Fiat

An internet newsletter from the Joliet Diocese Vocation Office

Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum.

October 2004

Discernment … Making decisions in faith

WANTED: 

Doctor of Souls

* Spiritual Leadership

* Compassionate Presence

* Sacramental Ministry

Consider the Priesthood …

Answer the Call

To find out more join the

Priesthood Discernment Group

Begins Meeting on

Monday, Oct. 11

Contact: 

Father John Regan Joliet Diocese Vocation Director

402 S. Independence Blvd.

Romeoville, IL  60446

(815) 834-4004

www.vocations.com

Qualities Desired in a Candidate For Priesthood

Priesthood and the Author of Life

                                        by Father John Regan

He is:

1.    One who considers a personal relationship with God as an important and vital part of life.

2.    One who has an ability and willingness to talk about his faith and experience of God in his life.

3.    One who has a desire to serve others and make a difference in people's lives.

4.    One who is willing to sacrifice personal or material gain for the service of the Gospel and the Church.

5.    One who is recognized as being approachable.

6.    One who enjoys life, people, and has a sense of humor.

7.    One who has the ability to lead and work with people of all ages.

8.    One who recognizes the importance of the Church and the role of the Church as teacher.

9.    One who forms and maintains healthy relationships with both men and women.

10.One who feels good about himself, has average to above average intelligence, and has good physical, mental and emotional health.

   Priesthood places me in contact with the drama of human life.  Sometimes the drama is a tragedy, sometimes a mystery, sometimes a comedy. It's a great privilege for me to be a part of this drama with so many people, because my own relationship with its author, God, is deepened.

   The life and ministry of the diocesan priest are varied -- a lot depends on the talents and interests of the individual priest. Diocesan priests touch the peaks and valleys of human life from birth to death. We baptize, teach the young, forgive sins, prepare couples for marriage, stand up for human life in all its forms, befriend the poor, visit the sick, comfort the dying, bury the dead, preach good news, and most importantly we make Jesus present in the Eucharist and in a thousand other ways. Most of us find this life challenging, exciting, and abundant.

   In the end, though, the excitement and variety of ministry are not the most important parts of priesthood. Most important to my priesthood is my attention to my own faith relationship with Christ. It is this friendship with Jesus that will sustain me in a life- long commitment to God and the Church and make me a better priest.

   If you sense a call to find your abundant life in priestly service, please give a call (815/834-4004) or send a message to Fr. John Regan . I'm here to help you!

Prayer of Thomas Merton

My Lord God,         
I have no idea where I am going.

I do not see the road ahead of me
Nor do I really know myself,
And the fact that I think I am following your will
Does not mean that I am actually doing so.

But I believe that the desire to please you
Does in fact please you.
And I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this,
You will lead me by the right road
Though I may know nothing about it.

Therefore will I trust you always though,
I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear, for you are ever with me,
And you will never leave me to face my struggles alone.

Priesthood Discernment Group Forming

The priesthood discernment group is now forming to provide an opportunity for men to gather monthly to discuss issues concerning priestly life and ministry, to pray together as vocations are discerned, and to provide fellowship and support among those who are considering a call to follow Jesus as a priest. 

The discernment group is open to all men from senior year of high school and older who want to meet informally once a month to discuss the possibility of priestly life and ministry.  Participants will talk with several diocesan priests and seminarians as they discuss important issues in making an informed decision about their vocations. 

The group is sponsored by the Joliet Diocese Vocation Office, and the monthly gatherings are held at the Fiat House of Discernment, 113 N. Ottawa Street, Joliet.  The first meeting will be on Monday, October 11, from 7:00 to 8:30 PM.  Participants are welcome to join the community at the Fiat House for Evening Prayer and dinner at 6:00 PM.  Adoration and Night Prayer will follow the meeting. 

The topics for the first meeting include:  “How Do I Know Where God is Leading Me,” The Process of Discerning, Helps for the Journey, “What Makes a Good Priest?”  More information is available through the Vocation Office at 815/834-4004 or at www.vocations.com. 

Vocation FAQs:

Do I have to know for sure that I am going to be a priest to go to the college seminary?

