Archdiocese of Louisville seminarians were asked, “What was a simple, early moment when you felt called to the priesthood?”
The following are their anonymous responses:
“Before I could receive Communion, I remember being at Mass and being captivated by the actions of the priest. I would hurry home and play Mass with my parents and siblings, and I would tell everyone that I wanted to be a priest. That tug on my heart never went away as I grew up.”
“During Holy Mass one Sunday when I was in middle school, during his homily, my pastor said: ‘My job as a priest is to help people get to Heaven.’ Years later, I remembered this moment and I thought: ‘That’s what I have to do.’ ”
“After I entered high school, I was no longer needed to serve Mass at my home parish. But when I left the sanctuary and sat in the pews, the Mass just didn’t feel right. My home pastor told me that might be a sign I was called to be a priest, and sure enough, my call began with that attachment to the liturgy.”
“When I was 14, when I was imagining my future, a voice came in my mind: ‘How about becoming a priest?’ From that time on, this idea has never gone.”
“My pastor asked me several times if I had thought about being a priest. At the moment he asked, I brushed it off, but now I see that seeds were being laid.”
“When I was in high school, I recall one time during the consecration at Mass, I looked at the priest and thought, ‘I wish I was able to celebrate Mass!’ ”
“As I shared in the story of my vocation, I first felt drawn to the priesthood when I began serving as an altar boy during my middle school years. At the time, I didn’t fully understand what that calling meant, but the experience planted a seed in my heart.”
“It wasn’t until my university years, when I joined the diocesan vocation discernment group, that my sense of calling became clearer. With greater maturity and self-awareness, I was able to reflect seriously on my life’s direction and began to recognize that the priesthood might be the path God was inviting me to follow.”
“After completing my university studies, I made the decision to apply to the seminary. Up to now, I continue to feel that God is calling me, and I experience a deep sense of peace and clarity as I walk this path of consecrated life.”
“In college, after confession, I told our chaplain I think I may have a vocation to the priesthood. I hadn’t planned on saying anything, but the Holy Spirit spoke through me at that moment. That was the first time I had told anyone I was discerning a vocation.”
“When I was in the 5th or 6th grade, I was told by an elderly lady at my parish that I should be a priest, and that she could ‘see it in my eyes.’ ”
“I never felt an early call to the priesthood. I experienced it when I came back to the faith in my 20’s. I experienced it by going to Mass, praying the rosary and spending time with Jesus in adoration.”
“I did not personally experience an early call to the priesthood, but I do remember having a sense of wonder about the person of the priest. It was clear to me from an early age that there was something different about his life. When I started to notice a possible call in early adulthood, this same wonder was revived in my soul.”
“Long ago, during my days at Kammerer Middle School and Epiphany Catholic Church Youth Group, I had a sudden realization one day that I would become a priest when I grew up. I had that odd feeling that I would be the one behind the altar someday.”
