Holy Orders

Vocation to the  Priesthood and Religious Life

“The harvest is plenty but the laborers are few.” Matt. 9:37
 
 The call to ministry takes many forms and can lead in many directions.  The discernment of a vocation to a life of service in God’s kingdom results from prayer, sacrifice, and a keen desire to share the love of God.
 
The priesthood is a rewarding and joyful life.  It allows a man freedom to be Christ’s presence and share in the ministry Christ offers to those who seek to embrace the fullness of what Jesus meant when he said to his friends, “Come and follow me.”
 
The priesthood is open to all single Catholic men who, upon discernment and examination, are chosen by the bishop to enter spiritual and academic formation which leads to ordination.  Typically, it requires an undergraduate degree, and, or an equivalent number of hours in philosophy.  The graduate school of theology is an additional five years of study including an internship. 
 
The permanent diaconate is open to married and single men age 35 and above.  Training is extensive and is supervised by seminary faculty.  Saturday classes over a five year period allow the applicant to embrace theology, ethics, Church history, Scripture, homiletics and much more.
 
Consecrated Religious Life is for those men and women who feel called to serve God in a community of people sharing a similar apostolate. The varieties of religious life are far too numerous to include, however, most fall into one of two categories; those with simple and renewable vows and those with solemn vows.  Within religious communities of men, there are those who are also called to the priesthood.  This differs from diocesan priesthood in that the religious priest pledges affinity to the order and its superiors rather than to a bishop of a diocese.  Religious orders have a wide variety of ministries ranging from teaching and nursing to missionary work and contemplative prayer.  Your parish clergy or the Diocesan Vocation Director is available to answer questions about religious life as a lay brother or sister as well as the cloistered monk or nun.
 
If you feel that God is tugging at your heart and feel that a vocation to ministry as clergy or religious is appealing to you, please call the church to arrange a meeting with the clergy who will assist you in this journey.  In turn you will be entrusted to one of the diocesan staff who will assist you in discerning a possible vocation.