I would like to clarify "how to become a priest". The priesthood is not something you "get" at college. It is a calling from God that is strengthened through much prayer and a personal relationship with Christ, the High Priest, our brother.

It is a holy calling, not gotten, but received mercifully and unworthily from our Creator to His creation. (So, note that Catholics do not think priests are a god or perfect, but an imperfect servant of God.)

Sure, there is work and study that goes into preparing to live for God's people--to be capable and competent of such a high calling--but the requirements are not the focus of God's call to the priesthood. (It is similar to marriage: I want to be prepared to live my vocation to marriage well, but going to a cooking class is not going to "git" me marriage.)

There are ways of life that are not compatible with being a spiritual father. It is easy to focus on the "cannots", but celibacy is more of a "can". My spiritual father is completely free to be father to us, his flock. It is disappointing that some priests have marred this spiritual fatherhood by abominable acts. But, that does not change the fact that a priest is called to lay down his life for us. Do not think that all priests, or even many priests, are so fallen. Anyway, I am grateful that priests have made such a sacrifice for us, representing God's undivided love for His people.

I would suggest that if people want to know more, go to a good Catholic Church -- not one that waters everything down because they are scared of being different, but one that loves Christ and the Church.

And, if you think God might be calling you, then the first step is to take time in prayer, meeting Christ in the Scriptures. Next, get to know your brothers and sisters in your parish. This is your spiritual family. And there is so much information online. Ask the Holy Spirit for guidance searching online as you grow in your faith. God bless!

who changes your name when you become a priest and why the change?

Ta2, I am not a Catholic, but I'll try to answer some of your questions and any Catholics who see this post are welcome to correct any errors I may make.

First, yes, you need a high school diploma or equivalent. You'll also need either four years of college and four of seminary or eight years of seminary, as stated in the article. You also must be a practicing, baptized Catholic in good standing.

A Catholic priest is called "Father" and is a priest anywhere in the world he goes. Whether he is in the USA or UK doesn't matter.

Catholic priests do receive a salary and living quarters from the churches where they pastor. Yes, they drive and watch TV and go to movies.

As for your question about the fact that you have a paper that calls you a reverend father, well that may be. However, you are not a Catholic priest because of it. A Catholic priest must be ordained according to the Church liturgy in a Catholic Church.

Ta2, you have a good many questions. Let me suggest you look in the phone book for the Catholic Churches in your area. Call the church and make an appointment to speak with the priest. He will be able to answer all your questions, and give you some guidance about becoming an ordained priest if you feel you are called to the priesthood. Good luck.

I am 28. can i be a father? Can a UK man be a father in the USA? Can a USA man be a father in the UK? What if you went to jail many years and then became a reverend. is that ok?

What if you stabbed anyone? can you be a father then? Can you drive? Do you get TV?

Can you have earrings when you're a father?

Gods Will.

Rev. Ta

What do you do all day in Church?

Do you get paid? Do you have a PC? Do you watch movies? Do you get a bed?

Where can you be a father at in UK or USA?

Let me know! thanks again!

Gods Will.

Rev. Ta

Do you have to go all the way to high school?

Can you have tattoos?

Can you be a DJ or a singer in a band at one time?

How old do you have to be a catholic priest?

Is a reverend the same as a priest or father?

I am a tattoo artist. Can i become a Father?

Do you have to have an associate degree? I do have a paper that i am a reverend father! Is that ok? Is a UK priest "father" the same as a USA priest "father"?

Let me know! thanks again!

Gods Will.

Rev. Ta

If you truly are a believer in the Bible and are of a strong Catholic faith, then you would not stop practicing Catholicism for the sake of priests not being allowed to marry.

I believe that people leave their faith or stop believing all together for very selfish human reasons. I would never allow desires or conveniences get in the way of walking in the path that God intended for us.

i am a second year high school student and i want to become a priest. then what should i do?

i am joseph and a married indian catholic. can i become a priest?

I am 21 and I have felt a calling to serve very strongly. My question is: will I be able to enter the seminary after I finish my studies at a state college?

To anon11516: a female priest would be a priestess.

I want to thank the people who have written to answer my questions.

Unfortunately I feel I can not stay with the Catholic faith, because I have a sincere desire to serve God with my whole life -- and I am not able due to being a gay male.

If I could change to be heterosexual I would in a minute, but this is not possible, as it would be possible for a heterosexual man to become gay.

So I will continue my search and remain spiritual.

I'm sorry, i'm not against the gay thing, it's a personal choice. however it is frowned upon within the catholic church as it is written in the bible.

God actually refers to homosexual people as Sodomites and he wiped out sodom and gomorrah. What gets me is the fact that gay people fight for the right to get married in a catholic church when it is clear that even god isn't up for homosexuality.

a wedding is the union of two people in holy matrimony. in the eyes of God it wouldn't be holy, so why fight for it? it's like a black guy fighting for his right to participate in a kkk march (not racist just an example) but you see what i mean?

