When did the vocation station become all women?

Are there any guys discerning, particularly for the diocesean priesthood?

peace...

there're still a few here

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They're pretty quiet. I know there are a lot of demands on their time, but it's very nice to hear from them when they have a chance!

Sorry, Im not diocesean. Im an Order guy.

Diocesean Priesthood YEEAA!! hah.. Yea, I do not post much on the forums but I do read a lot of the topics here.

I am actually in the interview process with the Diocese of Sacramento in California. I have three interviews TODAY !

Please keep me in your prayers today. Thanks!

God Bless,

JREM

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God Bless You!

Yep, I'm here and I'm discerning! I don't post on here too much, though. I don't post too much of anywhere, now, though. I definately read a lot more than I post, lol! But yeah, we're here, just quiet, I guess. If it makes you feel better when I was at a Steubenville Conference two weeks ago there were at least 100 guys who came to the altar when the deacon called all young men discerning the priesthood to come forward. It was pretty sweet!

May God bless and protect you always in all of your endeavors, especially your discernment!

Your Brother in Christ,

Joe

Yep, I'm still here (seminarians count don't they...?)... I really don't have anything interesting to say, I just comment here and there about things.

Or: You know I move into the seminary (Saint Louis) in 18 days and I'm pretty stoaked about that. I also started taking books off my shelf for my room at the seminary and realized, I probably can't take all these books with me. Oh well.

I mean, besides all those cool things I discern about (celibacy, the diocesan charism) what else should I post? For girls, I believe its a whole lot harder and for those guys going into religious priesthood (or brotherhood) because you have to consider this charism of a certain order to another. I basically walked into the seminary and felt at home.

Dude, I totally hear you with walking in and feeling at home. I am going in to the Religious Priesthood, (Discerning, 1st yr, seminarian.) I had to take a placement test a couple of weeks ago, I live in RI, had to drive to NJ one day when i got out of work, and it was like 10 at night. I walked in to the house, and a couple of missionaries were there, they welcomed me, I welcomed them. I went to my assigned room. I walked into the house and fell right asleep. I never skipped a beat. I can't wait to move in at the end of this month! I move in on the 27th!
I also discern the celibacy part of my new life. I am completely fine with it. It gets easier and easier every passing day. The Charism of my order is awesome, The Salesians of Don Bosco (S.D.B.) Salesian charism points to the gifts of Holy Spirit to Don Bosco for the mission of promoting the integral growth of the young, especially, those who are poor and needy.
I love it!
Peace to all who are discerning,
God Be with you, and always look to Our Mother for Help, and Guidance.
PAX
Adam

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Yeah, but not diocesan. Discerning with the Capuchin Franciscans... gotta love friars!


"Christe qui lux es et dies!"

The thought keeps resurfacing.

Yea, I understand what you are saying about "feeling at home." When I visited Mt. Angel Seminary in Oregon, it just felt right and the seminary and area was so amazing.

Congrats on entering with the Salesians, they help with youth and poor a lot.

As for me, My interviews went very very well! Now I am just waiting for the Bishops approval to see if I can enter this fall.

Thanks for all your prayers

God Bless

You Got Prayers my friend!!

I met a guy a while back through the Conventuals in Louisville who is joining the Capuchins. I think he's in Philadelphia and currently a candidate or in formation. He said their order was growing so much they needed to built a new place to house all their candidates.

I've noticed that about 20-30% of the people get up when they do those "stand up and get prayed over" things. It's always amazing to see that level of interest and enthusiasm.

Guys don't tend to be as talkative, so that's at least part of the reason we aren't talking as much. I'm definitely still in discernment. While I'm not sure if I'm ready to go to seminary a year from now (only became Catholic in April '06), I plan on applying with the Archdiocese of Louisville. They have a discernment house (or maybe two) where you can live with a priest and get a much better idea of what the life is like. I know priests do a lot of different things and focus on different ministries, but it would be nice to know something more specific.

By the way, I'm reading a really good book called "Joy of Priesthood" by Fr. Stephen J. Rossetti. He the president of the Saint Luke Institute, which treats priests who are struggling with different psychological issues, addictions, etc. The book doesn't focus so much on that, but more about what kind of man makes a healthy priest, the common struggles among priests, etc. I think loneliness is the thing that sometimes gives me second thoughts, especially considering diocesan priesthood. I know it's probably unfounded, but it does happen to some men. I think it can be easy to escape it through ministry, but if your ministry is just keeping you busy because you aren't developing friendships with your parishiners, then there's a problem.

