Every Vocation Story Is Unique.
Some men will pass through the first few stages only to discern that God is not calling them to priesthood. Others will keep going all the way to ordination. Keep in mind that discernment towards the priesthood continues throughout seminary, it does not end when a man enters.
Stage 1: The Initial Call
A man in stage one has recently experienced an attraction to priesthood for the first time. This initial stage of discernment often takes place during childhood, perhaps at Mass, in a Catholic school classroom, or when a priest invites a man to consider priesthood.
In this stage, a man feels an initial, mysterious attraction to become a priest, made all the more mysterious since he has almost no information about priesthood, discernment, or seminary.
The primary emotions are excitement and wonder. โCould God really be calling me to be a priest?โ
Stage 2: Latency Period
A man in stage two has now been thinking about priesthood for some time, usually a few years, depending on when he entered stage 1. He is not thinking about it every day, however.
Rather, more days pass when he does not think about it at all. The idea surfaces from time to time, usually at Mass, while praying at night, or when another person mentions it. He has not convinced himself that priesthood is a real possibility.
Sometimes a man in stage 2 will prematurely โdecideโ that he is not being called to priesthood.
Stage 3: Assessment Period
A man in stage three realizes that his attraction to priesthood will not go away, even if he has tried to avoid it.
This man is now making a more serious effort to grow in his faith and prayer life. He may find a spiritual director because he realizes that he needs help discerning. He begins to fight the spiritual battle of surrendering to the will of God; some days he wins the battle, and other days he loses.
This manโs love for God is maturing and he begins to understand the joy of laying down his life for Jesus and his Church. His desire to serve others is growing, and he experiences happiness while serving.
A man in this stage might be assessing specific fears: the fear of celibacy, the fear of not being a holy priest, the fear of loneliness, and the fear of preaching in front of people.
Stage 4: Discernment Shift
A man in stage four is moving quickly towards surrender and resignation to the will of God. He has been faithful to prayer, attended retreats, gathered information, and has come to the conclusion that God is probably calling him to be a priest.
He feels a sense of peace should this be his God-predetermined vocation.
His spiritual director and vocation director are telling him that he has the signs and qualifications. He still may be hoping that God is only calling him to seminary for a year or so, but not to priesthood.
The essential element of stage 4 is the knowledge that discernment cannot proceed any further outside of seminary. He is just spinning his wheels.
Stage 5: Seminary Discernment
A man in stage five has been accepted as a seminarian by his bishop, and the bishop has assigned him to a specific seminary.
This is a very important stage in discernment. A man now has a developed spiritual plan of life: he is going to Mass every day, living in a seminary, surrounded by other men who are also discerning diocesan priesthood, and regularly praying before the Blessed Sacrament.
Stage 6: Consistent Peace
This man has been in seminary for several years and he has grown tremendously in prayer, knowledge, and generosity. This man knows Jesus personally. He has spent countless hours in prayer, study, and ministry, and is more conformed to the life of Christ.
He is now doing the hard work of priestly formation through daily prayer and study. Having experienced the joy of ministry, the man is now even more committed to the idea that he will become a priest.
Stage 7: Moral Certitude
Stage seven begins at the very latest when a man arrives back at the seminary to begin third theology (Third Configuration). This is not really a stage of discernment so much as an end to discernment.
A man in stage seven is preparing to be ordained a deacon and then, one year later, a priest. This man has achieved moral certitude that this is Godโs will.