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"For those wondering what it takes to become a priest, Alba House offers Could You Ever
Become a Catholic Priest? This 172-page paperback is no substitute for a good talk with a
vocation director, but it's a wonderful overview of the whole discernment process. It will start
prospective candidates thinking about all the necessary questions that come with a vocation: How
do I know God is really calling me? Should I enter a diocesan or religious seminary? What do I
tell my family and friends? Filled with observations from seminarians, priests and vocation
directors, this is a vital resource for any high school or church library."
--Catholic Extension Magazine, August 2001
"It is unusual that a mother and a son should compose a book, but then it seems to me that a
mother is often an influence towards the priesthood. I think of the statue of our Lady on the
grounds at Dunwoodie Seminary and the words inscribed beneath it: Monstra te esse matrem
("Show yourself to be our mother"). The Bishop of Ogdensburg says of this book: "How providential
that this readable and positive overview of the process concerned with discerning a vocation to
the priesthood is being published in 1998. I see it as another confirming sign reminding us that
the Holy Spirit is asking many among us: 'Could you ever become a Catholic priest?'" The authors
tell us: "The purpose of this book is to allow you to explore in a safe and private way some of
the issues, questions and concerns revolving around a vocation to the priesthood. In the following
chapters you will meet priests, seminarians and men currently considering the priesthood. They
will share their stories and offer insights and advice. In the process you may discover that God
is calling you to the priesthood." Any priest reading this book would recall his own coming to
the priesthood. For me it was a time of confusion, and I learned the need for spiritual direction.
That is attested to be the authors, and many priests give testimony as to how they were drawn by
the Holy Spirit. How varied are the ways in which men are called! I see this book as providing
answers to the many questions that may arise in the minds of those who feel they are called, or,
in an occasional instance, fear they are called. Jesus did say: "You have not chosen me, I have
chosen you." When St. Paul was called he was sent to Ananias. Jesus said: "He will tell you what
you are to do." This book will tell you what you are to do, and, no doubt, send you to some
Ananias who will guide you. Father Emile Briere, an eighty-year-old Madonna House priest says:
"The best part of being a priest is the Mass. During the Mass you know that you are the instrument
of the most powerful act that can be performed by any human being on earth. You stand in the
person of Christ and are united with Him; you offer to the Father the perfect adoration, the
perfect reparation, the perfect reconciliation, the perfect thanksgiving and the perfect
intercession for every poor soul in the world. It helps everyone -- the living, the dead,
the souls in purgatory. You gather all these people and lift them to heaven." Jesus said:
"Come after me and I will make you fishers of men." When I was a boy at the Jesuit Regis High
School in New York we had a Jesuit who used to say to a lazy boy: "Why don't you go out and get
a job shoveling steam?" For many years I shoveled steam, until, at twenty-seven, I joined the
Dominicans. Read this book and it may help you to come after Jesus in a special way, his way.
--Fr. Matthew V. Reilly, O.P. in the January 2000 issue of
Homiletic & Pastoral Review
"In the first chapter, we read: 'The purpose of this book is not to persuade or coerce you into pursuing a vocation to
the priesthood. No one can do that anyway. The decision of what you will do with your life, as
always, is a free choice which no one -- not even God -- will force you to make. The real purpose
of this book is to allow you to explore in a safe and private way some of the issues, questions and
concerns revolving around a vocation to the priesthood.' [To this end the authors] have enlisted the help of many others, including bishops, vocation directors,
priests, seminarians and some candidates who presently are considering the possibility and
probability of embracing a priestly vocation. Some of the issues that are met head-on are celibacy
and also the possibility of a married priesthood.... But this book also deals with other questions
such as women priests, gay priests and sex scandals in the priesthood. The meaning of a vocation
is thoroughly explored as well as how self-examination and the development of a daily prayer life
are important helps in discerning the possibility of truly having a valid vocation.... There are
two particularly interesting chapters -- the best part and the hardest part of being a priest....
I can assure you that the discussion of the good and different aspects of the priestly vocation is
described here very realistically so the potential candidate is given accurate information of both
the joys (which are many) and the difficulties (which are not too great).... A final bit of
information in this short but valuable publication is a bibliography of books, magazines, vocation
directors and finally a list of seminaries specializing in late vocations." --
Msgr. Charles Diviney in the Brooklyn Tablet, May 22, 1999
Don't judge it by it's cover! Actually for anyone thinking of the priesthood this is an unusually
good book. It is a fast read, loaded with personal testimonies of both seminarians and priests from
all over North America. Chapter Notes at the end of each chapter refer the reader to the documents
quoted which are excellent for further reading. --Unsolicited comment on bn.com (Barnes & Noble)
from Fr. Bob Stiefvater, Milwaukee Vocations Director
I was very happy to finally find a book that could help me (and anyone else) discern the
priesthood. The authors simply lay out the facts, supported by seminarians, priests and laity,
but never push you one way or the other. I found that this book helps you process the many questions
swirling in your mind about discernment and come to your own conclusions. I would recommend this
book to anyone who is considering a religious vocation because it gives a wonderful chronology of
what to expect of yourself and others throughout the entire process (from first interest to
retirement). This is a must read!! --Unsolicited comment on Amazon.com from A
Reader
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Christopher J. Duquin is a recent graduate of Canisius College in
Buffalo, NY, where he majored in philosophy and religious studies. He entered Christ the King
Seminary in the fall of 1997 with the hope of becoming a priest for the Diocese of Buffalo.
His mother,
Lorene Hanley Duquin, has been a freelance writer since 1976. She is the author of the
prize-winning biography