Anyway, just some random thoughts on that...

That's my problem with the diocesan priesthood, and I think it is a more common problem (both for those discerning a call and young priests) than many realize. I wish that canons regular were more common, as they offer the benefit of living in community with a specific charism of working in the parish.

Thats the reason, I decided to go with a religious order rather than going diocesean. I come from a family of six children. So I liked the aspect of living in community.

Plus Salesians rock.

Oh! I'm a girl, shouldn't be here, sorry *creeps away*

Yes, Salesians do ROCK! You don't have to leave. This isn't a "Boys Only" Table. All I believe are welcome.

That's a neat insight. I am a housekeeper for a diocesan priest and I often imagine how lonely he might get when I'm cleaning. But he's from a really large family, that mostly lives close by, so he spends a LOT of time with them rather than alone.

I am from a family of six, too, and I could never see myself as being single. At all. That's different from what we're talking about but along similar lines...

My spiritual director is a diocesan priest and he says he looks forward to having time alone since he hardly has any I imagine most priests feel about the same way with many demands on their time. Also, introverts are energized by their alone time, so diocesan priesthood would be the natural choice for them. I'm drawn to it mainly because I like where I'm living, most of my family and friends are nearby, and I think I'd get tired of living in community with the same guys around all the time

I think I may be in the very early stages of discernment for the diocesan priesthood, or more likely, permanent diaconate.
Do I count?

I think you do

I permanent deacons. They rock. (Although since you're apparently not married at the moment, you should become a priest, of course )

Oops, I thought I posed here already! I'm discerning diocesan and religious order... Not quite sure what yet, or if I'm even called, but I'm out there! If I'm too loud about it then I get non stop questions from my parish, and that only makes me feel pressured to pursue a vocation to priesthood :S

Me too! But I can't resist the urge to 'stand in the gap' on the front lines (so to speak), it is a shame that there are virtually no orders dedicated to parish life (yes, there are the Canons of St John Cantius, or the Companions of Christ in MN, but for the US that's pretty much it).

Next meeting with my Spiritual Director could be intresting, as he sent me looking for orders and I'm coming back with very little in hand.

Well some orders do run parishes within a certain diocese. If the Bishop os kind enough to allow them a parish.

Yeah, that seems to be pretty common, at least within the Franciscan and Domincan orders.

Isn't the bishop usually THANKFUL for them running a parish? Takes a load of work off the shoulders of his preists! I know my bishop would probably love to have a religious order take one of our parishes.

I am a guy who is discerning my vocation in life. It is hard because I haven't "dated" like most guys my age and you get all these temptations/battles "thrown" at you which can really confuse you a lot.. It's rough but I am still working at it.. When you see people your age who were really CATHOLIC like you fall away from the faith, it hurts you to see such a thing..

Well, I haven't ruled the thought out...
But sometimes, I don't know if God wants me to be a priest/deacon, or if I want me to be a priest/deacon.

I was raised Lutheran and nearly all of my friends growing up (except for the token atheist) were Christians, including a few Catholics, and nearly all of them slid away during college. The stats I've seen say that about 20% of the high school kids involved in church are still in involved in their mid-20s. Fortunately, many of those who fall away will slowly have to face the emptiness of living without God as they grow older.

Come on guys, I'm discerning... I know some of you are too....

Let's breathe some life into this thread!

I've made up my mind. Does that count?

Yes.

For the gentleman discerning... I wanted to share with you the new and improved website of the Dominican (Central) Province of St. Albert the Great. HERE

I go to school with many/most of their brothers in formation and they are near and dear to my heart!

Dominicans

Tahts good to know I should be entering Christ in the Desert shortly after Easter.

After living with a couple of Dominicans, I have come to realize that they have the raddest habit of all. Seriously, I couldn't get over their formal wear.

In other news, I might be getting an Opus Dei priest for a spiritual director... I am pretty excited about that...

Man, has that been a problem for me...

What I think I'm being called to changes almost biweekly. I always try to think realistic and see what God has made me capable for and brought before me to spark an interest. But then I think that maybe I'm supposed to change at some point and get into something I never thought I would.

