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General Vocation Questions/Answers |
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| 3/26/08 If you are seriously discerning does that mean you are called? It made me wonder also why some religious leave, for what main reason? The world is a very noisy and tiring place, why leave though? I mean religious life is very difficult too but life is just so short. I'm a bit curious, I'm just afraid I might leave when I join a congregation someday. I understand that it's not easy; to become a priest or sister is like stepping into the other side of the world. But as we were born for Him alone, religious life should be our world without the other side. Why is the word "afraid" coupled with discernment, even when some light has been shed about it? Anything you can say about these will be a great help. God Bless! Thank you so much! | |
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To discern God's will is the responsibility of every person.
This is a life long process. The reason(s) someone would
leave their vocation varies from person to person.
However, when the decision to pursue another vocation is
reached, it usually includes some serious discernment on the
part of the community of which they are a part, in conjunction
with their spiritual director/confessor.
Secondly, the monastery/religious life/priesthood are no escape from the world. It is actually more reality that most people can handle. If a person feels seriously called to pursue a vocation to the priesthood or religious life, they owe it to themselves to at least check it out. NEVER CLOSE YOURSELF OFF TO THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT WORKING IN YOUR LIFE!!! As Pope John Paul II of holy memory repeated throughout his pontificate... BE NOT AFRAID. Of course he was merely repeating what Our Lord said so often in the Sacred Scriptures. Go for it... you won't be sorry. |
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| 3/26/08 What happens if you are discerning God' Will and living and expanding your faith life to join Christ at His Holy Altar, but a vocation director or a person of power seems to avoid or shy you off for a while or a bit to long? | |
| It is difficult to say why he or she "seems to avoid or shy you off for a while or a bit too long" as you say. Perhaps a phone call to the vocation director may be helpful. Often times, a candidate wants a "yes" or "no" answer right away. That kind of quick response does not usually happen. A good vocation director will assist the applicant in reaching a decision in a timely fashion as well as enable the applicant to see how and where God is calling him or her. If this is not your experience, perhaps you should consider another approach if not another contact person, i.e., a priest or religious that you may know. | |
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| 12/11/07 I love kids with all my heart, and am drawn to marriage, but I feel that God has some other plan for me, I have a long list of experiences in my life that has taken me to this cross road, how do I know when to say "Yes" to God? | |
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Thank you for
your question. To answer your question more fully we must
look at what a vocation is in the first place. The Catechism defines a vocation as:
"The calling or destiny we have in this life and
hereafter. God has created the human person to love and
serve Him; the fulfillment of this vocation is eternal
happiness. Christ calls the faithful to the perfection
of holiness. The vocation of the laity consists in
seeking the Kingdom of God by engaging in temporal
affairs and directing them according to God's Will.
Priestly and religious vocations are dedicated to the
service of the Church as the universal sacrament of
salvation." You could certainly add the
marriage as a vocation as well. Venerable John Henry Newman addresses one's vocation this way: "God has created me to do Him some definite service; He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission... I have a part in a great work; I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good, I shall do His work; I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, while not intending it, if I do but keep His commandments and serve Him in my calling." To answer your question... there is really only one vocation and it includes dedicating your whole life to God. It is the call to be saints. It is the call to be holy. It is the call to use your gifts in the service of God's people. You might want to take a look at Michael Scanlan's book, What Does God Want. The key to understanding one's vocation is being able to hear God's voice or to put it another way, to be able to distinguish His voice amidst all life's distractions. |
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| 10/17/07 What age do you have to be to get married? | |
| Thank you for your question. According to Canon Law (basically, the laws of the Church), specifically canon number 1083 §1: "A man cannot validly enter marriage before the completion of his sixteenth year of age, nor a woman before the completion of her fourteenth year." | |
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| 10/09/07 I am trying to locate someone who can provide me with some spiritual direction. Unfortunately in my area there are not many priests / individuals available to provide this. More specifically, I would like to get some direction as it relates to discerning the will of God for my life. I feel this is something that cannot be delayed and is something I need to pursue as I see this as a prompting or grace. On my own I have done spiritual reading, I practice the Catholic faith by weekly Adoration, frequent confession, Sunday Mass, daily prayer, etc…but this does not seem to be enough for me at this juncture in my life. I feel I need help hearing the call. Any kind of guidance or suggestions on who I can reach out to for this type of assistance would be greatly appreciated. Unfortunately, I am 40 years old and past the age for most religious orders, but nevertheless I still have it on my heart that God has a special vocation for me…late may it be…I just need help discovering it. In all honesty, I have never wanted to be a religious, and I still do not, but it's not about what I want, it's about discovering what He wants for me and saying "yes". Anyway thank you very much for your assistance. God bless | |
| Thank you for your question. God wants you to be holy. He is calling you to be a saint. The response you give to God is modeled after our Blessed Mother Mary. She gave her entire self to God. She followed Him perfectly. Our life is spent seeking to align our will with God's perfect will for us. The goal is conform our flawed will with God's perfect will. Confession and Adoration are the perfect places to start rooting out all that prevents you from hearing and seeing God's will for you. God will do the rest. Whatever path you decide to follow in your life... let it always be guided by the Light which is Christ and you will find the peace you long for. | |
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9/11/07 I need to present a simplified version of apostolate of the laity to my parish council. Can you give me a resource that would help me put the concept in more simple terms? |
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Thank you for
your question. Fr. John Hardon, S.J. give a wonderful
reflection on the apostolate of the laity since the Second
Vatican Council.
