Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
                 Sittingbourne

What is a priest?

A priest is a man chosen by God and set apart for the service of God and his people.
 

We all share in the priesthood of Jesus Christ because of our baptism. All of us are called to unite ourselves to Christ and offer our lives and our work to God our Father. We do this in a particular way when we come together for Mass. There we unite our lives with the sacrifice of Christ and anticipate our final union with God in heaven by receiving Jesus in Holy Communion.
 

Ministerial Priesthood, however, is not the same. Through the Sacrament of Holy Orders, a priest is given a special share in the priesthood of Christ so that His saving work can be made present today. When we hear the words of absolution (“I absolve you...”) or of consecration (“This is my body...”) we hear Christ speaking through his chosen instrument the ordained priest.
 

To become a priest means to accept a special call from Jesus Christ and to dedicate one’s life to the service of God’s people.

What Does a Priest do?

Priests serve God and his people in a variety of ways. Each priest is entrusted with a specific pastoral ministry by his Bishop. He shares in the priesthood of the Bishop who has the responsibility for governing, teaching and sanctifying the people of the diocese.

Most diocesan priests are assigned to a parish. This ministry includes celebrating the sacraments and assisting people to prepare for them. The priest will also be involved in funerals and helping families through grief. He will also work in primary schools, colleges, and local hospitals.
 

Whatever pastoral work he is assigned, the life of the priest is centred around the Holy Mass, the celebration of the sacraments, prayer and service of God’s people.

The Priests Life of Prayer

Pope John Paul II wrote of the priesthood as a ‘gift and mystery.’ There is an element of mystery, sacredness and holiness that characterizes the priest who is sent into the world and into the everyday lives of people.
 

Every day, priests pray the Divine Office (the universal prayer of the Church). They must also dedicate time to conversation with God in personal prayer. Spiritual reading and study enable them to fulfil their task of proclaiming the Christ to the modern world.
 

Personal prayer, Marian devotion, retreats and spiritual reading, sacramental and pastoral ministry, all contribute to a priest's awareness of the divine origin of his vocation.
 

Above all, the priest’s life of prayer is centred on the celebration of the Holy Mass.

The Holy Mass

A priest is most commonly known for celebrating Mass. The Eucharist is the centre of both the priest's life and the life of the Church. It is Christ, present in the Eucharist, whom we worship and adore. The priest and the whole community are nourished and sustained by Christ's presence in the Word of God and the Blessed Sacrament.
 

At Mass the Catholic community gathers to worship God, hear his Word and receive him in Holy Communion.
 

In his preaching, the priest explains the Gospel teaching to build up the faith and life of the people. A priest has to communicate with a wide audience of different ages and backgrounds which requires the grace of God as well as skill and commitment on his part.
 

Living Arrangements

In Southwark priests ordinarily live in a house owned by the parish. Depending on the size of the parish there may be more than one priest assigned to it.
 

All priests receive financial support enabling them to live and work in reasonable conditions, run a car, pursue leisure activities and take a holiday. Southwark also offers appropriate health and retirement provision.
 

Many priests enjoy participating in sport and recreational activities, as well as having cultural interests. These can sometimes be combined with a priest's work, especially his ministry to young people.

Every priest has a free day each week as well as some weeks' holiday every year. A priest also makes an annual retreat. He also will want to find time and space in is life for personal prayer. This is fundamental for his well-being and for the effectiveness of his ministry.
 

Many priests join priestly groups or associations where they the can meet regularly and receive support and encouragement from their brother clergy. In Southwark an Ongoing Formation Team offers study days and support to priests in their ministry.
 

What is a Vocation?

A vocation is a call from God to do something with our lives.
 

Through our baptism, each of us has a vocation to holiness. God calls us to live the virtues of faith, hope and charity. That means we are called to embrace and live the faith of the Church, witnessing to it in our world. We are called to be close to God in prayer and to come together at least once a week to join ourselves to the specific prayer of Jesus Christ as it is offered in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Finally we have received the love of God and we are called to respond by loving both God and our neighbour. Love is repaid with love!
 

To help us live the life we have received in Baptism we are given both the teaching of the Church and also the healing and life-giving grace of the Sacraments. To be holy means - despite our frequent lapses - to be living the life we have already received. In case we get discouraged, it is important to remember that a saint isn’t a person who never commits a sin - a saint is a person who is aware of his own weaknesses and is disposed with God’s grace to overcome them.
 

As well as the universal call to holiness, each of us has a specific vocation. This is a call from God to do something special with our lives. There are four specific vocations in the Church: the majority of people will be called to marriage; some are called to apostolic celibacy; others are called to religious life; while some men are called to Holy Orders.
 

Each of these vocations is a path for us to live out our call to holiness. Each of them involves embracing Christ’s Cross in a particular way and each is a great source of joy and fulfilment for the one called.
 

What is my vocation?

Discovering and responding to our specific vocation is a source of great joy. The process by which we discover our vocation is sometimes called ‘discernment’. Discernment always begins with the individual: no one can ever be told by someone else that they have a vocation. They begin to discover it for themselves particularly in prayer.

