• Since I feel attraction for women, does it mean that I am not cut out for the Catholic priesthood?
  • Feeling attraction for women is a good sign that you are a healthy male.  Healthy males are good candidates for the priesthood.  Therefore, you are a good candidate for the priesthood.  Being a priest means being willing to make sacrifices – there is not much sacrifice in giving up something that you do not like.  Furthermore, if God is calling you, He will give you the virtues necessary to live a life of celibate chastity.  This does not mean that He will take away your attraction for women, but that He will work in you so that your heart will not be divided.

How can I keep from falling in love with another person?
Because we are made in God’s image – that is, we are made for relationships – our desire for human love and sacramental marriage is quite natural.  It is not unusual for a priest or consecrated person to feel as if he/she has fallen in love with another.  But neither is it unusual for a married person to feel attracted towards someone who is not their spouse.  The fact is that it’s often a struggle for any committed person to remain faithful to his/her promises.  But just because someone has a strong feelings for another doesn’t mean that he/she is in love with that person.  Love is not a feeling but a choice, and sometimes a very difficult one.  It’s a supernatural virtue, and therefore it requires the supernatural grace of God to maintain. 

If a person is worried that human attractions could jeopardise his/her discernment, it’s important that they remember that a vocation to the priesthood/religious life is a supernatural calling.  This means that only by relying on God’s grace can they faithfully and happily live out this vocation. 

 

Should I date or consider other possibilities while discerning a vocation?
If a single, non-committed person has no intention of formally discerning a religious vocation, but yet is merely open to the possibility of being called, there should not be a conflict if he/she decides to start dating or consider other possible vocations.  However, if a person feels called to at least undergo a formal discernment program, then he/she has more of an obligation to put aside other possibilities.  Without a sense of commitment towards either a relationship or a formal discernment program, a person makes it difficult to discover where God is calling them.  Furthermore, dating itself is a discernment process.  Two people who are dating should assume that their relationship could one day lead to marriage.  It would be unfair and likely hurtful for a person to prolong a dating relationship while at the same time formally discerning a call to religious life.