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