For my project I chose to research the priesthood. In my paper I will tell you about priests, their daily routine, and provide an interview from a friend who is studying to be a priest. There are several stages to becoming a priest. The first step is contact, which is when a man who is interested but is not quite sure that he should contact his pastor or the Vocations Director. A man would meet with someone and share his feelings and experiences in the community. The next step is becoming a candidate. This is a more formal stage and the man begins the process of interviews and meetings with people from the Vocations office. A person can be a candidate for one or two years in which they view what the priesthood is really like. The next step is becoming a Seminarian. This is when the candidate enters the Seminary. He is then sponsored by the diocese and begins his theological studies. Next the Seminarian becomes a transitional diaconate about one year before his ordination to the priesthood. At this time he makes promises of celibacy and obedience to his Bishop. Seminarians are also given courses on writing and giving homilies. They also write samples and receive feedback on them. Finally the last step is entering the priesthood. After a lot of prayer and hard work a man is recommended to the priesthood.In preparing for the priesthood there are four main areas of study: the human, the spiritual, the ability to minister, and the academics. Spirituality is the study of prayer on an individual basis. The ability to minister is performed in supervised programs. While a man is at college he would take his ordinary courses plus his religious courses. After college he enters theology where he studies the scriptures, teachings of Church, and the skills needed to be a priest. A Seminarian should be an average to above average student who has the ability to pass his required classes. Seminarian life is not any harder than th...
