Vocations

"Speak Lord for your servant is listening" 1 Samuel 3:10

Diocesan Priest Religious Priest Religious Brother Deacon Religious Sister

We all have a vocation in life.  Some are called to be married and some are called to be  single.  Others are called to a special vocation which involves serving the Lord in a special way.  They can be called to the Priesthood, the Religious Life, or the Deaconiate.  To decide what your vocation in life is, it is helpful to pray to the Holy Spirit for discernment.

• men ' s religious orders - Roman Catholic vocations
• women's religious orders - Roman Catholic vocations
• diocesan vocation offices
• vocation directors

Diocesan Priest A diocesan priest take the vows of Chastity and Obedience.  He serves within and is obedient (obeys) towards the Bishop of the Diocese that he is in.   Most of the time he is a parish priest but the Diocesan priest is not limited to just that.  He can serve within the diocese by serving in schools as teachers, chaplains, or campus ministers.  He can also minister to the sick in hospitals or in prison.   How long does it take to become a priest?  It varies by each Dioceses.  If your are currently in college, you are usually required to take an specified amount of Theology and Philosophy classes.  For those not in college, this can take two years.  Afterwards, the seminarian will go off to Seminary where he will focus on Theology.  Usually this will take 4 to 5 years.  Some dioceses requires that there be an internship year where the seminarian will serve in a parish within the Diocese.  All together, the amount of time it takes to be a priest can take 6 to 10 years.   This is about the same time that it takes to become a doctor or a lawyer. back to the top

Religious Priest Like the Diocesan priesthood, the Religious priest takes the vows of Obedience and Chastity.  However, instead of obedience towards the bishop of the diocese, the religious priest is obedient towards the head of the community that he is a member of.  In addition to Obedience and Chastity, the Religious priest takes the vow of poverty.  Everything that he has belongs to the community.   Depending on the community that the Religious priest belongs to, he might live with others in the community (such as in a monastery) or he might help out with a local parish.  He can be sent anywhere that his superior sends him.  back to the top

Religious Brother A Religious Brother is one who dedicates his life to serving God by taking vows and belonging to a religious community.  Like the religious priest, he takes the vows of Chastity, Poverty, and Obedience.  back to the top

Deacon DEACONS are ministers ordained for tasks of service of the Church; they do not receive the ministerial priesthood, but ordination confers on them important functions in the ministry of the word, divine worship, pastoral governance, and the service of charity, tasks which they must carry out under the pastoral authority of their bishop. back to the top

Religious Sister A woman religious is consecrated to God through a public, who is usually called Sister, is a lay woman consecrated to God in faith through her vows.  She takes the same vows of Obedience towards the superior, chastity, and poverty however.   Some religious sisters are called to a life of prayer while others are called to work in schools, hospitals, prisons, and parishes.  back to the top

Diocesan Vocation Offices

• Alexander, LA
• Charleston, NC
• Chicago, IL
• Cleveland, OH
• Erie, PA
• Joliet, IL
• Kansas City - St. Joseph, MO
  
• Lousiville, KY
• New York, NY
• Philideliphia, PA
• St. Augustine, FL
• Springfield, IL
• St. Louis, MO

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