Holy Orders
As Catholics, by virtue of our baptism, we are called to a vocation to serve and proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ in our lives. Some are called to single life, others to marriage, and still others to priesthood and religious life. Ultimately, this vocation is as unique as the person who is gifted with it.
In particular, discerning a priestly or religious vocation can be a challenge, especially when others, even those close to us, may not be encouraging. Candidates for religious life should exemplify the following:
A love for the Catholic faith
Generosity
A desire to help other people
A personal relationship with God
A capacity and desire to learn
A respect for other people
Openness to other cultures and ethnic groups
Ability to work collaboratively
Good social skills
The ability to enjoy one's own company and a variety of friendships
The courage to take risks
A healthy self-image
The ability to state an opinion that might differ from that of others
Devotion to prayer
There are many sources of information about your vocation to religious life. In New York, you may contact the Archdiocese: https://www.nypriest.com/.
An example of a religious order contact is the Society of Jesus: https://www.beajesuit.org/
In many ways all Catholic priests are the same. Each priest has gone through years of education and preparation at a seminary before his ordination. All priests are ordained to preach the Gospel and serve God’s people in the person of Christ–that is, standing in for Christ. Most importantly, they administer the sacraments of the church to the faithful and help them get to heaven.
Diocesan Priests
Priests makes three promises at ordination: 1) to pray the Liturgy of the Hours daily; 2) to obey his bishop; and 3) to live a celibate life. Their lives are very much like that of their people, in the sense that they buy their own clothes and car, they pay taxes, and they may own personal property. That is why a diocesan priest is sometimes called a secular priest (from the Latin saeculum, a word that means roughly “this world of time and space in which we live”).
A diocesan priest belongs to the body of priests (called the presbyterate) of a local diocese, which is a particular territory within a state or country. The Diocese of New York is composed of 10 counties in New York: Putnam, Bronx, Dutchess, Orange, Manhattan, Sullivan, Westchester, Ulster, Staten Island, and Rockland The Diocese of Brooklyn includes Kings (Brooklyn) and Queens Counties in New York City. A diocesan priest normally serves within the boundaries of his diocese under the authority of his bishop. Most often, a diocesan priest is assigned to a parish by the bishop, and he lives and works in that area. His main work is preaching the Gospel, celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, anointing the sick and dying, baptizing, celebrating marriages, burying the dead, and consoling those who need his help. His main focus is the needs of those in his parish.
Priests of Religious Orders
A member of a religious order belongs to a community of men or women who are bound together by faith and the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Poverty means that they do not own things individually but rather as a group; chastity means that they refrain from sexual activity and do not marry; obedience means that, after appropriate consultation, they do what their superiors ask them to do. These three ways of living are called the Evangelical Counsels because they are recommended to Christians by our Lord as part of His Gospel. Interestingly, the Catechism teaches that every Christian is called to live the Evangelical Counsels according to his state of life, though religious priests live them in a “more intimate” way .
Some members of religious orders are ordained priests and deacons. Those who are not in Holy Orders are called ‘brother’ or ‘sister. The members of a religious community engage in any kind of work for the Church and for the good of humanity. Religious communities have their individual charism or type of lifestyle and mission that is particular to that community. Religious communities specialize in various kinds of work such as education, work with the sick or poor, and service in foreign missions. The person discerning a vocation to religious life chooses a religious community based on its lifestyle and mission. Some communities live very austerely while others do not. Some have missions with the elderly, youth, or the poor. Some serve as teachers in schools or evangelists in other countries. Most often, they live in community with each other instead of among people in a parish.
One example of a Community of Religious Priests: The Jesuits
Many different religious communities ordain priests for service to the Church. The most familiar ones are the Benedictines, the Franciscans, the Dominicans, the Augustinians, and the Jesuits.
The largest number of priests come from the Jesuits—formally the Society of Jesus. Its founder, St. Ignatius, referred to his men as “contemplatives in action.” In Ignatius’ view, God wasn’t just to be found in the monastery but “in all things” – very much including all kinds of ministry. Ignatius wanted Jesuits to be men of prayer who found God in the world and helped others to grow as disciples of Christ. This Jesuit spirituality is based primarily on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, which all Jesuits make in their complete form (a 30-day, silent, individually directed retreat) twice in their Jesuit lives. The Jesuit charism, or mission, is to form Christian leaders for our world through our schools, retreat houses, parishes, and missionary activities.
Whereas diocesan priests usually do one kind of ministry – parish work – in one specific region, Jesuits can be engaged in a wide variety of ministries (such as teaching, spiritual direction, giving retreats, counseling, research, writing, being a missionary, pastor, doctor, lawyer, actor, drama director, playwright, poet, scientist, theologian, philosopher, or historian) and can be called through our vow of obedience to serve wherever in the world we are most needed to do God’s work. Jesuits live in community, but Jesuit community life is quite different than that of the Benedictines. Unlike the Benedictines, Ignatius did not want Jesuits to be monks and live in monasteries. Rather he wanted them to be available for mission and apostolic work. As a result, Jesuit community life is less structured. Jesuits do not pray the Divine Office in common, but they do celebrate Mass and eat meals together and have regular community gatherings which often include faith sharing and apostolic reflection.