A Vocation is an invitation and it is a gift from God. A vocation is a call and a response to follow the Lord in friendship love. In every human heart, there is a call to friendship – an urge, a longing in the heart that is persistent and deep, we thirst for something greater and it is only the Lord who can quench that thirst within us. Our relationship with Jesus leads some to take a step towards priesthood/religious life. The response depends on the generosity of the heart of the one being called. It is the Holy Spirit who speaks to the heart and mind in prayer. “You have seduced me, Lord, and I have let myself be seduced” (Jer 20: 7).

A Generous Heart...

The Pallotines have a great deal to accomplish over the few years and beyond. To do so, we need people who have a generous open heart, who can respond to a challenge that could change the course of their lives.

The Pallottine way of life is rooted in the Gospel with particular emphasis on encouraging lay involvement in all areas of the Church’s work. We bring leadership, encouragement and hope to the Christian Communities in which we serve.

To develop our work in Ireland and abroad we need resourceful people willing to give their lives in a special way to the Christian Community as Pallottine priests, brothers, sisters and committed laypeople. Your YES can make all the difference; we want to share our spirituality, our vision with you.

“Come follow me”

“Jesus looked steadily at him and loved him, and he said, ‘There is one think you lack. Go and sell everything you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come follow me.” (Mk 10: 21). For this young man who came to Jesus with a troubled heart, he wanted the kind of peace and happiness that money could not buy him. He was searching for something more in life and when one is toying with the idea of becoming a priest or a brother, one has to take time out to pray, to listen to the voice of the heart and to trust in what the Lord might be asking of you and not to be afraid.

Discernment

Discernment means “to come to know” or “to figure out”. Because there are many voices competing to capture the attention of the person in today’s world, it is necessary to develop sensitivity to the voice of God in order to enable oneself to discover one’s true vocation. The person who makes a fundamental option for God in his vocational dialogue sets out on a road towards the total giving of himself in freedom and joy. It is love that has called him and urges him to respond, and love is the ultimate end of this call. The call to priesthood/religious life is a striving to be one with Him in love, loving Him above all else, loving all He loves as He loves.

What’s required?

Our Founder Saint Vincent Pallotti proposed some attitudes for those considering a call to priesthood/religious life:

1. “Have a deep-seated conviction of one’s own unworthiness to have the gift of a Vocation to the Sanctuary, the grace to respond to the Vocation and remain always faithful to God”

2. “With great confidence and profound humility [...] ask of God such gifts, favour and graces”

3. “They must not aspire to anything other than to be Priests solely for the glory of God and the benefit of peoples and of all souls, (they must be) without a spirit of self-interest and ambition”

4. “If the life of all people is to be an imitation of the life of Our Lord Jesus Christ, how often must they meditate and with what greater perfection must they imitate him, those who on becoming priests must take the place of Jesus Christ?”

5. “[...] they must enter into the Sanctuary with a Spirit of sacrifice [...]; the most perfect mortification of the passions must shine to all”