Priestly vocation

The divine call in a soul is a gift of God, the Lord of the harvest who calls laborers to serve and follow Him by becoming other Christ.

The objective of the Priestly Society of St. Pius X is the priesthood and all that pertains to it. This includes fostering in every way possible the birth and blossoming of priestly vocations by giving spiritual support to families wishing to give to their children a genuine Catholic education. It helps young men to discern the divine calls during spiritual retreats, and then trains future priests in truly Catholic seminaries, instilling in them the love for God, for the Blessed Virgin Mary, for the Church, and a spirit of sacrifice.

 

But it would be of little avail, were there any lack of care in the selecting and approving of candidates. In this selection and approval, all who are in charge of the clergy should have some part: superiors, spiritual directors and confessors, each in the manner and within the limits proper to his office. They must indeed foster and strengthen vocations with sedulous care; but with no less zeal they must discourage unsuitable candidates, and in good time send them away from a path not meant for them. Such are all youths who show a lack of necessary fitness, and who are, therefore, unlikely to persevere in the priestly ministry both worthily and becomingly.

In these matters hesitation and delay is a serious mistake and may do serious harm. It is far better to dismiss an unfit student in the early stages; but if, for any reason, such dismissal has been delayed, the mistake should be corrected as soon as it is known. There should be no human consideration or false mercy. Such false mercy would be a real cruelty, not only towards the Church, to whom would be given an unfitted or unworthy minister, but also towards the youth himself; for, thus embarked upon a false course, he would find himself exposed to the risk of becoming a stumbling block to himself and to others with peril of eternal ruin. 

The Head of the seminary lovingly follows the youths entrusted to his care and studies the inclinations of each. His watchful and experienced eye will perceive, without difficulty, whether one or other have, or have not, a true priestly vocation. This, as you well know, Venerable Brethren, is not established so much by some inner feeling or devout attraction, which may sometimes be absent or hardly perceptible; but rather by a right intention in the aspirant together with a combination of physical, intellectual and moral qualities which make him fitted for such a state of life. He must look to the priesthood solely from the noble motive of consecrating himself to the service of God and the salvation of souls; he must likewise have, or at least strive earnestly to acquire, solid piety, perfect purity of life and sufficient knowledge such as We have explained on a previous page.

Thus he shows that he is called by God to the priestly state. The objective of the Priestly Society of St. Pius X is the priesthood and all that pertains to it. This includes fostering in every way possible the birth and blossoming of priestly vocations by giving spiritual support to families wishing to give to their children a genuine Catholic education. It helps young men to discern the divine calls during spiritual retreats, and then trains future priests in truly Catholic seminaries, instilling in them the love for God, for the Blessed Virgin Mary, for the Church, and a spirit of sacrifice."

(Pius XI, Ad Catholici Sacerdotii—1935)