Hi! I believe my son will have a vocation to the priesthood or at least a deacon and I want to know how should I support him and nuture him so he can come about this on his own. I don't want to pressure him into the priesthood or feel like I pressured him into it, however, I want him to know it's ok for him to express this desire in actions and if he chooses to be a priest when he grows up, that I will support him. I guess I want to know how I can be supportive without pushing him into it.
2007-03-08 05:33:36 · 5 answers · asked by Heavenly Advocate 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I want to add, that he loves the church already at his young age and when he plays with his sisters he often wants to play "baptism" with them, he tries to make vestments out of sheets, he tries to recite the rosary and every morning he stops and just looks at the crucifix on our wall, not in horror but it love. He's also one of the few children I've ever known who crosses with holywater upon entering AND leaving the sanctuary. I just don't want him to believe that this ISN'T amazing, but I don't want to say "hey lil Jimmy You're going to be a priest! Look at you, yep, you're definitely a priest" either. Other than praying that GO'd will be done, what else can I do to give him the chance to dercern it for himself?
2007-03-08 06:50:44 · update #1
I would suggest that you befriend the priest at your parish. Invite him to your home. Have him spend time with your son so that this way of life is familiar to your son. This way it will seem like part of a normal, everyday thing and won't be foreign and frightening to him. Also, you should pray for him to be open to the call of God. We need priests, so I do hope he will answer the call if this is God's will for him.
God bless,
Stanbo
2007-03-08 05:54:09 · answer #1 · answered by Stanbo 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I'm not a catholic so this is just a suggestion. If he is interested in priesthood, perhaps he could get some on the job type training by volunteering to be an alter boy.
At least he might have a decent lawsuit to file against the catholic church if he is molested. There is still plenty of settlement money in Rome I would wager.
2007-03-08 13:40:04 · answer #2 · answered by Devil in Details 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The best thing you can do is let him come to it on his own.
I have seen too many men pushed by their families. So they rebel. One young man jumped right into a marriage that is all wrong for him because too many people told him he should be a priest.
Pray for him. If you have a cloister near by, write to the nuns and ask them to pray for him too.
Be happy.
Make sure he has outlets. Soccer. Basketball. A strong group of friends. Things that will carry him through dark times.
Would he be a diocesan priest or religious? That is to say belonging to an order such as Benedictine, Franciscan, Dominican. Among others. Does he have a specific charism?
2007-03-08 13:39:27 · answer #3 · answered by Max Marie, OFS 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Why not simply allow your son to make his own choices about what he will do with his life? No matter how you put it, the question you are asking is how to manipulate him into thinking that he needs to join the priesthood. Can I gently suggest that you need to think carefully about why you think you need to have so much control over his life.
2007-03-08 13:40:48 · answer #4 · answered by Love Shepherd 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Encourage him to discern and understand, and support his growth. You already know how to do this, as his parent. Just continue to be his parent, and help him be open to his calling, whatever it may be.
2007-03-08 14:34:53 · answer #5 · answered by Veritatum17 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