We received this book as a gift from our diocese near the end of the discernment process for First Son, who is planning to attend the seminary in the fall. It's an easy read in question and answer format that's absolutely full of useful information and thoughtful responses.
Despite my openness to a vocation to the priesthood for him, I was surprised at how uncertain I felt when First Son said he wanted to apply to the seminary. It took a little time and a lot of prayer to feel confident he was following God's call.
We were relatively well-informed about the seminary and the discernment process, because Kansas Dad teaches at the university our seminarians attend. Even so, I almost wish our diocesan vocations director sent this book home with the young men interested in seminary after their first visit with him, rather than later in the process. Though we knew a lot about the seminary, this book addressed almost every question and concern we had, but by the time I read it, I'd already worked through many of the issues. It would have been nice to have it earlier.
There's a lovely prayer for a seminarian son at the back. There is also a substantial recommended reading lists on discernment, priesthood, celibacy, and biographies and autobiographies of priests.
If you have a son who you think may be considering a vocation to the priesthood, you might find this book helpful, even before you begin the process. I think it could definitely be beneficial if you have family members who are concerned or confused about the process, but open to reading a book about it.
As an additional note, if you have a son that you suspect may be considering the priesthood at all, I encourage you to encourage him to start the application process in the fall of senior year. The process itself can be quite illuminating, even if you don't continue, so there's little down-side. Starting that process in February was much more difficult. There are lots of meetings and appointments. Sometimes it was hard to get them scheduled in a timely manner so our son could make college decisions for the fall.
I have received nothing in exchange for this post. We received this book as a gift. Though there aren't any affiliate links in this post, my blog posts often contain links to Amazon and Bookshop, which generally are affiliate links.
