A vocation to be a Catholic priest or a religious brother, like a Dominican Friar, is a serious time commitment…as in, a life-long commitment. Like any vocation, one does not want to delay in answering God’s call. But, how old is “too old” to pursue a vocation to the priesthood?
Fr. Auggie DeArmond, O.P.
Pastor, St. Peter Catholic Church
Editor-in-Chief, Priestvocation.com
Click here for Fr. Auggie’s Vocation Story
When I was in the house of studies in St. Louis, several student brothers were reminiscing about the first time we “played priest.” I told the story of stacking ice chests to make an altar, grabbing some grape juice and tortillas, and using the missalette I smuggled from my home parish. And there, in the middle of the night, I “celebrated Mass.” Too bad I didn’t have incense.
Another student brother talked about a similar experience from his childhood. But, he would not let his little sister receive communion…because she had not gone to confession. Yet another student brother quipped that his best friend could not receive communion when they played Mass…because he was not Catholic.
It may seem funny to take “playing Mass” so seriously. But, think about a doctor who, as a child, “diagnosed” a teddy bear with an illness and “treated” him accordingly. Or what about the young girl who sits all her dolls in a row and “teaches” them a lesson? Many professionals can recall how passionate they were about their careers even as children. Role-playing as children is kind of a stage for fulfilling our dreams.
As the student brothers reflected on “celebrating Mass” as children, we realized that we each felt the call to priesthood at a young age. And whether it took us a while to get there, or we entered seminary right out of high school, we each knew that our future was in ordained ministry. Our own Fr. Philip Neri Powell, O.P., once quipped to me, “I knew I wanted to be a priest before I knew I wanted to be Catholic.”
Yet, not everyone has the same experience. Not everyone realizes the call to priesthood at such an early age. It may be that a man converts to Catholicism in college (or later) and then discerns the call to priesthood. Even a Catholic who grew up in the Church may not realize he has a vocation to the priesthood until later in life. God’s timing is not the same as ours. And the age at which someone first recognizes the call to priesthood can impact his perspective on his vocation.
For example, I’ve thought about being a priest for so long that my entire worldview centers on it. One of my earliest memories of being at Mass has me standing on the kneeler trying to see over the people in front of me and figure out what the priest was doing. I vaguely remember thinking, “What is he doing up there? I wonder if I can do that someday.”
I may have dragged my feet in my vocation. But, I nearly always made decisions in life with the idea, “Well, one day I’m going to be a priest.” In that sense, I have acted almost like someone in priestly formation for as long as I can recall. I am not saying that I made every decision in light of my vocation – though life might have been a bit less complicated if I had! However, the big choices in my life normally included the possibility of priesthood in the equation.
But what about someone who recognizes the call to priesthood after college or after years of success in another field? I have known many good priests who discerned ordination well into adulthood. These priests bring special insights to ordained ministry.
In many cases, priests ordained later in life bring real-word experiences. Think of the retired military man who is trained to organize and lead large numbers of people. Would he not have special skills to offer a parish or a mission? And the former investor turned priest will certainly have skills in stewardship and development that I lack. Catholic priesthood has always been a community of men with diverse backgrounds and skills. In today’s world, that diversity is all the more beneficial to the Church.
Yet, we should not imagine an inequality between two kinds of priests, one called early in life and one called later. It is not that one priest is more “solid” in his vocation because of his early call and the other more “seasoned” because of life experience. In fact, Sacred Scriptures offer us examples of God calling men into ministry in both the early stages of life and after years of experience in other fields. And all these men offer something great to the People of God.
In the First Book of Samuel, Hannah dedicates her son to God before he is even conceived. Later, when Samuel is just a boy, living with Eli in Shiloh, God calls him by name. With Eli’s guidance, Samuel learns the Lord is calling him. And from then, onward, Samuel’s vocation mantra is “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
The example of the call of Samuel is very different from Jesus calling his Apostles. Note that most of them were not even involved in ministry before they encountered Jesus. Peter, Andrew, James, and John were fishermen. Matthew was a tax collector. Even Paul, who was a Pharisee and worked closely with Jewish authorities, earned his keep as a tent maker. The New Testament does not indicate the Apostles having “vocation stories” from their early years.
