Liverpool Archdiocesan Vocations: Discernment & Training

As you read, pray and reflect on these passages from Scripture ask yourself if you feel able to respond to God generously in the service of the Church as a Priest in the Archdiocese.

Talk to your parish priest or contact me and I will be happy to meet and talk with you about what is involved in the process of becoming a priest.

Some key areas that you should also ask yourself are:

• do I have a prayerful relationship with the Lord.
• am I involved in my local parish or faith community.
• is Mass a regular and important part of my life.
• am I open to living a celibate way of life.
• am I willing to work with other people and priests
• am I open to the formation process that I would be asked to go through in a seminary.
• do I want to be a priest.

APPLICATION TO THE ARCHDIOCESE

If you have prayed and reflected and would like to consider offering yourself to the Church as a priest then you would begin a process of applying.

As Vocations Director I would accompany you through this process and the stages are as follows:

• Application Form and references eg parish priest.
• Selection Conference - This is a weekend at Ushaw College in Durham
• Psychological Assessment
• Criminal Records Bureau check
• Medical
• An essay of your life and how you have come to the decision that the Holy Spirit is calling you to Priesthood.
• Formal meeting with the Archbishop.

These may seem daunting but I would guide you through each stage of the process and would not put you forward until you and I are sure it is the right decision for you.

TRAINING

Once you have been accepted you would be sent to a seminary to begin your training. There are several seminaries we use depending on the individual and his experience and age.

It may be helpful to look at the websites of the seminaries listed below but whichever seminary you attended the same principles would apply and involve the following:

Liturgy and Prayer

This would involve Community Prayer, Mass, Divine Office, Rosary, Days of Recollection and Retreats. Individual prayer and Spiritual Direction.

Study

There are different courses you would have to complete including Scripture, Church History, Dogma, Canon Law, Philosophy.

Pastoral Work

Visiting schools, hospitals, prisons, spending time in parish placements both at college and in the Archdiocese during the summer.

Personal Development

This comes under Human Formation and would be a process of encouraging you to recognise your strengths and weaknesses and to address them to help you to be a mature and grounded person.

Take a look at the following websites for more information on seminaries

www.ushaw.ac.uk

www.bedacollege.com

www.englishcollegerome.org

www.valladolid.org