Is it presumptuous to seek to become a priest?

Ultimately it is up to the Church's judgment whether a man has a vocation to the priesthood, has the proper intentions, and can be ordained. John 15:16: "You have not chosen me: but I have chosen you".

Desiring the office and dignity of the priesthood more than the good that can be accomplished by being a priest would be a sin.

St. Thomas Aquinas, answering "Whether it is lawful to desire the office of a bishop?" (bishops having the fullness of the priesthood), says such desire could be presumptuous (Summa Theologica II-II q. 185 a. 1 co.):

to desire to do good to one's neighbor is in itself praiseworthy, and virtuous. Nevertheless, since considered as an episcopal act it has the height of degree attached to it, it would seem that, unless there be manifest and urgent reason for it, it would be presumptuous for any man to desire to be set over others in order to do them good. […] anyone may, without presumption, desire to do such like works if he should happen to be in that office, or to be worthy of doing them; so that the object of his desire is the good work and not the precedence in dignity.

No, it is not presumptuous, presuming you have in mind to follow the discernment process mapped out by the Church. A desire to become a priest is an indicator that God may be calling you.

Is it presumptuous to desire to become a priest?

The short answer is no.

In fact it is quite commendable!

In the end it is God and the Church that calls an individual to priesthood and not the individual who calls himself to this office.

It takes an average of eight years of post secondary schooling to be admitted to the priesthood. Seminaries are schools that not only educate young men to the priesthood, but they also test the perseverance of priesthood candidates.

The difficulty of explaining “why I desire to be a Catholic priest” is that there are ten thousand reasons all amounting to one, rather mysterious and all-encompassing reason: I have heard a still, small voice in the silence of my heart. And I believe it to be his voice. Discernment to the priesthood does not come overnight.

I could fill the remaining space of this reflection with other, no less important or inconsequential reasons as to why I desire to be a Catholic priest. As, for instance:

(1) I desire to give my whole heart to God with complete freedom of soul, such that he becomes my only inheritance, my only possession; and it seems that I can do no better than to become a Catholic priest in order to fulfill this desire.

(2) I desire friendship with Jesus, and the thought of caring for him in the Blessed Sacrament and for all that appertains to it—including its reservation, distribution, and adoration—produces a deep and abiding joy in my heart; and no other vocation allows for such intimacy with the Blessed Sacrament as that of a Catholic priest.

(3) I desire to save souls, to give to each individual soul that which is most suitable for its salvation, and to give to all souls what is, in the end, everything: God; and the grandeur of this task is principally entrusted to Catholic priests.

(4) I desire to be a Catholic priest, because I wish to be nothing without Jesus, and everything with him; and so on.

Or I could fill the remaining space of this reflection with my so-called vocation story, but I happen to think that my vocation story is an absolute bore. Thousands of much better men have given their lives to the priesthood. And their stories are magnificent. I would much prefer to say here precisely that which can be said by any man who has sought ordination to the priesthood. In short, the desire to be a Catholic priest is born from love. But this love is not only greater than man, it is greater than anything in the world, and still greater than the world itself.

This love of which I speak is the love of God. And the desire to be a Catholic priest is born from this love, from the very love of God. Why? For the sake of space, four reasons will suffice:

(1) The desire to be a Catholic priest is born from the love of God because any semblance of desire for the priesthood (and what it entails) is inconceivable without knowledge of the love of the heart of Jesus.

(2) The desire to be a Catholic priest is born from the love of God because only God can enlarge the capacity of the human heart to embrace souls with the gentle and chaste love of Jesus, the eternal high priest.

(3) The desire to be a Catholic priest is born from the love of God because only God can so thoroughly conquer the heart of man with a voice as soft, delicate, and forgiving as his.

(4) The desire to be a Catholic priest is born from the love of God because only God can fill the heart of man with himself, with his own adorable heart.

The mysterious designs by which God communicates this desire to men is nothing short of astonishing. It reveals the exquisite tenderness and incredible patience of Jesus with the souls of priests, who so often drag their dignity through the mire and repay his love with deceit. And yet, God continues to call lowly men to Holy Orders; and I pray that he has called me.

The difficulty of explaining “why I desire to be a Catholic priest” is that there are ten thousand reasons all amounting to one, rather mysterious and all-encompassing reason: I have heard a still, small voice in the silence of my heart. And this is no human voice.

“Come, follow me.”

Why I desire to be a priest

The Rite of Ordination clearly shows that it is the Church on earth as God’s representative that calls the individual to the priesthood:

Rite of Ordination Election of the Candidates

The candidates are called by a deacon:

Let those to be ordained Priests come forward. The deacon calls the names and each candidate replies

R. Present.

Each candidate goes to the Archbishop, before whom they make a sign of reverence

Presentation of the Candidates

Father Rector says:

Most Reverend Father, holy mother Church asks you to ordain these, our brothers, to the responsibility of the Priesthood.

The Archbishop asks:

Do you know them to be worthy?

Father Rector replies:

After inquiry among the Christian people and upon the recommendation of those responsible, I testify that they have been found worthy.

The Archbishop says:

Relying on the help of the Lord God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, we choose these, our brothers, for the Order of the Priesthood.

All respond:

R. Thanks be to God.