It is not always easy to discern what your vocation may be. God doesn’t usually work through big un-missable actions. We have to grow accustomed to listening out for his “still small voice”. Sometimes we are not very good at reading the signs God puts before us. A sense of being attracted to the priesthood might, for example, be accompanied with a great feeling of unworthiness. In itself that isn’t a sign that we haven’t got a vocation. After all St Peter fell to his knees and said: “Leave me, Lord, I am a sinful man!” A good Spiritual Director can challenge us to greater generosity towards God and also help us interpret the signs we experience.
 

Every vocation needs to be confirmed by the Church and so the individual needs at some stage to enter into a conversation with the Church - usually through meeting with the appropriate Vocations Director. This is an important point because the discernment process can very easily become a period of fruitless procrastination. A Vocations Director can help us interpret the call we experience and avoid the danger of misreading them.

Priesthood or Religious Life?

One of the questions many people face when they begin thinking seriously about committing their lives to God is whether they should apply for the diocesan priesthood or to join a religious order. It’s not always easy to give an answer to that question except to say that they are very different vocations. A secular (diocesan) priest lives in the middle of the world and is called to be a saint in and through the fulfilment of his ordinary priestly duties - just as a lay person is called to holiness in their ordinary life lived out in the middle of the world. A religious vocation, however, is marked by a special detachment from the world. This detachment is expressed both in the vows a religious takes (poverty, chastity and obedience) and often in external signs such as the religious habit or the religious enclosure. A religious is called to be a saint through the perfect fulfilment of their vows.
 

Because they are quite different vocations there need be no rivalry between the secular and religious vocation. A young person who is called to be a diocesan priest is not called to be a religious and vice versa.
 

Having said that, it is important that a person discerning their vocation begin somewhere - even if they are not a hundred percent sure where their vocation lies. Sometimes it is a good idea to ask yourself where your sense of vocation began? Was it through contact with a religious order? Did it begin in the parish?
 

Someone considering a religious vocation needs also to consider prayerfully a number of other questions as well. Do I feel called to an active or a contemplative life? Am I attracted by the possibility of missionary work or by the thought of study and teaching? Each religious congregation has its own charism and apostolate in the Church. Questions such as these can help us discern the sort of religious community in which we would feel most at home.
 

The important thing, however, is to begin somewhere. Don’t wait until you are absolutely certain before you approach a vocations director or religious order because that certainty may never come. Have the confidence that if you are generous and set out on the path along which the Lord may be calling you, he will lead you to the place he wants you to be - even if you need to make one or two detours along the way!

Applying for priestly formation

The Selection Procedure

All the dioceses of England and Wales use the same procedure for those applying to become priests even if the specific details may very from diocese to diocese. A candidate first of all makes contact with the diocesan vocations director who will get to know the candidate over the course of one or two years. The Vocations Director needs to know the candidate well because his reference will be an important part of the selection procedure. The Vocations Director will meet the candidate regularly and invite him to participate in a number of diocesan events for those considering the priesthood.

The Vocations Director will guide the applicant through the selection process which begins with the completion of the Application Forms. When he receives the completed form the Vocations Director will write for references from the referees appointed by the applicant. He will also carry out a number of background checks: these include a CRB check and submitting the candidate’s details to the National Office for Vocation for inclusion on their database to see whether any previous applications have been made.

All candidates are required to undergo a psychological assessment which usually takes place at the St Luke’s Centre in Manchester. The assessment can help a candidate know their strengths and weaknesses better. It can also help us understand how well a candidate might respond to the stresses of priestly ministry.

In early Spring the candidate will be asked to attend a Selection Conference at St John’s Seminary, Wonersh. Over the course of a weekend he will be interviewed by a panel of selectors who will then make a recommendation which will be sent to the Archbishop.
Some time after the Selection Conference the candidate will have an interview with the Archbishop. The final decision on whether to accept an applicant for formation is taken by the Archbishop on the basis of his interview and all the information he has received. It is usually communicated to the candidate by the Vocations Director some time after the Archbishop’s interview.
 

Foreign Candidates
Sometimes candidates from abroad contact us about the possibility of coming to England to study for the priesthood. Our policy is not to accept applications from abroad because it is important that students for the priesthood should have some understanding and experience of the Church in England. However, if a foreign student has been living in the diocese for two years or more he is welcome to make contact with the Vocations Director.

Preparing for Priesthood

Candidates for the priesthood undergo several years of study and preparation to help them develop the spiritual, intellectual and personal skills they will need to minister as a priest. This formation takes place in a seminary - an institution dedicated to the formation of priests. For this reason candidates are often called seminarians.
 

While at seminary a student receives academic formation in both philosophy and theology. These disciplines enable him to enter into the truths our our faith so that he will be well prepared to communicate them to others. The seminary years also help the candidate to grow in self-knowledge and discipline and to develop the virtues. This human formation is indispensable if he is to be a channel of God’s grace to others. During the period of formation he will also have opportunities for a variety of pastoral experiences to help ground his formation in the dedication and service.
 

Seminary formation is a period of discernment both for the candidate and also for the diocese which will ultimately determine whether or not an individual is called to priesthood.
 

The seminary years are also a time to grow in one's spirit of service and to build up bonds of lasting friendship with other future priests.

Please Contact  Fr Jim for more information
 

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