Vocations - Men
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Priesthood within our Diocese
Our Diocesan Vocations Office is happy to assist you with your call to the Priesthood.
For Discernment, please contact Fr. Iván Hernández Melchor, Director of Vocations at (559) 488-7424 or [email protected]
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A diocesan priest serves the diverse needs of the Faithful within the parishes of the Diocese. They minister the day-to-day needs of God’s people as a spiritual father. A priest’s ministry centers around the administration of the sacraments: the celebration of Masses, baptisms, weddings, funerals, reconciliation and anointing the sick.
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What are some positive signs that are pointing me to a vocation?
- A friendship with Jesus is important to me.
- People tell me that I would make a good priest.
- A desire to go to Mass and Adoration frequently, even daily.
- The thought of becoming a priest keeps coming back over and over again.
- I’m afraid to tell my friends and family that I’ve been thinking about the priesthood.
- I imagine myself preaching or think about how I would preach the homily differently.
- I have a burning desire to help people get closer to Christ and to know the Truth.If some of these statements reflect how you feel, then God may be calling you.
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The contribution that Consecrated or Religious Life makes to the Church is to demonstrate in a telling way that conformity to the life of Jesus is a surpassing good.
Some religious orders are apostolic (active in the world), some monastic and some cloistered. The cloistered communities do not live and minister actively in the outside world. Their life and work of prayer is primarily contained within their monastery setting.
Each religious order or congregation has a particular gift that they offer for the Church. This gift is known as their “Charism.” This gift helps them to focus their mission and ministry on some particular aspect of the Church’s mission.
While Diocesan priests minister within a geographical area, Religious Order priests may be sent to various parts of the United States or in other parts of the world. This depends on the different areas where their Order has communities.
In some men’s religious communities, some of the members are ordained to the priesthood and some are not. Those who are not ordained are called “Brothers.” Both the priests and brothers within these communities are equal in their membership.
The process of joining a religious community actually takes some time and involves several stages. The first step would be to make contact with particular religious order and to attend events such as “Come and See” and reflection days that they offer for discerners.
Some examples of communities of men religious are the Dominicans, the Carmelites, the Franciscans… just to name a few!
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