to learn how to direct them properly. Our attractions are not obstacles but they can become obstacles if we allow them. A husband for instance, even though he is married, may be attracted to other women. This can be an obstacle to his marriage. As men, we need to learn how to love and respect women properly. This comes in time and with God's help. The virtue that helps us here is Chastity. As a priest, a man's wife is the Church. He must be faithful to her, and he must love her as Jesus did. With this is mind, the priest's attractions are directed accordingly.
Q: "I'm concerned what my friends and family might think or how they will react if I tell them I'm interested in the priesthood."
A: Being concerned about your family and friends is a valid concern. More often then not, however, it is those who are closest to us who see the signs of priesthood within us and are not surprised by our interests. I would suggest that in thinking of priesthood you do not have to tell your entire family or friends at first. But rather, you can begin to share your thoughts about the Church, priests, or the Eucharist. In this way, you can begin to grow stronger in your thoughts as you share them with others. Those who love you may not totally understand but they will support you in your good desires.
Q: "How can I find out more about the priesthood without feeling like I'm obligated to join?"
A: The best way to find more information is do what you are doing looking on the internet. Beyond that, it would be good to talk to a priest who you can trust. You may even be interested in visiting the seminary itself. Discernment is never a matter of obligation. It is a matter of Jesus' invitation to "Come and See".
Q:
What does a priest do?
A: A priest engages in people's lives at the most memorable times, both joyful and sorrowful - in baptisms and weddings, funerals and hospital visits. He celebrates the Eucharist with his congregation and brings comfort and meaning to modern day life in his homilies. Most diocesan priests work in parishes but some do specialized work such as campus ministry; prison, health care, and military chaplaincy; education; retreat and spiritual direction; and diocesan administration. Whatever kind of work he does, every priest tries to include in his life enough study, prayer, physical exercise, leisure and recreation. Together, this balance in life brings a high degree of personal satisfaction.
Q: Do priests get lonely?
A: Loneliness is a part of every vocation, at one time or another. It is part of the human condition. Married people get lonely at times, even though their spouses and children surround them. Priests are always surrounded by people. This is one of the joys of being a priest. We are involved with people at the most profound moments of their lives: birth, Baptism, Confirmation, First Communion, Marriage, and death. We don't have enough time to experience loneliness often! But when we do experience loneliness, Jesus can fill that void, as He does for people in every vocation.
Q: Will I get paid?
A: Priests do not get paid in the same sense that people in the business world are paid. Because a priest does not have a family and because he lives a simple life, he does not need a lot of money. However, priests do receive enough money to buy their necessities, to buy and maintain an automobile, to take a vacation, and to do normal recreational activities. Also, priests are given free room and board by the parish for which they work, so their expenses are minimal.
Q: Will I get time off and what can I do with it?
A: We have approximately the same amount of leisure time as most adults. In this time, we are free to do whatever is legal, moral, and reasonable for adults in our situation. Some of the more common activities are sports, movies, TV, reading, sharing with friends, enjoying the outdoors.
Q: Are priests ever attracted to the opposite sex?
A: Yes, we are. Nothing happens to us at the time of entering the seminary that eliminates normal human needs, feelings, or desires. As celibate men, we choose to channel these feelings and express our love for others in the wide range of means other than those physical expressions restricted to and proper to marriage. However, priests can and do have chaste friendships with women. Priestly formation programs discuss openly the topics of celibacy and the needs that men seeking to follow Christ as a celibate priest have. This is an important part of our priestly formation program. Experienced priests reviewing our formation programs have stated that St. John’s Seminary in Brighton, Blessed John XXIII Seminary in Weston, Our Lady of Providence Formation House in Providence and St. Charles Seminary in Philadelphia (All seminaries we currently use) prepare men in human and spiritual formation for a healthy life of celibate love.
Q:
What is the age limit to entering the seminary?
A: In the Archdiocese of Boston we have no age limit. Most of our candidates are between the ages of 18-45. We look at the viability of a candidate case by case.
Q: What does a seminarian study?
A: There are four main areas of study and development in preparing for the priesthood: human formation, spiritual formation, pastoral formation and academic formation. Spiritual formation, the study of prayer and the development of one's relationship with God, is covered mostly on an individual basis, with each man meeting with a spiritual director and faculty advisor. Pastoral formation is developed in supervised programs. If a man goes to a college seminary, he has the same classes as a regular liberal arts college with the addition of classes on philosophy, the Church and God. After college, he enters theology, where his time is spent studying the Bible, the teachings of the Church, and the skills he will need to be a priest.
Q: Do you have to be an "A" student in the seminary?
A: A seminarian should be an average or above average student. A priest need not be a "brain," but on the other hand a priest must have the ability to pass the courses the seminary requires in order to serve the Catholic community well.
Q: Is seminary life hard?
A: Seminary life is not any harder than college or graduate work at another university but it is different. Seminarians have the added responsibilities of developing as men of prayer, and as a bearer of the Good News. Friendships are encouraged with both men and women, but dating is not part of the seminarian's life since he is preparing for celibacy, not marriage, They have the responsibility like any student, to fulfill the responsibilities that are part of their preparation for the life they've chosen.
Q: Are you taught to write homilies?
A: Seminarians are required to take courses on writing and giving homilies. Once a seminarian is ordained a deacon (about 6 months before ordination to priesthood), he will preach periodically at Mass in the Seminary and in parishes. During this diaconate period, he will receive constructive criticism on his homilies from the people at Mass and the priests he serves with.