Permanent deacons are qualified laymen who, after being trained by the Diocese, are ordained by the Bishop to serve the needs of the parish and the Diocese. The training involves a 5-year program and new candidates will be notified when the next 5-year program will begin.
Contact: Deacon Thomas McMahon or Deacon Bob Pelland
What is a priest?
A priest is a man who has received the Sacrament of Holy Orders, which confers on him certain powers of Christ, principally the power to consecrate bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, and the power to forgive sin in the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. When he does these things he acts in the Person of Christ.
What is a diocesan priest?
A diocesan priest is one who is called to serve souls in a particular diocese. The Bishop has been placed by Christ as the head of that diocese, and the diocesan priest serves in obedience to and collaboration with him, serving mostly in parishes. On a practical level you can say that the Church “runs” on diocesan priests serving in their parishes. They administer the sacraments, they are responsible for the instruction of their people, they are close to them in their lives and trials, they counsel, forgive and serve constantly, heroically, patiently.
What is religious life?
The people who live religious life are called “Religious”. Religious seek to follow Christ more closely by publicly professing the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience in a recognized religious order, giving public witness of their consecration by wearing a religious habit, and they live in community.
There are religious orders or communities of men and of women. Women religious are nuns and male religious can be either priests or brothers. Religious communities often refer to themselves as “religious families”. Each has its own Founder and mission, and its own “family spirit” or spirituality. That is why if you are considering religious life it is necessary to get to know particular communities.
What is a religious priest?
A religious priest is a member of a religious community who has received the Sacrament of Orders. He is under the authority of his own superiors, and he serves the local diocese through the works of his order or congregation located there. However he is not limited to serving in one diocese but can be assigned elsewhere by his superiors. Everywhere he serves he does so with the permission of the local bishop. Some religious priests serve in parishes, but the majority have more specialized apostolates, such as education, retreats, communications, etc.
What is lay consecrated life?
Lay consecrated are people who consecrate themselves to God through promises of poverty, chastity and obedience, while still remaining lay people. They are usually associated with some group or Movement. As lay people they remain “in the world” and often exercise careers while giving a priority in their lives to prayer, witness and service.
What is a consecrated virgin?
From the beginnings of the Church there have been those who felt the call to consecrate themselves exclusively to Christ in a private manner. In recent times there has been a revival of this vocation, by which a woman makes her private consecration in the presence of her bishop.
What is contemplative or monastic life?
The contemplative dedicates much time to prayer each day, lives mostly in silence and also is dedicated to manual labor. There is a great tradition in the Church of both female and male monastic and contemplative life. Their hidden prayer and sacrifice is of major importance for the overall good of the Church.
Have you felt a certain stirring in your heart that you know you must investigate further? Has someone told you, "Have you ever thought about being a priest" or "Have you ever thought about being a nun"? You want to put God first in your life and find out what his plan is for you but you don't know where to begin. The below outline will help you to take the first step in discerning God's will and give you some additional insight into your true vocation.
First, look at Christ's love and see what that stirs in your heart. When you stop and think about his sacrifice, are there times you want to follow him, to be totally his and give yourself to him without reserve, and to put everything you have into bringing him to others?
Second, take a good look at all he has given you: the gift of life, the gift of faith, your health, the opportunities you have had, possibly your conversion. See if there are some things that might point in the direction of a vocation, like the difference between the way you look on life to the way your friends do…
Third, get some advice from a good priest in Confession. Go over your life with him and be frank about the good and bad you see there, and ask him if he believes anything in your past might be a definitive obstacle to your having a vocation. If he doesn't, it is one more reason to look more closely at the vocation.
Fourth, visit a seminary or community that attracts you and see what God stirs in your heart while you are there. That would also be a good time to have an in-depth talk with the vocation director, similar to the one you had in Confession. See if based upon what you tell him he recommends that you take a further step. If both he and your confessor encourage you to follow up on it, these as well as the interior attraction you feel would be the main signs pointing toward a vocation.
Fifth, some advice regarding your feelings: they are fickle, they change on the shortest notice with or without warning. One day they can be so positive that you find it impossible to doubt a thing, and the next they can be so negative that you can see nothing for sure. Your response to a vocation can't ride on that roller-coaster; it has to be on the level of your will and not your feelings. This means basing it on reasons and motives that are more solid and lasting, more based on reality (supernatural reality-grace, God's love, god's fidelity, the needs of souls…) Christ's love was not based on feelings, even though positive feelings can help to begin the journey. But the journey has to bring us to the level of love, of total surrender out of love. That is what a priestly or consecrated vocation is
about.
Parallel to taking these steps, you will need to develop and follow a program of spiritual growth. It will be a great help to have a spiritual director for this. Our spiritual progress depends upon God's grace, and any program we set for ourselves is simply a plan based on our self-knowledge to remove any obstacles to God's grace and put in place those actions that can help it bear fruit.
VOCATION CHALICE
There is a sign up book in St. Joseph’s Shrine Room for those who are interested in taking home our weekly Vocation Chalice and pray for vocations in their home for a given week. Christ tells us we must ask the Father to send laborers for the harvest and this is one important way for us to respond to Christ's command. The chalice must be returned by Saturday 3:30PM. For additional information, call Deacon Tom at 508-252-4779