We face so many questions in our lives – what brings happiness? What is the purpose of my life? Where can I find meaning? One powerful way of living is the priesthood. We can have all kinds of images about the priesthood, but every priest is different and has something unique to offer. Think of the priests you know and how they do their best to answer their vocation. The Lord calls ordinary men to serve him in this extraordinary way. If God is calling someone to be a priest it will be a life that is challenging but also rewarding in so many ways. You build a bond of trust and friendship with your people, you become part of their families as you journey with them in the highs and lows of life. No day is ever the same and in the course of a single day you may have helped prepare a couple for marriage, help another family as they look forward to their child's baptism and been with a third family as they mourn the death of their loved one. You can show that the ministry of the Church is not something distant but personal, where the Lord reaches out to his people, making a real difference. It takes a lot of courage to go against the grain but if the Lord calls you in this way, the priesthood offers a way to be truly yourself, the person that God wants you to be.
Fr Mark Floody, Vocations Director
This set of resources written by our team at NYMO, in collaboration with Fr Mark and other priests from the diocese, are intended to help you explore priesthood with your young people. Links to the resources can be found below, as well as the video "Fr. Andy's Story"
Useful Links
This is the National website for Diocesan priesthood. This site has good links for the year for priests. It also has a section on the different role a Diocesan priest can play. A useful read before running a session on priesthood. You could also play an amusing game of dress the priest!
Try visiting part of the Allen Hall seminary website. There are good articles from this page by Fr. Stephen Wang, Formation director from Allen Hall.
Our own Diocese of Northampton website has a useful page on the year for Priests. This also includes a prayer for priests and a prayer for vocations to the priesthood which may be useful for your session.
Compass is an initiative to make people aware of the opportunities within religious communities. The website does give useful information on the life of a religious. It has testimonies from people who have used compass during their time of discernment, including those who are now priests. This site also has links to most religious orders websites.
