The priesthood is a response to the call of God to serve and love Him and His people in consecrated life.
A diocesan priest most often lives out their vocation through service of a parish community. They do this by:
Celebrating Mass and administering other Sacraments.
Leading the community in prayer.
Visiting those in need.
Providing for the spiritual and temporal needs of the people.
Priests are often called upon to provide chaplaincy services, most frequently in school, but sometimes also to universities, prisons, and occasionally to groups or organisations. In each of these roles, a priest will be called upon to act with thoughtfulness and patience, and to show wisdom drawn from their experience, study, and prayer.
That may sound like a rather daunting set of expectations, but a priest has faith that in seeking to do this he does not act alone, but rather as God’s instrument in the world.
This is a lengthy process and thankfully it is not necessary to be close to completing it when considering seminary study. One of the reasons for the years spent in seminary is to be able to take the time, together with the guidance of experienced seminary staff, to learn if the priesthood is how you are meant to live your life.
At an early stage it is often better to look for possible signs of a vocation, such as:
Having a deep love for the God and the people of His Church.
Desiring to include prayer and the sacraments would be one way of expressing this.
Others noting that you would potentially make a good priest and encouring you to consider this.
Desiring to help others in various ways in their lives, significantly in supporting them in developing their relationship with God.
Get advice from a person who can give good guidance on priestly vocations. A sensible choice would be your parish priest or a chaplain that you know.
You may also want to speak with the Vocations Director for the Diocese, Fr Neil Peoples.
We also run regular discernment events to help those discerning.
Our House of Discernment exists to help men who are considering a vocation to the priesthood.
Here, they can live and work alongside the priests and the parish community for up to a year. These men have a simple program of formation to help them learn about the priesthood as they discern whether to apply for seminary study.
If you are interested in entering the House of Discernment, get in touch.
The Old Friary,
247 Gordon Road,
Thorneywood,
Nottingham,
NG3 2LG
‘Throughout the process of discernment, seminary training, and post-ordination, you will not be alone. There will be someone who will put aside their own concerns in order to be receptive to what you are experiencing at any particular time, and God too will be at the centre of this dynamic so that real transformation may occur. This support will continue to accompany you even when you are a priest of many years.
The goal of discernment and formation is to produce holy priests and effective pastors who are able and ready to lead the contemporary Church, a Church that is trying to move away from temptations of power, and instead, move us towards deeper relationships with each other—across racial, gender, and ethnic divides, and even deeper into our relationships with the most vulnerable.’
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