How do you know

God is calling you

to the priesthood?

Something moves with you. A pull. A question that won't leave. A desire. Others begin to recognize something within you. You begin to recognize something within yourself.

You take these things to prayer. You begin to have conversations with family, friends, and clergy.

You become aware, you seek understanding, you take action.
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Discernment

What discernment is

Discernment is the slow, prayerful work of asking what God is calling you to do with your life. It involves prayer, the Sacraments, spiritual direction, conversations with priests and the people who know you, and time. It is the work of more than one person.
Where it leads is up to the Lord. Your job is to listen and follow.
The path includes three things:

Prayer

Daily, personal prayer where you bring your real life to the Lord.

The Sacraments

Frequent Confession and weekly Mass at minimum.

Conversations

A priest or mentor walks with you, talks with you, listens to your questions/concerns, and helps you understand how God is present in your life and where God may be leading you.

Process

The phases of discernment

Discernment usually unfolds in stages. Here is the path most men walk.

1

Initial Inquiry

Reaching out and beginning an honest conversation.

What happens:Initial conversations/meetings with Fr. Eric
2

Growing in Understanding of God's Call in Your Life

Building a life of prayer and the Sacraments.

What happens:Through an intentional life of prayer and action (seminary visits, conversations with priests/seminarians, discernment events, etc.), you grow in awareness of what next steps God may be inviting you to take.
3

Growing in Self-Awareness

What happens:As you grow in awareness of who the Lord is in active discernment, so too you begin to grow in awareness of who the Lord is calling you to be. "When you wonder about the mystery of yourself, look to Christ, who gives you the meaning of life." St. John Paul II
4

Application

Beginning the formal process of application.

What happens:Through prayer, conversations, and visits to the seminary, you and Fr. Eric will mutually discern formal application to the seminary.
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Common questions during discernment

No. Reaching out and having a conversation will help you grow in awareness and understanding. So too will Fr. Eric answer any questions/concerns you may have.

It depends on the man, his life, and what the Lord is doing in him. Some men enter the seminary within a year of beginning serious discernment. Others take five, ten, or fifteen years before they are ready. Both are normal.

No. You need to be open and honest. Seminary exists to provide men with the environment to discern a priestly vocation and to be formed into the men that Christ is calling them to be.

The decision does not rest solely on you; the discernment process involves others who walk with you and will help direct you to respond to God's call in your life.

Entrance into seminary is not ordination to the priesthood. The seminary provides men with the opportunity to formally discern a priestly vocation. In the seminary, the Church walks with you in a particular and intentional way that helps you grow in understanding of who the Lord is calling you to be and how the Lord is calling you to love. Nothing is "wasted" if a man leaves seminary; he leaves with a deeper awareness of the Lord, self, and his vocation.

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