Yet, there is a reason that most diocese and religious communities have a cut-off age for applicants. That is, they have an age after which they do not normally accept a man into priestly formation. This make sense when considering Dioceses and religious communities want their priests to serve – and to be in good health to serve for many years. This expectation of a long-term commitment implies that candidates will come to the vocation director at a younger age.
And no man at any age should perceive a priestly vocation as being about “me, me, me.” Vocations to the priesthood are about the good of the Church as well as the good of the candidate. The Church needs good priests to continue ministry of the Sacraments. The candidate for ordination to the priesthood needs to be a good fit for this lifelong commitment.
For example, someone who is older and holds a degree in philosophy or theology, especially an advanced degree, might be able to enter a diocesan seminary or religious community more easily than someone of the same age with no degree or no previous education in philosophy or theology. It takes time for men to be educated in the academic disciplines of the Church. And, of course, being a priest is more than “what you know.” Being a priest is “who you are.” It is a distinct identity.
Formation for the priesthood involves growing in the life of service to the Church and learning about the obligations and commitments of priestly life. Even the Apostles who walked with Jesus on earth, mourned his Passion, and witnessed Him in the Resurrection still did not fully grasp their identity. It took time in prayer and, ultimately, the gift of the Holy Spirit to help them understand their vocation.
Seminary formation helps men in discernment by making priestly life tangible. Those in formation for priesthood live with other priests and see how they live out the vocation. Formators also help men in formation develop their prayer life, an attitude of service, and an overall identity as public persons in the Church. This formation in priestly identity does not happen overnight.
And it would be disastrous simply to grant a degree in theology and ordain a man without forming him in the context of priestly life. That would be like educating someone in medical sciences and giving them a license to practice, but not giving them a background in ethics or the importance of the Hippocratic Oath. Theological formation and human formation go hand-in-hand. Therefore, it is important that one aspiring to the priesthood be young enough to dedicate time in proper priestly formation and have time after that formation to serve in priestly ministry.
So, what does this mean on a practical level? How old is “to old” for someone to enter priestly formation? That depends a great deal on where a man wants to serve as a priest and his background.
As mentioned earlier, someone with a degree in philosophy or theology has some of the prerequisites for ordination under his belt. Therefore, he may not have as much time ahead of him in seminary. If he comes a bit later in life, then the diocese or religious order might make some exceptions. However, if the applicant for seminary has little to no previous education experience, then he is going to have a longer path to ordination.
Also, diocesan priests have the right to invest and create private retirement funds. For example, if an older man with a good pension discerns the priesthood, he also has resources to care for his needs as he ages into retirement. On the other hand, priests in religious communities generally rely on their communities to provide for their care after they can no longer perform full-time ministry. In that case, a religious community can’t afford to take a candidate for the priesthood at age 50, put him through formation for 6 or 7 years, and have him serve about 10 to 15 years before he starts facing age-related issues that limit his ability to serve. This perspective is not meant to be callous toward or dismissive of an older candidate. Rather, it looks to the good of the Church: The Church needs well-formed priests who can offer their lives in service.
Generally speaking, most diocese today accept applicants as young as high school graduates (18 years old) and as late as 45 or even 50 years old, depending on prior education and experience. Religious communities may constrain those years, depending on their own statutes. For example, the Southern Dominican Province of the Order of Preachers generally accepts applicants between the ages of 21 and 40 and requires a college degree. Each religious community has its own age requirements, and candidates should inquire with them.
Whether one has experienced the call to Catholic priesthood at a very young age or a bit later in life, I give the same advice: Acknowledge the call and start discerning with a spiritual director. Start taking practical steps with someone who can hold you accountable and help you discern whether your vocation is genuine. It is true that God’s time is not our time. However, we don’t want to waste our time or God’s by ignoring His call.
God calls everyone to serve in some way.
No matter what age you are,
it’s never too early or too late to
talk about God’s call.
Want to talk about God’s call?
Click here to talk to the Friars.
Leave a Reply