How To Talk To A Priest

Being a seminarian, I'm surrounded by other seminarians and I've heard a multifariousness of vocation stories. What always amazes me is how the Lord calls each man differently to the priesthood. Some felt urged to explore this vocation through promptings from the Holy Spirit, others heard the Lord while in admiration before the Blessed Sacrament, however others were inspired past the examples of priests around them (if you're interested, here's my story).

A survey of the men who were ordained to the priesthood this past year in the United States highlights a point that we cannot overlook. Four out of five men who were ordained in 2017 were urged to consider the priesthood by someone else, nigh often through their parish priest, a friend, or another parishioner.

"That statistic should motivate all the faithful to exist sensitive to the piece of work of the Holy Spirit, who may wish to use them to extend the invitation to ordained ministry building," Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark said following the release of the survey.

We demand to encourage vocations in our schools and churches, as men who decide to pursue the priesthood are likely to be involved in some faith-based activity in these places. On boilerplate, the survey reported that the recently ordained men first considered the priesthood at the age of xvi (incidentally, and so did I). However, in many cases, they ultimately joined the seminary several years afterward. This shows that the first seeds that were sown in their hearts needed time and nurturing to bear fruit (all this sounds way too familiar).

Hither are iv means that you lot can promote priestly vocations in your parish.

1. Start a 'traveling beaker' in your parish

A traveling chalice is a bang-up way to introduce the idea of priestly vocations in your parish. How information technology works, is that each calendar week a different household receives a beaker to take home. While the beaker is in that home, the people there commit to praying for vocations daily. In some parishes, this plan is taken a step farther through providing non just a chalice, but a purse filled with stuff to make the feel more dynamic – a poster of the local diocesan seminarians to hang upwardly, prayer cards, stationery to transport notes of encouragement to seminarians and priests, etc. While in some cases, families that sign up for this plan only option upward the chalice from the sacristy, other parishes hand the chalice to the household at the finish of Mass. The latter method is a more than effective one because the priest handing over the beaker to a different family each week becomes a visible sign of the support for vocations inside that parish. (This page or video will explain more about how this program works).

2. Invite a seminarian or a local vocations manager to speak at your parish at least once a year

The thought of studying at a seminary for several years can sound quite scary. Inviting a seminarian to share his vocation story, as well as his positive seminary experiences tin be very fruitful. Similarly, calling a vocations director, either from your local diocese or from a religious order, to talk well-nigh the process of germination towards the priesthood can also help. Doing this on a regular basis gives young men an opportunity to speak to someone who is used to answering questions about pursuing the priesthood. Videos like 'Fishers of Men', which give an overview of what the priesthood is all nigh, tin can also be played at your church in conjunction with such an event. I remember watching this video at the first vocation come-and-encounter upshot I attended, and I know first-manus how it stirred something deep in my center.

3. Organize a twenty-four hours out with your parish priests or a grouping of seminarians

If you can rally either the altar-servers, youth or young adults of your parish, plan an outing for them with your parish priests or a grouping of seminarians. Setting upwardly events for immature men to be around priests and seminarians in 'typical' environments is crucial to plant the seeds of vocational discernment, as it gives ane an insight into the man backside the collar. Since nigh people rarely interact with priests outside Church building-based activities, information technology's important for these immature men to see that priests are but regular people who like to hang out and accept fun, whether at a barbecue, playing sports or watching a picture show. Priests certainly try to proceed the fire of Christ burning in their hearts at all times, simply ask them yourself, and they volition quickly tell you that they don't have halos or movement around floating on air.

4. Get help with promoting vocations

If you remember this whole endeavor volition exist an uphill task, go help from people who are in the business concern of promoting vocations. Organizations like Serra International be to promote and foster vocations to the priesthood. There are besides associations like the Knights of Columbus and The Catenians, which while not geared specifically to encourage vocations, consider the support of priestly vocations amid their main objectives. If possible, talk to your parish priest about starting a local chapter of one of these groups, or at the very least, talk to these groups and ask them how they back up and accelerate priestly vocations.

The bottom line is that the strategy to promote priestly vocations ought to be prayer, request young men to but think virtually it, and to show them how the priesthood is a regular vocation. Too many men drop the thought of joining the seminary because they are poorly informed – either about the process of becoming a priest or understanding what the priesthood is actually all virtually. If there is a boyfriend in your parish who you recollect should consider the priesthood, don't exist afraid to make the 'ask' and suggest that he does. Chances are, he may say no… Just there is a chance that he may say yeah, or at the very least, you lot may accept sown a seed that could bear fruit afterward… Wouldn't that be fantastic?