Personal Prayer
It all begins in silence and in a relationship with God. “Here I am, Lord”—an inner openness that deepens through daily prayer.
The Call to Priesthood
What is ordained priesthood ?
It is one of the three states of life through which the baptized commit themselves to the Church. […] collaborators, instruments, and humble servants of this work of sanctification.
“I would like to begin by expressing my gratitude for the witness and dedication of all priests throughout the world who offer their lives in celebrating the sacrifice of Our Lord in the Eucharist, proclaiming the Word and absolving sins, as well as devoting themselves generously each day to their brothers and sisters, fostering communion and unity among them and taking special care of those who suffer most and are in need.”— Leo XIV, Apostolic Letter
The call to the priesthood arises above all from constant contact with the living God and from persistent prayer to the “Lord of the Harvest” within parish communities, families, and vocational groups.
It is an intimate call from the depths of the heart, which must be clarified and discerned with a spiritual director—a priest or a vocational center—in order to remain constantly open to the Holy Spirit.
“The vocation to ordained ministry grows as a gift of oneself to God and, therefore, to his holy People.” — Leo XIV, Apostolic Letter
What does it mean to be a priest
Minister of the Word of God
The priest proclaims and teaches the Word of God. In this way, he shares in the ministry of the apostles to carry out the sacred service of the Gospel.
“Through the apostolic proclamation of the Gospel, the People of God are called together and assembled. All belonging to this people, since they have been sanctified by the Holy Spirit, can offer themselves as "a sacrifice, living, holy, pleasing to God" (Rom 12:1).“ — Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests Presbyterorum Ordinis
Minister of the Eucharist
“Through the ministry of the priests, the spiritual sacrifice of the faithful is made perfect in union with the sacrifice of Christ. He is the only mediator who in the name of the whole Church is offered sacramentally in the Eucharist and in an unbloody manner until the Lord himself comes.”
— Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests Presbyterorum Ordinis
— Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests Presbyterorum Ordinis
Minister of the other sacraments
By celebrating the sacraments—Baptism, Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, and Marriage — he makes God’s grace present among people.
Shepherd
“Therefore, priests are called to prolong the presence of Christ, the one high priest, embodying his way of life and making him visible in the midst of the flock entrusted to their care.” — Saint John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis (25 March 1992), 15.
Servant
The priest leads a Eucharistic life—a life lived in obedience to one great law, that of love which is given without reserve and serves with humility, a life that the grace of the Holy Spirit renders ever closer to the life of Jesus Christ the Eternal High Priest, Servant of God and of humankind. — Benedict XVI
Mediator
In the Liturgy of the Hours, personal prayer, and adoration, he stands before God on behalf of his people.
“Here I am, send me!”
Isaiah 6, 8
What the Church Says
This voice of the Lord calling, however, is never to be expected as something which in an extraordinary manner will be heard by the ears of the future priest. It is rather to be known and understood in the manner in which the will of God is daily made known to prudent Christians.
— Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests Presbyterorum Ordinis, 11.
You are becoming shepherds in the image of Jesus the Good Shepherd, in order to be like him and to act in His person amid his flock, to feed his sheep.
— Pope Francis to the seminarians
of the Pontifical Leonine College in Anagni
of the Pontifical Leonine College in Anagni
Hence, priests, while engaging in prayer and adoration, or preaching the word, or offering the Eucharistic Sacrifice and administering the other sacraments, or performing other works of the ministry for men, devote all this energy to the increase of the glory of God and to man's progress in the divine life.
— Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests Presbyterorum Ordinis, 2.
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