 .
If you have not looked at Pope Paul VI's Decree on the
apostolate of the laity you might want to check
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6/4/07 Throughout the past year or more, I have been thinking about becoming part of a tertiary order. I keep thinking about it and would like to inquire about the possibilities for me. I am married but I want to make my life more focused on God and help others. I attend daily mass as often as I can (given that I work more than full time) but I want more....Thank you. |
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Thank you for
your wonderful question. There are some wonderful Third
Order groups open to the laity. Such groups are often
connected to various Religious Orders and thus focus in on the
spirituality of the given Order. Most popular would be the
Third Order Franciscan, Carmelite, and Dominican. By
contacting your local Diocese, you can find out what is
available in your area. Another route would be to contact
a Religious Order to whom you feel particularly attracted.
You can inquire in that way what is available through this
Order, regarding a tertiary or Third Order.
Third Orders provide the laity with a means to be more closely united to the Lord through a given spirituality. In this way, through your vocation as a a married man or woman, you can bring the light of Christ and a given spirituality to your sphere of influence. In addition, your own spiritual life is enhanced and your journey to God is united to the journeys of those members of the same Third Order who share your same desires and run after the same goal. It is a great means of spiritual growth, direction, and support. |
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5/15/07 I am a 47 year old married man, whose wife is past her child-bearing years. I am interested in knowing what the process is for becoming a deacon, how long it takes, the education that is required, etc. Could you please provide a step-by-step explanation of the diaconate for me and others who may be interested. Thank you. |
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| Thank you for your excellent
question. You request for a "step by step" explanation is
difficult to answer simply because it varies from diocese to
diocese. Here is the information according to the
Diaconate Office for the Diocese of Phoenix. Application Process and Formation - An Overview What should you do, and what can you expect, if you think God is calling you to the permanent diaconate? First, speak with your family, friends and pastor about your sense of call. Next, you should call, write, or otherwise contact the Office of the Diaconate. This signals your interest in discerning a vocation to the diaconate, establishes you as an inquirer, and places you on the inquirer’s mailing list. Someone representing the Office of the Diaconate will help you explore your sense of call. If you maintain your interest and feeling of a call, and if you meet the general criteria for deacon applicants, you will be given an application packet. Applications are ordinarily processed only between July 1st and September 15 of each odd year. If you submit an application before or after these dates, it is likely that your application will be held for the next cycle. The pool of applicants are screened by an admission’s board during the fall of each year and those who are to be invited forward as an aspirant are notified by the Ordinary of their selection. Applicants who are enrolled in the School of Ministry at Kino Institute prior to the review and selection process are not guaranteed selection. Recommendations are forwarded to the Bishop for his review after the admissions processes are completed. Steps in the Discernment Process
Levels of
Admission |
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3/20/2007 I have had a "dream", in which I was directed not to give my love to a stranger, so that my love could be used for a higher purpose. Since that experience, I have met someone I would like to marry, am I being selfish in this desire? Should I be considering a vocation? I have had other experiences during prayer and contemplation as well as other "dreams". I have attempted to discuss this with a spiritual director, and a deacon but both have discouraged me from discussion. I'm reluctant to approach a priest. I would love a little guidance. |
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| Thank you for your question. Without knowing the details of your
dream, I certainly do not want to make a dogmatic statement on
its meaning. However we cannot put all of our trust in
such dreams or the like. Faith and reason are not opposed.