No. Certainty of a call to priesthood is not needed to enter the college seminary. In fact, certainty of the call may never come. Doubts about one's vocation are common among seminarians at every stage. What is required is a sense that priesthood would be a good fit and a joyful life for you. You should also sense in your heart that God is asking you to take this step to consider more carefully the priesthood. Through the experiences of being a seminarian, one fairly early on gets the sense as to whether the seminary is the right place for him and whether priesthood is something he should be preparing for.

What do priests do all day?

What a priest does with his day is so varied and complex that only a sampling can be given here. Prayer, work and leisure are all necessary for a healthy life. We try to make sure we have a balance of all these, but we don't always succeed.

In the area of work or ministry, many of us have one main occupation, such as parish ministry, which has somewhat regular hours and predictable demands. The unpredictables are also interesting and challenging. They center on meeting the needs of people: the sick, old, angry, hurt, hungry, imprisoned, excited, happy. We share with them our understanding, encouragement and support. We rejoice, cry, and feel with them.

A FOCUS ON COLLEGE SEMINARIES

The Diocese of Joliet uses two college seminaries for our candidates of college age who are interested in preparing for priestly life.  Scholarships are offered to all college seminarians, including the “Give God the First Chance with Your Life” scholarship that provides a full-tuition and room-and-board scholarship for the first year of college studies at either of the two seminaries the diocese uses.  Here is a close up look at St. John Vianney College Seminary and Conception Seminary College. 

 Vianney:  A National Reputation for Excellence and Fidelity

Saint John Vianney College Seminary, in St. Paul, Minnesota, has a clear mission - ­to provide basic training today for tomorrow's Catholic priests.  We pursue this mission through the first-class academic resources of the University of Saint Thomas, through a systematic formation in Christian character, and through a traditional Catholic program of spiritual growth. We are Catholic, and proud of it!

At Saint John Vianney and the University of Saint Thomas, seminarians gain an outstanding foundation in Philosophy and Theology, while enjoying the freedom to choose their major field of study.  A four-year program of spiritual conferences and individual spiritual direction help seminarians grow strong in their Catholic faith and vocational discernment.  Saint John Vianney College Seminary is located on the campus of the University of Saint Thomas, near the banks of the Mississippi River in Saint Paul, Minnesota.  Since its founding in 1968, over 300 Vianney alumni have been ordained to the Catholic priesthood.

However, seminarians don't need to be sure about priesthood to enter seminary.  They only need to be sure about devoting their gifts and energy to God's will for their future.  And they have a great time doing it! Intramural sports. Service projects. Extracurricular activities with other students on campus, together with the educational and financial aid resources of the University of Saint Thomas. They receive a full college and seminary experience at Vianney.

More than twenty Catholic dioceses and archdioceses from throughout the United States send their college seminarians to Saint John Vianney.  They have come to trust our academic rigor, our sound formation program, and our faithfulness to the teachings of the Church.  You will have the privilege of growing closer to Jesus Christ through daily Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, retreats, and personal prayer.

Conception Seminary College: Promoting Academic Excellence, Character Formation, and Spiritual Growth

The Mission of Conception Seminary College, Conception, Missouri, is the preparation of candidates for the ordained ministry in the Roman Catholic Church through spiritual, intellectual, and character formation in the Benedictine tradition.

Established in 1886, Conception Seminary College is one of the largest of the 40 Roman Catholic college seminaries in the nation and one of only 15 with a complete four-year academic curriculum. Conception strives today, as it did a century ago, to fulfill the needs of men answering the call to the ministerial priesthood.

In the best Benedictine tradition, Conception Seminary College promotes academic excellence, character formation and spiritual growth. The operation of Conception Seminary College is the primary apostolate of the Benedictine monks of Conception Abbey.

Want to learn more about your talents and gifts?

Take the Story of My Life guide online at www.vocations.com/story.html

The Story of My Life is a ready-made way for you to describe yourself - your background, experience, expertise, goals for life, thoughts about leadership, and understanding of God.  Think about the possibility that you have been asked to write a book about the kind of person you are. What are some of the thoughts about yourself, becoming a leader, your spirituality and life itself that you might include in this book?  When you complete this online instrument, results will be shared with you immediately. 

The Fiat internet newsletter is published by the Joliet Diocese Vocation Office, Father John Regan, Director.  Please send suggestions for future issues to frjohnr@aol.com.

To be removed from the list of those who receive this newsletter, please send an e-mail to frjohnr@aol.com and simply include “REMOVE” in the subject line.