What does a priest have to do to become a priest?

Answer 1

If you are an unmarried man and feel that the following passage of Scripture applies to you then you may have what is called a "vocation". "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide; so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. This I command you, to love one another." (John Ch 15)

If then you wish to do something about it there are three options in the prieshood which you can choose from to suit your temperament (1) Secular or priest in a parish, (2) Contemplative whose prime work is contemplation e.g. Benedictines, (3) Cistercians etc who live in community, work manually and pray.

I would say going to a priest and telling him that would be the first step.

Roman Catholic AnswerThe only thing necessary to become a priest is a vocation. This is a "calling" from God to be a priest. You do not really know, for sure, that you have such a calling, until the Bishop, during the ordination ceremony calls your name and calls you to come up and accept the priesthood. But it takes 4 to 8 years to get to that point, and you usually have a pretty good idea that God is calling you before then.

There are two types or priests in the Catholic Church. One is diocesian, otherwise known as secular priests; the other is religious, these are priests who belong to a religious order. There are literally dozens of different orders from very active like the Jesuits to entirely enclosed and contemplative like the Carthusians. If you feel a call to the priesthood, or if you are interested and would like to talk about it, talk to your parish priest, who will put you in contact with the vocation director. If you are called to the religious life, or interested in that, you should still talk to your parish priest, he will put you in contact with the religious order that you are interested in.

Answer 2

If you are an unmarried man and feel that the following passage of Scripture applies to you then you may have what is called a "vocation". "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide; so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. This I command you, to love one another." (John Ch 15)

If then you wish to do something about it there are three options in the prieshood which you can choose from to suit your temperament (1) Secular or priest in a parish, (2) Contemplative whose prime work is contemplation e.g. Benedictines, (3) Cistercians etc who live in community, work manually and pray.

I would say going to a priest and telling him that would be the first step.

Roman Catholic AnswerThe only thing necessary to become a priest is a vocation. This is a "calling" from God to be a priest. You do not really know, for sure, that you have such a calling, until the Bishop, during the ordination ceremony calls your name and calls you to come up and accept the priesthood. But it takes 4 to 8 years to get to that point, and you usually have a pretty good idea that God is calling you before then.

There are two types or priests in the Catholic Church. One is diocesian, otherwise known as secular priests; the other is religious, these are priests who belong to a religious order. There are literally dozens of different orders from very active like the Jesuits to entirely enclosed and contemplative like the Carthusians. If you feel a call to the priesthood, or if you are interested and would like to talk about it, talk to your parish priest, who will put you in contact with the vocation director. If you are called to the religious life, or interested in that, you should still talk to your parish priest, he will put you in contact with the religious order that you are interested in.

Answer 3

The question should be "What does a lay person have to do to become a priest?" or "What did a priest have to do to become a priest?"
It depends on the religion:

• Some priesthoods are hereditary.
• Some are due to reincarnation
• If you start your own religion you can self declare. This also works if you religion allows people to take direction "directly from god"
  
• Others are faked from a diploma mill although the recipeont may belive the degree to be legitimate.
• In Christian churches traditionally there is instruction in a seminary, psychological tests to weed out the inapt, the criminal and the insane, a serious amount of internal questioning and some formal vowing and blessing.

Answer 4

The Priesthood is called a "Vocation" from the Latin "to call". Properly, a man should not "decide" to become a priest, but he answers a call from God to accept a Priestly Vocation. In order to do this he must start with prayer and research. Research into: what kind of priest am I called to be? Do I live in the world and work at a parish? Do I look at an Order like the Franciscans or Dominicans? etc...

The next step is to visit a seminary or order to see if that is the what you are called to do. Generally, a man would spend 4-8 years studying to become a priest before he is ordained.

Answer 5

To become a Catholic priest, you must be a baptized Catholic who has taken the appropriate Sacraments. You must then be admitted to a seminary either before or after earning a college degree. You will earn a theology degree and then be ordained by the order under which you have trained. After that, you will be assigned as the order sees fit. You might find this article interesting: http://www.wisegeek.com/how-does-someone-become-a-catholic-priest.htm