food for faith: no, it's much better!

People often ask me: "what's it like to be a priest?" It is a difficult question to answer. While as a priest I "do" many things, there is much more to priesthood than the things I do. It's like being in love...deeply satisfying and difficult to put into words.

Here (below) is a video clip, made in Australia, that gives a helpful insight. I have also added a two-part priestly vocations video from the USA.

Every young Catholic Man (as young as high school), when considering life-choices, should consider priesthood as one of the options.

If God is calling you to be a priest,

you will be happier as a priest

than you could be in any other life-choice

In past years parents, grandparents and godparents prayed that one of their sons / grandsons / Godsons would respond to God's call to serve as a priest. Now the option is rarely presented to a young man. It is time we got over our hesitation and proudly invited all young(ish) men to seriously consider whether God is nudging them towards life as a priest.

I know of someone who is today in the seminary, only because a parishioner tapped him on the shoulder out of the blue and suggested he consider if God was calling him to priesthood. That brief conversation sowed the seed and the man found the life he didn't even know he had been searching for!

So, send this blog link to any single young man aged between 15 and 50. If they are an active parishioner, that is helpful, but also send this blog link to those who may have been baptised as Catholics and has had little or no contact with the Church since. Write them a brief note of a sentence or two, encouraging them, and inviting the to watch this 10 minute video.

If you are receiving this link because someone has forwarded it to you, Don't be afraid!!! I (the author of this blog) am a priest, and after 28 years I can honestly say that if I had known what priesthood was like, I would not have hesitated as much as I did to respond fully to God.

If you are a young man who has received this posting from someone else, I invite you to set aside 15 minutes to watch these videos. You may find nothing that interests you here. No problem. But if you suspect that God might be calling you to think a bit more about this, talk to Jesus in the silence of your own heart. And don't hesitate to talk to any priest. You can even find one online near where you live.

If you want to chat further, don't hesitate to email me at

johncoconnor@me.com

I look forward to hearing from you.

You can find more information on the Diocesan Priesthood in the Diocese of Christchurch at this link: http://www.chch.catholic.org.nz/?sid=219

The Vocations Director for the Diocese of Christchurch is Father Chris Orr.

He also would be very happy to hear from you: christopherjohnorr@gmail.com