Me as Priest?

Now, what if you feel you might have a vocation?

What then?

Well, the simplest thing to do would be to call the 1850 telephone number given on this website. Just to talk.

Alternatively, if you're feeling very sure, you could simply call the Diocesan Offices at Archbishop's House in Tuam (093.24166). Whichever you decided to do, you can call during office hours, between 9a.m. and 5 p.m., daily from Monday to Friday.

The first stage of your searching will involve a meeting with the Diocesan Secretary in order to provide basic details about your life.

It's the usual stuff: Age, background, education, any qualifications, any special skills, talents, interests, hobbies. It would be very helpful if you had a C.V. prepared in advance.

At this stage, you might be considering any career under the sun, because any prospective employer would need to know these details.

Then it gets a little bit special. You will be asked to meet with a priest who specialises in spiritual training and direction. He will not necessarily be from this Archdiocese. He'll have your details, but he will need to know more.

He will want to hear all about your journey of faith up to this point.

What do you want in life?

What level of faith do you have?

Do you pray?

Do you receive the sacraments?

How well do you understand your faith?

Why do you think you might have a vocation?

What is your understanding of the Church, of your membership of the Church at present, of Priesthood? A bit intimidating? Relax, he'll be very helpful and kind. But we do have to know where you're coming from. You're the only one who can explain that. This priest will help you say your piece; that's all. When it's all over, he will, with your permission, report to the Archbishop on what he thinks.

So far, so good.

If you're still interested, and we're still interested, you will meet with a panel of four Church members, two lay people and two priests. These will be members of the Diocesan Vocations Committee, which advises the Archbishop. They will want to form a picture of you as a rounded person. They will talk to you about what they want from a candidate for priesthood. They will tell you about life in the Archdiocese of Tuam and will want to know why you chose us, why you want to serve us as a priest.

They will ask questions, but they will also answer your questions.

They're nice people and will make you feel at home.

This should help you a great deal to think things out for yourself.

The panel will report to the Archbishop. Meantime, you will meet with a psychologist, who will try to get an idea of your basic psychological stability and well-being. this is important too and he will have his own professional viewpoint. He will want to know that you have reached a certain, necessary level of psychological maturity and that you are capable of making important decisions and have the freedom and strength to do so. He will be able to give you good advice. With your permission, he will also report to the Archbishop.

Finally, the Archbishop gets to meet you. By now he will have heard a great deal about you, thanks to your honesty and help. He will be in a very good position to make a decision. But then, so will you. This is important for all of us. Even if you don't decide to go on, or the Archbishop doesn't decide to accept your application, the whole process could turn out to be the best thing you ever did.

You'll know yourself better.

You'll have a clearer idea of what you want.

A better view of the goal.