What draws a man to consider the priesthood? How do you begin to discern God’s call in your life? Watch Father Mathias’ vocation story and find out!
How Do I Discern my Vocation?
7-point discernment process
Receive Jesus in the Sacraments
Priests have the unique calling and ability to offer the Sacraments to God’s people. So one of the best ways to discern the call to the priesthood is to frequently receive and so come to deepen your love for God’s presence in the Sacraments.
Know Jesus through His Word
God speaks directly and individually to each of our hearts through His Word in Sacred Scripture. Even more, we learn to pattern our lives on the life of Christ by coming to know Him, how He lived and the words He spoke, as recorded in the Gospels.
Talk to Jesus in Prayer
We cannot know our calling in life if we don’t know Who is calling us! Click here for a helpful booklet on how to pray and to deepen your prayer life.
Live Jesus through serving others
Volunteering for ministries at the parish, going on mission trips and retreats, and serving the poor in your community can also help bring to light a call to total consecration to the Lord.
Become a Disciple of Jesus
Faithful priests, family members, and friends are invaluable in helping us to learn how to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ. In particular, talking with trusted mentors helps us to find greater clarity in understanding God’s call in our lives.
Learn about Jesus through good Catholic Media
There are many different ways that we can learn about vocations through media, such as
-
- Reading the lives of the saintly priests (such as St. John Vianney, St. John Paul II, Blessed Michael McGivney, Servant of God Emil Kapaun, Servant of God Walter Ciszek)
- Books on theology, prayer, and discernment (such as those from Pope Benedict XVI, Fr. Jacques Philippe, Fr. Timothy Gallagher)
- Podcasts, blogs, and videos (such as Discerning Hearts, Monsignor Charles Pope, Fr. Mike Schmitz)