We can sit down and reasonably look at a decision and, with
prayer, thus discern how the Lord is leading us. When this
discernment is coupled with prayer, then we can trust that the
Lord will give us light and guidance. Another point...or
piece of advice...might be that you sit down with this person
with whom you feel drawn to marry. Communicating your desires
and your fears with this loved one may also assist in this
discernment. Mother Angelica gives some practical advice: "People often ask me, 'How do you know whether something is God's Will in your life?' I say, 'Ask me next year, and then we'll know whether it was God's Will.' The Lord isn't going to come down and say, 'Now, look sweetie, I want you do this little thing for me.' He's not going to do that. He gave you a brain. He gave you a memory, an intellect, a will. Do you realize that you are a Christian, you have sanctifying grace in you? The Holy Spirit is in you. Pray. Move forward in His grace, and you will discover God's Will for you." Addressing your concern about being 'selfish' for desiring marriage...we need to remember that the Lord desires our happiness and our salvation. He knows the path that will lead us most safely to this goal. Such desires, when they are not opposed to God, are often little graces that He gives to help guide us along the way of His Will. If you feel drawn to marriage and sincerely feel that God has brought this person into your life, then you cannot view marriage as something selfish. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we read the following beautiful description of marriage: The consent by which the spouses mutually give and receive one another is sealed by God himself. From their covenant arises "an institution, confirmed by the divine law, . . . even in the eyes of society." The covenant between the spouses is integrated into God's covenant with man: "Authentic married love is caught up into divine love." |
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12/8/06 Is ignoring a vocation a sin? |
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| In the life of grace, you never
want to walk the fence. If you sense God wants
something of you, then don't ignore it. Trying
your best to do God's Will is most pleasing to
Him. We don't want to do the 'least' but the
'most' for God. With some things in life, we
can squeeze by with the bare minimums. But, as
we fall more and more in love with the Lord and
His Church, those bare minimums are not enough.
There is a 'category' of sin that doesn't get much press these days. This category would be named: Sins of Omission. What is a sin of omission? When we neglect things commanded, our sin is called a sin of omission. Such sins as willfully neglecting to hear Mass on Sundays, or neglecting to go to Confession at least once a year, are sins of omission. Therefore, if you have properly discerned your vocation, and all arrows point to the fact that you should in fact pursue (with the intention of discerning further) your vocation, then this could be the case of a sin of omission. Ignoring God is never good. Give Him a chance. Through this further discernment, it may be decided that you don't in fact have a vocation. You don't want to leave a door open for future regrets. Nor do you want to chance offending God. |
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2/6/07 What is a Acolyte? |
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| Until the Second Vatican Council, the acolyte was the highest of the minor orders, having as duties the lighting of the altar-candles, carrying the candles in procession, assisting the subdeacon and deacon, and the ministering of water and wine to the priest at Mass. Acolytes wore either the alb or the surplice. While acolytes did not receive the sacrament of Holy Orders, they were considered part of the clergy, and were a required step on the way to Holy Orders. After the reforms of the minor orders in 1972, the acolyte survived but became one of two lay ministries (along with lector) instead of an order, with its conferring rite renamed from ordination to institution to emphasize this. It was still confined to men alone but was now open to all men, even those not going into seminary. However, since altar servers can do just about anything an acolyte can do, very few men outside of seminary are formally instituted. An instituted acolyte, though, does have some special faculties: he is a permanent extraordinary minister of Holy Communion and can also be entrusted with celebrating Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. He is the only lay minister who can do the purifications of the vessels at Mass. He is given a priority to lead blessing ceremonies: "An acolyte or reader who by formal institution has this special office in the Church is rightly preferred over another layperson as the minister designated a the discretion of the local Ordinary to impart certain blessings." (Book of Blessings, Introduction, n. 18). He has priority to lead Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest, if a deacon is absent: "Those to be chosen first by the pastor are readers and acolytes who have been duly instituted for the service of the altar and the word of God. If there are no such instituted ministers available, other laypersons, men and women, may be appointed;" (Directions for Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest, 1988, n. 30). The term acolyte may also informally refer to ordinary non-instituted altar servers. |
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2/6/07 How does one become a priest who makes missions around the world? |
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| Thank you for your excellent question. According to the decree Ad Gentes paragraph 6:
