You can send us questions via the Contact page or post in our forum. We also examine the server logs for search phrases and so are able to react quickly to provide better and fuller articles for you. All contacts here and in the forum remain confidential.
How do I know I have a vocation?
The short answer is that you can only be certain when you are ordained by your Bishop. Before that, your sense of vocation will grow, it will be affirmed by your family and friends and your parish community. The Seminary is the place where the seed of vocation will mature, guided by priests and a spiritual director.
If I go to the Seminary, do I have to become a priest?
No - your vocation is personal. If you are not content to be a priest or the staff at the Seminary think you may be unsuitable or unhappy, they will help you. There is no shame in trying your vocation and then deciding to leave. You can expect students to leave the Seminary, but they will leave enriched by their experience as they discover that their vocation might be something else.
How long does it take to train to be a priest?
In the UK it normally takes six years to reach ordination. Some students enter the process at 18, which means they will be priests at 25 - the minimum age. Some will enter the Seminary much later, and then there may be a shorter course of training. The situation differs worldwide - ask for details on other countries.
Why does it take so long to train to be a priest?
Obviously there are many academic demands, such as Philosophy, Theology, Scripture, Liturgy, Church History, Homiletics etc, but you are also being prepared to be a good shepherd - that involves spirituality, discernment, maturity, prayer-life, pastoral experience and sexual integrity. You are preparing for the most important 'job' the world has to offer - to be Christ to other people, to better their relationship with God and each other, to celebrate the sacraments, to urge people to lead better lives through your preaching. By the way, it took the Lord thirty years to prepare for his public ministry!
The Church has been rocked by child-abuse scandals - why would I want to be a priest?
It is a scandal and a sin that even a single priest has ever hurt a child and I'm deeply ashamed by this. I don't know how a priest could exhort people to live by the Gospel, and then do something so wicked. Priests and seminarians I know feel that their extraordinary ministry has been dented by a few bad apples. Worth remembering amid all the talk of statistics - biological parents are more likely to abuse their children than any other sector of society!
I want to become a good priest - one who would live a life in total harmony with the Gospel and protect children. There are bad teachers, bad parents, bad police and bad clergy - the good ones are all betrayed by a few evil people who will have to answer to God.
"We are deeply grieved by the fact that priests and religious workers have caused such abuse and scandal to the young. In many ways the entire Church is viewed with mistrust. This crisis is an appalling sin in the eyes of God." Pope John Paul II;
What is celibacy?
Celibacy is a gift from God and enables a priest to live his vocation to offer his life for others 100 per cent. Rather than something negative (giving up marriage), it is a positive calling to love (and in return be loved) in a unique way. I see Catholic Priests loved and trusted in a way that no other individual is - I also see them as men who are deeply human and heroic in living out their God-given vocation. Just recently John in the UK was asked to take part in a BBC TV programme on whether priests should be allowed to marry. So we asked our story tellers for their views on celibacy. Remember that in an age when most teens are boasting about their sexual conquests, this is counter-cultural - teens who are living in purity and are happy to embrace celibacy for Jesus Christ. We have some of our thoughts on celibacy which you may find helpful.
Why do priests dress differently?
We live in a secular society that thinks God is dead and religion is for dummies. The sight of a priest wearing his collar challenges this lie. He doesn't even have to say anything! My parish priest says that his uniform is not a barrier as some people claim - it does two things - it lets him into hospitals, homes, schools, prisons without any problem and secondly he was wearing his collar on a railway station when someone asked him to hear his confession for the first time in thirty years. Wear your collar with pride! There is a good article written by a Presbyterian Minister on the plus points of wearing a clerical collar.
I'm not worthy to become a priest!
Nobody is! If our vocation depended on worthiness, there wouldn't be any priests or religious in the world. However that doesn't stop us from making ourselves good and holy people because the call is to 'be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect'.
Are you feeling the strain and frustration and helplessness of living out your God-given vocation? You are not alone - we have a few tips on staying connected. Also, you may find help in a page of selected quotations on priests and priesthood.
Please feel free to email us with your questions - see the contact page from the navigation banner.
Finally - have you posted a question or comment on our new Catholic Vocations Forum? We would love to hear from you and welcome you to our family!