The Catholic Parish of Crawley
The Sacrament of Holy Orders
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How are candidates prepared for ministry?
I think I may have a vocation – what should I do
If you think you may have a vocation to the priesthood or diaconate, or want to discuss vocation more generally, contact the Parish Team via the parish office.
What is ordination about?
In order to ensure that the people of God would have pastors and would enjoy continual growth, Christ the Lord set up in his church a variety of offices, whose aim is the good of the whole body. Ministers, invested with a sacred power, are at the service of their brothers and sisters, so that all who belong to the people of God and therefore enjoy true Christian dignity may attain to salvation.
(The Second Vatican Council)
Principle among these ministries are those of bishop, priest and deacon. The bishop is the successor of the apostles and in his diocese has the responsibility of leading the diocese as pastor, of teaching the faith and proclaiming the gospel, and of making the people holy through the celebration of the sacraments. The priests and the deacons are his co-workers in this mission.
Those who are ordained receive special grace to perform these functions. But it is also necessary that the church first discerns if God is calling them to this role, and then to prepare them for their ministry by thorough formation and training.
There are other forms of service in the Church of course, and those called also need to be provided with the opportunities for discernment and formation.
Who can be ordained?
Any unmarried man over the age of 24, who has received the appropriate training, and whose vocation has been accepted by his bishop or religious superior, and who is prepared to make the necessary commitments, can be ordained to the Priesthood.
Married men between the ages of 35 and 60, again with appropriate training and discernment, may be ordained to the Diaconate.
How are candidates selected?
The prospective candidate normally approaches one of his parish priests to discuss whether he might have a vocation. At an appropriate time, and assuming he is eligible, the candidate will then be invited to meet with the bishop, since it is the bishop who has to decide whether or not to recommend a man for formation for priesthood or diaconate, and ultimately whether or not to ordain him.
The prospective candidate will normally go through a formal assessment and selection procedure in which their potential suitability for ministry will be explored. If the candidate is accepted he will then begin a period of formation and training.
How are candidates prepared for ministry?
Once a candidate has been accepted he undergoes an extensive period of formation. This has two purposes. The first is discernment – during the formation period the Church, with the candidate, has the task of discerning whether or not the candidate has a calling to the ordained ministry.
The second element is the actual formation of the candidate for ministry. This has four strands. Human formation seeks the candidates full development as a human being, since it is through the humanity of the priest or deacon that Christ works. In spiritual formation the candidate is helped to grow in relationship with God and understanding of the spiritual life. In pastoral formation the candidate learns the skills and explores the attitudes necessary for ministry. In academic formation the candidate studies subjects such as Scripture, theology, church history and many others in order that he may be an effective teacher of the Gospel.
Those training for the priesthood follow a formation programme of about 6 years at one of the seminaries – mainly St John’s Seminary, Wonersh. Those training for the diaconate follow a three year part time programme, again normally at St John’s Seminary.
think I may have a vocation – what should I do?
Speak to a priest about it! Any of the clergy of the parish will be happy to talk to you about priesthood or diaconate. Fr. Paul Turner, the Diocesan vocations director, is also resident at the Friary If you are thinking about Diaconate you might like to speak to Andrew Bayes, the parish deacon,. Or if there is a priest you know well from the past you might start by speaking to him.
Also pray about it – ask God to guide you in your thinking and reflection. But don’t wait for a final answer at this stage. You are not making a final commitment by talking about it, or even by beginning formation. That final commitment does not come until ordination.
What about other vocations?
This leaflet has focussed on the Sacrament of Holy Orders, and therefore priesthood and diaconate. However all Christians are called by God (the meaning of the word ‘vocation’ is ‘calling’). Clearly it is good for all of us, especially the young, to reflect on what God wants us to do with our lives. For some this may be a vocation to serve the church in a particular way, such as in the religious life as a religious sister or brother, or a nun or a monk. Once again we recommend you speak to the parish team, who will then help you to find the right people to talk to and the right path to follow.