![]() |
||||
|
|
There are a number of steps to go though before a man may be ordained a priest. Contact: Get in touch with the vocations office! They are a valuable source of information and work with men on a case-by-case basis to guide each individual through the discernment and application processs. Candidate: Apply to Becket Hall and begin a formal period of discernment with other men considering priesthood. The required period of candidacy, or pre-theology, is 2 years. One of those is spent at Becket Hall. Seminarian: The candidate, sponsored by the Diocese, enters seminary to begin his priestly formation and theological studies. At this point he is called a seminarian. There are generally Transitional Diaconate: About a year before ordination to the priesthood, the seminarian is ordained to the Transitional Diaconate (so named because the seminarian is in transition to the priesthood, and to differentiate from the Permanent Diaconate). The transitional deacon makes promises of celibacy and obedience to the Bishop. Priesthood: After much work, and a lot of prayers, the man is recommended for ordination to priesthood. What should you do if you feel God may be calling you to priesthood? "If some of you hear the call to follow Christ more closely, to dedicate your entire heart to Him, like the apostles John and Paul, be generous, do not be afraid, because you have nothing to fear when the prize that you await is God himself, for Whom, sometimes without ever knowing it, all young people are searching."
|
|||