Discernment Tips

1. Holy Eucharist. I love the Eucharist. The Mass is the most enriching moment of my day. To pray before the Blessed Sacrament has enriched my prayer. Coming to know Jesus Christ, his body, blood, soul and divinity – this is the meaning of life. What a powerful experience to celebrate the Mass, to feed believers with the Body of Christ.
2. Pastoral Ministry. To celebrate the sacraments and preach the Word, what an awesome call. I am a people-person, I enjoy helping others. To baptize babies, hear confessions, anoint the sick, prepare couples for marriage, visit the imprisoned, bury the dead, feed the poor – I can see myself doing this as a priest.
3. Teacher of the Faith. What a challenge in today’s world. Who is telling the truth? Everyone seems to have an opinion. Jesus Christ has given us the Way, Truth and Life. As a priest, I would preach the Gospel with love and conviction, hope and courage, never leading my people astray. I would hope to be a good shepherd after that of Our Lord.
4. Man of Prayer. I must learn how to pray fervently relying on the Church’s prayer and the prayer of the saints. The sacred scriptures reflect God’s will for us and our love for Him. Devotion to the Blessed Mother is essential and being still before the Lord is a discipline to be nurtured. Without prayer, ministry becomes mine rather than the Lord’s.
5. Obedience to the Bishop. His vision is the vision of the Church, for where the bishop is, there we find the Church. As chief shepherd over the local church, my obedience allows the Church to freely respond to pastoral demands. I find freedom in giving my life over to the Church and trusting in the bishop’s leadership and counsel.
6. Shepherd of Souls. Seeing Christ on the Cross, reflecting on his passion, knowing how much Jesus gave to save the world – I too must be a one who serves rather than be served. How far am I willing to go after that one sheep? So many priests have died for this purpose. I must be unselfish, free to give, and able to shoulder the weight of ministry.
7. Man of the People. My vocation is cultivated from a certain context, from a society and culture. Jesus is the Word made flesh among people. I must be able to walk with those who suffer, challenge those who govern, and celebrate the great victories of life over death. Reading the sign of the times, getting from ivory tower to the streets -- this is diocesan priesthood.
8. Man of the Church. Too many compromising homilies, too many opinions against Church teaching. I must be a loyal son of the Church. Fidelity, trust, honor – these are virtues of a priest. I must avoid the sin of the devil who uses priests to undermine communion in the Church. I will love and honor her, as Christ too loves his Bride, the Church.
9. Call to Holiness. My celibacy is truly a gift of God, a way for me to love. The priest is an icon of Jesus Christ in the way he lives, loves, and leads. I must embrace the virtue of temperance both in lifestyle and speech. As Christ empties himself on the Cross to fill the world with glory, I too must empty myself to live a modest, free, and holy life.

Priestly Characteristics

Future priests should cultivate a series of human qualities for the purpose of proper growth and realization of self, but also for the purpose of ministry itself. The goal of priestly formation is to cultivate qualities whereby priests are balanced people, strong and free, capable of bearing the weight of pastoral responsibilities. Seminarians are educated to love the truth, to be loyal men, to respect every person, to have a sense of justice, to be true to their word, to be genuinely compassionate, to be men of integrity, and finally, to be balanced in judgment and behavior (taken from Pope John Paul II’s exhortation on priestly formation Pastores dabo vobis, 43).

Discernment: No Strings Attached

Men who enter Saint Paul Seminary are discerning with the Church if they are called to the priesthood. The Church is not in the business of manufacturing priests, forcing men through a system. Rather, the goal is to get that man to the vocation the Lord is calling him: priesthood, married life, consecrated life, single life, or the diaconate. No strings attached – men come and go, the Church is assisting them in their pilgrimage.

1. Collegians. These are the seminarians who have just graduated from high school, have transferred from a college to the seminary, and those who have never attended college. The collegians are pursuing the undergraduate degree in philosophy hence they are at Saint Paul Seminary until they complete the bachelor’s degree.
2. Pre-Theologians. These seminarians already possess an undergraduate or graduate degree. They participate in the two year master’s degree in philosophy fulfilling the requirements needed to continue in the major seminary.
3. Theology Seminarians. After completing the undergraduate or graduate degree and formation program at Saint Paul Seminary, seminarians are assigned by the Bishop to a theologate for the four year program which prepares them for priestly ministry.

Ordinations and Then Ministry

After ordination, the Bishop assigns the priest for pastoral ministry.

Affiliate Program

Post high school age men meet with the vocation director and others his age to discuss where things stand in their discernment. They can attend house classes, make weekend visits, or join the community for Mass and dinner.

High School Program

High school students meet with the vocation director on a regular basis to talk about their future plans. These students can make overnight visits to the seminary, assist at Cathedral liturgies, attend Saturday morning vocation gatherings, and participate in parish visitations made by the seminarians.