Excellent Letter and post. I just fired off a letter to the vocations director in my diocese. The reason we have to work so hard to get catholics to be catholic is a failure on the part of catechesis. I have a 16 year old son who wants to be a priest (he has had the calling for almost 9 of his 16 years) I am now struggling with what to do about college for him. The church requires a bachelors degree before attending seminary. This, to me, does not make sense.I believe our young people called to the priesthood should be formed in seminary first! The public education system is so warped, especially on the college level, that a degree just says “formally indoctrinated” to me. Hell, Barack graduated from HARVARD and no one can convince me that he is “educated” if he believes when life begins is above his paygrade! If we would snatch those called to the priesthood directly to seminary for the first 2 years while going through discernment, then see which way they will be able to help the church best, send them to Orthodox Catholic colleges, gain their degree, THEN finish seminary and take their vows, our church would be alot better off. The 4 years in liberal land after 13 years of public school indoctrination, coupled with parents not countering the liberal spew in these places leaves kids with no moorings, espcially those who have a calling! Heck, most parents try to discourage callings today! Pray for those with vocations, we are sure going to need them in what has become a culture of death and a potentially dark future!
Thank you. I agree with you.
I hope and pray this letter finds traction across the country!
Congrats on your son and his Vocation. You must be a great parent.
I for one do not understand why a man can’t go from being a fisherman or carpenter to being a priest with minimal training.
How hard is it to understand and teach that there is one God in three persons and that He sent his only Son to be fully God and fully man to die for our sins in order to establish the new covenant?
Peter, James, and John were fishermen. Matthew was a tax collector. St. Augustine liked wine, women, and song before he was a saint.
Don’t we all agree that faith is a gift of the Holy Spirit? It won’t be learned in college.
I personally would rather see my son as a priest than carrying on the family name. May the Lord wish it so.
Check with the seminaries in your region (or other regions, if you wish.) We have a young man from our parish finishing his college degree at Mount Angel Seminary. Then he will go on for the additional years.
Perhaps something like that is available for you too.
God Love your family and your son for his choice.
He is a brave young man to go against the tsunami of culture against the priesthood these days.