“A Vocation flows from the heart of God and blossoms in the good soil of faithful people.”

To start your journey of discernment for the priesthood, consider Evaluating Yourself using the 20 Qualities below for Discernment in Priesthood. For each item, rate yourself on a scale from 0 to 5: a score of 0 means you don't exhibit that quality at all, while a score of 5 signifies that quality is very apparent in your life. The maximum achievable score is 100. Be completely honest and fair in your self-assessment.

____1. I love Jesus Christ and I have a desire to bring Jesus and his teachings to the world.
____2. I am striving to be a devoted and practicing Catholic Christian man.
____3. I aspire to lead a life centered around prayer, it is my heartfelt desire.
____4. I am committed to serving others and aspire to lead a life dedicated to helping those in need.
____5. I feel a desire to be a priest, though it is sometimes stronger than at other times.
____6. I have had others tell me that I should be a priest or that I would make a good priest.
____7. Engaging in prayerful reading of Sacred Scripture has led me to contemplate the possibility that I may be called to the priesthood.
____8. I seek to lead a virtuous life.
____9. I enjoy being in the company of others and possess strong social skills that allow me to connect with them.
____10. I have the necessary intelligence to complete graduate-level coursework and serve as a priest.
____11. I have the physical, emotional, and psychological stability needed to become a priest.
____12. I am joyful and I have a good sense of humor.
____13. I have a “priest’s heart.”
____14. I believe that I have the self-mastery to be a good priest.
____15. Generally speaking, I have demonstrated stability in lifestyle.
____16. People who know me would say I am a Christian gentleman.
____17. I have had events happen in my life that seem to be signs pointing towards priesthood.
____18. I can accept both success and failure without losing my peace.
____19. I believe that I have a healthy psycho-sexual development and orientation.
____20. I am trying to be truly open to the will of God for my life.

_____Total

Tally up your score. Ready for the next step? Email Father Raney, Vocations Director at rjohnson@sjbcathedral.org. In the meantime, pray that God will help you to develop the qualities that need strengthening. This will make you a much better Catholic man, even if you are not called to become a priest.