"Missions" is the term usually given to those particular undertakings by which the heralds of the Gospel, sent out by the Church and going forth into the whole world, carry out the task of preaching the Gospel and planting the Church among peoples or groups who do not yet believe in Christ. These undertakings are brought to completion by missionary activity and are mostly exercised in certain territories recognized by the Holy See. The proper purpose of this missionary activity is evangelization, and the planting of the Church among those peoples and groups where it has not yet taken root. Pope John Paul II told the American bishops: "History bears witness that a sustained commitment to the mission ad gentes renews the whole Church, strengthens the faith of the individuals and communities, reinforces their Christian identity, and give rise to fresh enthusiasm for overcoming the challenges and difficulties of the moment." There are so many mission countries that need mission-minded people like yourself. There are many religious orders that send their priests all over the world. It would be helpful for you to talk with a religious order that has missionary work as part of its apostolate. It also might be helpful for your to narrow down your search a bit. Ask God to help you discern where He is calling you to serve as a missionary and what type of missionary work you are interested in doing. The one website that I found most helpful is http://www.uscatholicmission.org/go/missionagencieslistings. May God fill you with that apostolic zeal that strengthened the first Apostles. |
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| 1/27/07 Are there any more churches in the Diocese that still offer the Mass according to the Missal of 1962? If one had a calling to the priesthood, could they make the choice to offer that Mass instead of the Novus Ordo? | |
| Thank you for your question. There are two churches in the Diocese of Phoenix that currently offer the Mass according to the Missal of 1962. They would be St. Thomas the Apostle in Phoenix and St. Cecilia in Clarkdale. If you had a calling to the priesthood, you could be permitted to offer that Mass in one of the churches that offered the Mass according to the Missal of 1962. | |
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10/25/06 What is the difference between friars and a priest? are even a Monk? |
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| A diocesan priest can best be described as a PARISH PRIEST. Diocesan priests also serve in a variety of other capacities such as campus ministers, teachers or chaplains for hospitals, or prisons, but basically they are the priest who minister to the day-to-day needs of people in parishes. He is called a Diocesan priest because he commits himself to the service of God's people within a definite geographical area called a diocese. A priest of the Diocese of Phoenix would expect to minister somewhere within the various counties which make up the Diocese.
Priests who belong to a religious order (e.g., Benedictine, Dominicans, Franciscans, etc.) take the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Religious Order priests may be called a friar if they are Franciscan or a monk if they are Benedictine for example. Diocesan priests make two promises, celibacy and obedience; these promises are part of the ordination ceremony. It is also expected that diocesan priests will lead a life of simplicity consonant with the people they serve |
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10/24/06 (St. Anthony Mary Claret): What is the difference between a Bishop and a Archbishop? |
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The word
bishop
comes
from the
Greek
αρχι,
which
means
"first"
or
"chief",
and
επισκοπος,
which
means
"over-seer"
or
"supervisor".
The
Catechism
of the
Catholic
Church
teaches
us that
both the
bishop
and the
archbishop
have
received
the
fullness
of the
Sacrament
of Holy
Orders,
which
makes
them...
a
successors
of the
Apostles
(cf
1560).
The Word
of God
says
that on
the day
of
Pentecost,
Jesus
promised
the
first
apostles:
"You
shall
receive
power
when the
Holy
Spirit
comes
upon
you, and
you
shall be
witnesses
for me
in
Jerusalem,
and in
all
Judea
and in
Samaria,
and even
to the
very
ends of
the
earth"
(Act
1:8).
Jesus is
the
reason
we even
have
bishops,
archbishops,
and the
Church
in the
first
place.
The
bishop
and the
archbishop
are the
shepherds
of a
particular
church
entrusted
to them.
An
archbishop
is an
elevated
bishop
who
usually
shepherds
an
archdiocese.
The Second Vatican Council has so much to say about bishops in chapter 3 of the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church also known as Lumen Gentium. In paragraph 18 it states that Jesus Christ, the eternal Shepherd, established His holy Church, having sent forth the apostles as He Himself had been sent by the Father; and He willed that their successors, namely the bishops, should be shepherds in His Church |
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10/21/06 Why are vocations important in our lives? |
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| What a great question! We honor God our Father by giving back to Him what He has given so freely to us. Following God's call for us (and He does call every one of His children) gives us the opportunity to glorify God. We do this simply by using the gifts He has graciously poured out into our lives. Jesus gives us this incredible example in Mathew's Gospel: "For it will be as when a man going on a journey called his servants and entrusted to them his property; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them; and he made five talents more. So also, he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, `Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.' His master said to him, `Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.' And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, `Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.' His master said to him, `Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.' He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, `Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not winnow; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.' But his master answered him, `You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sowed, and gather where I have not winnowed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to every one who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.' God gives everyone of His children certain gifts and talents. He calls us (vocation) to use them for His glory! What is your response? | |
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