I cannot understand why the Holy Father is against gay men becoming priests. Celibacy is not just for straight men. Why can't a gay man take a vow of celibacy and become a priest. Why is the Pope so against gay people?

if someone was once a paedophile and was until recently a headmaster of a primary school and his current sexual activities, would it be ok for that man to become a deacon?

someone quoted St Paul as an example of being a murderer who God called. I have nothing against the paedophile being forgiven if he repents and accepts that what he did was wrong.

If, however, the paedophile was arrested and denied his previous paedophile activity even though one of his victims brought charges, would it still be ok for the guy to become a deacon?

Can a single man who is 45 still be able to become a priest?

I just want to say that becoming a priest is one thing that has to do with the calling of god. It really doesn't matter how you've lived your past life. St. Paul was a murderer killing god's people but the day god called his name from heaven, his whole life changed. Also, neither religion, race nor education should stand as a barrier to serving god as a priest.

But one thing is clear with regards from the bible, homosexuals (gay) and lesbians cannot and should never be permitted to become either priests or reverend sisters, monks or nuns, romans 1:26-27. Thank god that our present pope cannot be moved on this subject.

Opie, nigeria

why can women or gay men not become a priest?

Eastern Catholic and Eastern Orthodox priests can get married, as long as it is prior to their ordination. Remember, the Catholic Church is made up of both the Western Rite (there is only 1 Western Rite, the Roman Catholic Rite)and the Eastern Rites (there are 20). In other words there is no such thing as universal celibacy in the Catholic Church, since it is only mandated in the West but optional in the East.

i am 26 years old and a graduate from university and i want to become a priest in nigeria. i need guidelines on how to register myself. celestine from adamawa state nigeria

Thank you Fr Anthony. I agree with you that getting a theological education by distance learning STB or BA in Theology is bound to impress any Bishop. (Roman or Old Catholic) after all they too are recognised by Rome. There are now courses for the mature man if you have a theological education from only 2 years. Fr David

Hi as a priest myself, I'd like to tell people if you cannot for whatever reasons be a priest, why do you not consider the Old Catholic Church. They do a great STB Degree. Regards Fr Anthony

i am 21 years old, and am seeking for admission into university, but i have strong feelings to become a priest, and am no longer a virgin. can i still become a priest?

What is the "easy" way to become a priest ? Is there an online seminary or online college on the net where one, without many checks, can easily get a license as a priest?

if a priest chooses to leave the priesthood, is he still able to receive the sacrements, i.e. holy communion and penance?

I am a 54 year old man who was not raised Catholic but I feel a calling to the priesthood. I do not have a college education. Can I go directly to seminary? I wish for total immersion into Catholicism. Thank you.

Question, can a divorced man enter priesthood?

To anon25625:

If an affair between a Parish Priest and a married woman was exposed, which led to the dissolution of the marriage, the Priest would most certainly be removed from the Priesthood.

You have revealed nothing which would bar you from seminary studies. So only you only know the right time.

To Looksforsigns,

Yes, they would have to finish their high school education and attend college.

If an rev. priest had an affair with a married woman, ruin the family and report him to the monsenior. what would his punishment be?

If someone wants to become a priest but didn't finish high school would he then be able to still go to the seminary or would he have to go back to school?

I'm 34 years old i was a playboy and kinda bad boy guy before but i am confused to become a priest or not by the way i am single and no girlfriend since 1998 and had a degree in college major in business management i need someone to tell me is this the right time for me to enter in seminary and enter priesthood?

if one who wishes to become a priest is born as a woman but gets a sex change and becomes legally male, can that male become a priest?

Can you become a priest if you were previously married and your marriage has been annulled?

Can a man who had a child before entering the seminary be a priest? He has never been married.

What is a chalice?

what is a Deacon?

I am 21 years old and currently have 2 associates degrees in a computer related field. Im also a junior at a 4 yr college - which in fact, i still have a computer major. I have considered about becoming a priest around last year before i started my degree path of the computer field, but never really acted on this feeling. I feel Gods calling stronger now than ever. But I dont know how to tell my parents that I want to become a priest instead of doing what im doing now especially if I already have loans for school?

For any ambitious person the church would make a great career move, just think how many old priests and bishops are dying-if you played your cards right you could make cardinal in 15 years. I agree with the corrupt priest statement above.

what american college would a person go to?

Does anyone know less strictive academic requirements in becoming a Priest. What if you don't speak English or Spanish as a first language?

I've felt a calling to the priesthood, one that at times has been very intense and have recently decided to visit a priest near my home of which I'd seek advice. My situation is complicated, so I'll avoid going into it, but I would like to make a comment on this site (which so happened to be one of the first sites I ran across when searching for "priest.")