I'm only 16 so I've got a lot of time left to discern. Here's my current list of options:

Religious life:
---Monasticism: Carmelite Monks in Wyoming (I'm really close to the Carmelites who teach at my school, and I just love everything about this order. I'm just not sure if it's a realistic option for me, and sometimes I think it's like the easy way out of life's problems and work. It'd take A LOT of explaining to convince my family.)
---Other: Franciscan Friars of the Renewal (I'm not too sure about this one. I've never dealt with the poor, but this is something I'd think I'm "supposed" to change into. Anways, St. Francis has "followed" me around a lot.)

Diocesan Priesthood (This was what I thought I'd choose before I learned about the other options. I heard that joy should be the compass we use to discern, and although it seems like it'd be something for me, it brings a lot of worry and no joy. But I still keep it an option just incase.)

Marriage (Always open to forming a family of future Saints. )

For those who are radical out there, try the OATH! Their prayer life is awesome. Rising at 3am, fasting three times a week, and a great apostolate to the youth! they really are soldiers for Jesus and Mary.

they've been doing Eucharistic congresses all over the world and thousands come! here, many find conversion others their vocation.

i've been with them and i've felt the challenge. hope you guys can check them out and meet men who are ready to lay down their lives for souls.

and guys, because of their penance, they're exorcists too!

There's also the Companions of the Cross. At their founding they were a bunch of diocesan seminarians who met together with a priest for mutual support and to grow in the faith, etc. Although they are an order, they're pretty much diocesan priests who live in communities of not less than 5. And they are in the US, somewhere in Texas.


It's nice having an order run a parish, but... when vocations decrease (to dioceses and older orders, anyway), guess what? The orders can't maintain the parishes and dump them on the diocese, who have to spread out their priests even more thinly. That's why my archbishop, even though he is inviting orders in, isn't inviting them to take care of parishes. Shrines and sanctuaries are a different matter.

Of course I'll disagree,look at the Mercedarians.Plus the Blood Vow is cool.(To me at least.)

I am exmember(Exnumerary) of the Opus Dei, my experience was not good, there are good priests inside and they are faithful to the Church, but they send too much to them from above, in the end they say you that only you have vocation to the Opus Dei, or the priestly society of saint cross (Diocesan priest united to Opus Dei).

Hi Guys, count one more in.

I'm currently getting back on board with discernment after a year absence. I've begun going to confession bi-weekly and should make that weekly starting this Saturday. I don't have a spiritual advisor so I'm trying to think of the best way of asking my Confessor if he'll do it. The problem being I go to the indult Mass an hour away stuck in the ghetto so I don't really know any priests locally which I need. I'd like to visit the Canons Regular of St John Cantius and Community of St John if things progress.

Thanks for having this forum. It's nice to know what others are going through and support. ~prayers~

My experiences with my SD have thus far been very good. I know they have "questionable" recruitment policies...and I will take whatever he has to say with a discerning heart. Nothing that he has said thus far has had any to the effect of pushing me into the Opus Dei or anything of the sort. For instance, his advice on keeping chaste seemed to me very different from what I had heard before. To say the least, this priest is very refreshing... for my vocation.

<< im discerning and im a guy

Well, it's been many a day since I've written on this site, so I thought I might pick it up again.

I'm definitely discerning now a call to the priesthood. Admittedly, i haven't quite figured out whether it would be something like the Oratorians or the diocese, but one of those, as I think the vow of poverty would be the ruination of me.

"Dilexi decorem domus tuae" seems to be the recurring theme in my head. Did anyone else, when discerning a call, just fall so completely in love with the idea of "The Church:" being there, serving there, it all just fits together. Or as the Psalmist also writes, "Etenim passer invenit sibi domum: et turtur nidum sibi, ubi ponat pullos suos." and he responds, "Altaria tua Domine virtutum!"

Fiat pax in virtute tua!

been about 2 years since i went to my first discernment group meeting at a local parish. just went on a 3 week pilgrimage to italy/poland, and when i got back, i had a burning desire to make a more serious "come and see" visit somewhere, anywhere.. my friend was entering as a postulant to the CFR's and they seemed to be the only ones responding and available, so i booked my flight to new york asap and just got back from a 9 day visit with them. it was amazing and they have moved to the top of my list so far! PAX

Only to remember that the only one that must see if you have a religious vocation are your.
By the others, if goes to you well with that priest, you follows with her.
My situation was very different, from the 5 years I was in a school of the Opus Dei and to only i know the OD when I was adolescent . Today i'm a member of Neocathecumenal way, a very different charisma.
Good luck in your discerniment.