What next?

You feel that God may be calling you to the priesthood.  You may have had that feeling for a long time, or perhaps it has only come to you recently.  Either way, you know that you can’t just ignore it – you need to take it a step further to see if that calling could really be for you.

For many people in your position the next step may be to approach, in confidence, your parish priest or another priest whom you feel you can speak to openly, for example your school or university chaplain.  Alternatively, many people will approach the Vocations Director at this point.  You will certainly need to make contact with him if you wish to move towards a formal application to the diocese.  In any case, he will be happy to hear from you and will be able to guide you and answer the questions that you are sure to have.   Remember that you can speak to him in confidence and without any obligation.  Neither he, nor anyone else, will try and persuade you into something that isn’t right for you, as that would not be for your good or the Church’s.

Once the Vocations Director has got to know you a little and you are both agreed that it is right to take things forward, he will then invite you to begin a process of discernment to help you come to a clearer understanding of God’s call for you.