I would love to become a (corrupt) priest to scrape easy money from gullible fools that think I'm a "man of God."

there are rules about a sexually homosexual male being barred or asked to leave. But chastity is the rule- does this also apply then to the sexually active heterosexual man? if not, why not?

hi, i'm 21 yrs old, indian catholic and am currently in my fourth year of higher education in england, pursuing a masters degree in biology. all my education after school has been in biology and the life sciences. i'm considering becoming a priest. should i talk to my priest back in dubai (where i was baptised, communioned and confirmed)or back home in india about this vocation? can i enter a seminary here in the uk on a student visa i currently hold? will my educational background be a stumbling block to my entering the priesthood (seeing that i dont have a background in religious studies or theology or sociology)? thanks in advance.

which would be a better way to become a priest, to go to a seminary or college? I'm thinking seminary but I'm not sure. so if anyone could please tell me, thank you.

Malayrobert and anon11516,

On the issue of age limits, I did know a priest who became one quite late in life. He had been married but his wife had died in a plane accident some years before. I would see he was about 60 or so when he entered the priesthood. This leads to my answer about why women can't become priests.

Though there is strong scriptural evidence in the New Testament, especially with more recent translations of the New Testament that women are considered as able in the priesthood as men, the Catholic Church as a body still feels that women should not serve in the priesthood and that the calling is for men only. This has caused a lot of women who seek serving as ministers to change to a different religious sect where they can serve as ministers or reverends.

Personally, as an American raised Catholic, this restriction never made sense to me, any more than the idea that a priest shouldn't be married. Moreover, interest in the priesthood in the US has so declined, that many argue eventually married men and women will have to serve if they are to serve the number of people that are Catholics. If you go to many church services, you'll note many of the priests are not American; they are Irish, or more commonly today, Indian. We are essentially having to import priests from other countries because we don't have enough American priests to fill these jobs.

However, we have a conservative pope in Pope Benedict, and I find it very doubtful that we'll see any married priests or women priests any time soon. It's a shame, and one of the reasons why I can't gather much desire to practice Catholicism anymore.

Any age limit to become the Priest?

Why can't women become priests?

To Anon6001 >

They probably do rather a lot of Bible reading in their training. Also the reason entry is so strict is very simple, if 'anyone' could just suddenly become a Priest, you would surely have highly underqualified people posing as priests.

However that said, there's nothing stopping anyone from being a Pastor of their own 'free' church.

To Tes,

Discussing the path of priesthood is a good way to see if it is something you would like to pursue. Remember there are also many checks along the way.

If you are considering it, consider discussing it with a priest or bishop you know, and see what they have to say. It is not as though anyone would force you to become a priest if you didn't want to. Another idea for those men interested in priesthood that are married; consider training to become a deacon, or as a chaplain for a local hospital or a police department. Becoming a deacon means you are serving the church, and as a nondenominational chaplain, you can serve your community and minister to those most in need.

I'm a 38 year old man who has never been married though i have had a few very loving relationships with wonderful women in my life. I graduated from a catholic high school and also attended parochial grade school. I have attended some college in my early twenties but after my mother got sick with multiple sclerosis i had to go to work full time to help take care of her and support the household (my father passed when i was 11).I have always felt close to God and have always felt he might be calling me to the priesthood simply by the way my life has unfolded. Four years ago I lost my mother

to a aneurysm and ever since i have felt strongly that God is calling me to walk the road to becoming a priest, but i am not sure if a man of my age with little college background would be welcome to become a priest. Even though my dioscese's Bishop is an amazing man who has made it his point to ask those who feel God's calling to make themselves known, I'm still scared. Does anyone have any advice that might help me decide what to do next? Any advice at all would be very much appreciated and welcomed.

Jimmy - I wish you the best of luck in your pursuit. The church needs more men and women out there willing to step up and take on the word of God.

So overall, you need 8 years of schooling and then half a year of being a deacon? Before all that do they check your criminal background because the article sort of made it sound like they do it during your education or afterwards. I kind of want to know because I'm writing a story over this...

can a catholic priest bring his parents to live with him in the parsonage? If no, why not?

. . . .wait . . . . throughout this whole article the word "Bible" is not even mentioned. . . why is that? Isn't religion influenced by the Bible? Then why is reading the Bible not part of the requirements? jimmy 94 I think you should reconsider for what you are about to do. You are supposed to listen to god and obey him, why is it that others decide if you're "holy" enough to become a priest? Does not God love all his children?

ok, so if I graduate from High School go to a community college and obtain an Associate Degree then transfer to the seminary how many years more till I become a priest. This is highly important since I feel the need the love the call to become a priest This is all I want in order to be happy thank you