• Have you ever wondered: 
  “Should I be doing something else with my life?”
   
• “How can I better serve God in the Church and in this world?”
   
• “Can I meet the challenges of priestly or religious life?”

If any or several of these questions are on your mind, you are not alone! Many people are seeking answers to questions like these. Such seeking is what makes discernment an exciting and even challenging part of one’s life. When this is done with selfless motivation and a desire to know God’s will, it is a time of profound grace as well!

God has a personal plan for you. That plan began at Baptism and continues to unfold throughout your life. His plan for you includes your personal vocation to live and love His Name. Each person’s call is always uniquely personal, tailored to his or her particular character, abilities, gifts and talents. However, there are common elements and signposts that clue you into the discernment process. 

Some signposts for discernment are: 

• When you realize your life is taking a new direction and you are not sure where or why; or you experience that there is more to this life than what you already know.
   
• When you feel a sense of restlessness, as if something is missing, even when everything seems to be going well.
   
• When you see that there are new options for your life and future; or you sense that there is something or Someone greater in life.
   
• When you are evaluating your personal, psychological, or spiritual needs and you discover additional gifts, strengths, and talents of service, or simply see them in a new light.
   
• When you realize the need to make hard decisions while looking closely at your real options. 

What to do? 

If you are presently discerning, or think you are ready to enter into a discernment process, the following steps will help:

PRAYER  : Spend time with God, speaking with Him, listening to Him, and in that way attempt to procure God’s help in knowing His will.

SPIRITUAL DIRECTION  : Regularly and honestly talking over your spiritual life with a priest or someone in religious life will enable you to understand where God is leading you.

SEEKING OUT OTHERS  : Seek out happy, satisfied, fulfilled priests and vowed religious men and women to find out why they are happy. Ask them their stories and discernment of God’s call.

If you have any questions about your discernment, or are interested in entering the Program for Priestly Formation, contact:

Rev. Michael Wallack
Director of Vocation Recruitment

609-403-7152       
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If you have any questions about, or would like more information on any of the Office of Vocations programs in the Diocese of Trenton, contact:

Office of Vocations
Diocese of Trenton
701 Lawrenceville Road Trenton, NJ 08648
(609)406-7400 x5543
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