WHO IS THE PRIEST?
A priest is a baptised man who has received the Sacrament of Holy Orders. This sacrament confers an “indelible spiritual character”, which gives the ordained man a sacred power to serve (CCC 1582;1592). The ministerial priesthood exists to serve the entire people of God who are called to participate in the common priesthood by virtue of their baptism (CCC 1546-1547). A priest is “a means by which Christ unceasingly builds up and leads His Church”, therefore it is the mission of the Catholic priest “to feed the Church by the word and grace of God” (Lumen Gentium, 11).
Jesus is our one, "great high priest" (Heb. 4:14). He is the true mediator or ‘bridge-builder’ between God and humanity. (1 Tim. 2:5) The Catholic priest shares in this mission by participating in the one priesthood of Jesus Christ. The priest carries out this ‘bridge-building’ ministry through the triple office of sanctifying (priest), teaching (prophet) and governing (king) (CCC 1592).
A priest offers the ministry of Jesus Christ to us today. When a priest offers the holy sacrifice of the Mass, it is Christ who offers the sacrifice. When he absolves sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, it is Christ who forgives. When he partakes in the mission of the Church to teach and evangelise, it is Christ who speaks through him. When he offers love, comfort and support to God’s people, Christ is truly present with him. St John Vianney explained the priesthood in the following terms: “The priest continues the work of redemption on earth … If we really understood the priest on earth we would not die of fright but of love … The priest is the love of the heart of Jesus” (CCC 1589).
The priest is a friend of the Lord, called to a personal and trusting relationship with him, nourished by the word, the celebration of the sacraments, and daily prayer.
- Pope Leo XIV
If you think you may be called to priesthood please contact the Director of Vocations for the Archdiocese of Sydney
WHAT LEADS TO PRIESTHOOD?
Family
Jesus did not fall from the sky wearing priestly vestments! He was was born and raised in the Holy Family of Nazareth. The family is where the Christian faith is first received. It is the place where it is nourished. It is also often the place where the seeds of a vocational calling are first sown.
The family is, so to speak, the domestic church [ecclesia domestica]. In it parents should, by their word and example, be the first preachers of the faith to their children; they should encourage them in the vocation which is proper to each of them, fostering with special care vocation to a sacred state
- Lumen Gentium, 11
Results of a significant study on priestly vocations in the Archdiocese of Sydney were published in 2024. This study confirms the Church’s previous conviction and teaching that the family deeply influences the faith formation and vocation of each child. Sydney priests are "heavily drawn from practising Catholic families." A larger study in the United States revealed that 35% of men due to be ordained diocesan priests first considered the priesthood between ages 6 and 13 making early childhood - within the family - the most common context for initial vocation discernment.
Eucharistic Adoration and the Rosary
Prayer is foundation to discern any vocation. However, the United States study reveals that Eucharistic Adoration and the Rosary predominate a the two most common prayer practices when discerning the priesthood. 82% of 309 men due to be ordained to the priesthood in 2025 reported attending Eucharistic Adoration on a regular basis before entering the seminary. 75% of the same group surveyed prayed the rosary.
It should come as no surprise that there appears to be a close connection between the priesthood and the Eucharist. These two sacraments were instituted by Our Lord at the same Last Supper. The Archdiocese of Sydney asks parishes to offer a Holy Hour for Vocations on Thursday of the first week of Lent each year. The resource section of this website contains a Holy Hour for Vocations prayer book.
Through the Holy Rosary, the faithful "receive abundant grace" and echo Our Lady's great Fiat to her vocation to become the Mother of God (Rosarium Virginis Mariae, 1). The Blessed Virgin Mary intercedes for those discerning their vocations and is herself our greatest model of being docile to God's will.
A priest is not a priest for himself…he is [a priest] for you.
- St. John Vianney
University and Young Adult Ministries
Many people actively discern their vocation in the period after school or during tertiary studies. This is a critical time when a young person integrates their sense of faith and identity into their interactions with the broader world. Young adult ministries, and university chaplaincies above all, can play a critical role in assisting people to discern their vocation. The local study reports, “Several priests emphasised the pre-eminent role of university Catholic life in both galvanising their Catholic identity and as a highly influential stage of their vocational (pre-)discernment.”
Testimonial
“The people that I met there are some of my closest friends in the faith because we all were, had to be intentional about the faith to believe in a very secular environment. . .That got me connected with a great Catholic community in Sydney. So you could see that it was vibrant, there was a lot going on. It’s something you want to be part of and so that was an amazing experience.”
Service
Acts of service during these formative years can also be very helpful, especially when the service is akin to some form of priestly ministry. Altar serving, catechesis in public school, leadership in youth groups or bible studies, service to the poor etc. have proven important loci of vocational discernment.
Testimonial
“I got [involved in] the parish, helped around the parish. Then [the parish priest]asked me if I wanted to altar serve. So, I began that, as well. It was just from there, everything kind of—faith really started, that relationship with God really started to grow."
To live in the midst of the world
without wishing its pleasures;
To be a member of each family,
yet belonging to none;
To share all suffering;
to penetrate all secrets;
To heal all wounds;
to go from men to God
and offer Him their prayers;
To return from God to men
to bring pardon and hope;
To have a heart of fire for Charity,
and a heart of bronze for Chastity
To teach and to pardon,
console and bless always.
My God, what a life;
and it is yours,
O priest of Jesus Christ.