Taking the Next Step in Your Vocation
While a vocation to the priesthood or religious life might seem highly spiritual and hard to grasp, there are concrete things in our lives to give us indications of the call. First, the baptismal call to holiness applies to all Christians. And, for the person with a religious vocation, the desire to pursue that call has to underlie other tendencies toward consecrated life. Perhaps ask yourself if you are really attracted by the things of God, such as the Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, and the apostolic works of charity. Are you attracted to a holy way of life? Another question you might ask: “Do I love the Lord and want others to love Him?”
Experience: A first step to take towards responding to a priestly or religious vocation is to experience something similar to priestly life through volunteering in a parish, visiting religious communities and seminaries, participating in diocesan discernment days, and finding others who are also discerning a similar call.
Discuss: Beyond finding others who are also discerning a call to the priesthood or religious life, talk with your pastor, a close family member, or godparents. Once there’s an understanding and discovery of a religious vocation, asking a priest for ongoing spiritual direction can really give life and much needed assistance along the challenging path from discerning the call to ordination. Contacting Fr. Matthew Keller, the diocese’s vocations director, will also allow the discernment process to seem more real, turning the idea of a vocation into a doable reality.