How to Become a Catholic Priest

By eHow Careers & Work Editor

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Priesthood is a vocation, not a job. It takes intense preparation and soul-searching to make the decision to become a priest. A man must feel he is called to this vocation and be prepared to lead a celibate, exemplary life. A priest's life is one of service; it calls for extreme dedication, patience, holiness and obedience to the Pope and the dogma of the Catholic Church.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

Seminary training
Calling
Four-year degree, preferably

Step1

Prepare for the priesthood by getting a bachelor's degree, preferably in a field that will enhance your studies in the seminary. Such degrees include philosophy, religious studies and psychology. Classes in Church history, public speaking and history are very helpful to a priest's understanding of the Church and of human nature.

Step2

Enter seminary after graduating from college. If you possess a college degree, the seminary training usually takes four years. If you have no degree, eight years is the standard.

Step3

Abstain from romantic relationships. It is necessary for you to be sure your vocation is to the priesthood and not to married life. Although this may seem contradictory, you are able to make a more objective decision if emotions are not involved.

Step4

Become a deacon after graduating from the seminary. This usually lasts for six months and is viewed as an internship.

Step5

Take the vow and enter the priesthood. Priests are subject to background checks to assure that they have no history of criminal or sexual misconduct.

Tips & Warnings

Devote lots of time to prayer when making this decision. Speak to other priests who can counsel you with answers to questions you might have about the priesthood and offer insights that will guide your decision on whether or not to make this your life's vocation.

Comments

NoNonsense said

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on 10/18/2007 Lovejoy13: Why are you commenting? You clearly are not interested in becoming a priest. Yes, priests are human. And, yes, the Catholic Church (note caps) is a human organization. If you are looking for perfection, perhaps you are looking in the wrong place.

wikedwestwitch said

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on 12/3/2007 I can't help but be suspicious (and mistrustful) of ANY belief system that 'denies' one a healthy exercise of human sexuality, as this religion does with their 'priests'...

This spiritual group (Catholic) professes belief in a Creator, who directed the human family of 'children' to reproduce, and become caretakers of the forms of this Divine creation. Seems contradictory to me - and this group appears to practice dogmatic directives, fraught with 'control' tactics, that humans are so very capable of creating, and enforcing. Sounds too commonly human - a far cry from supernatural/superior.