Did anyone here ever consider becoming a Priest?

DEFTLEFTHAND

I've an uncle who is a Priest. lovely fella who was very instrumental in my upbrining.

At 17 I thought I had a calling. My mother was appalled but my Dad and his bro the Padre encouraged it.


I was brought up to Maynooth and given a tour of the Seminary and met all sorts of Church officials.


In the end after a lot of reflection and prayer I decided that it wasn't for me.


I ended up going a very different way in life.


Would still consider myself to be a strong Catholic though.

Wanderer78

What's the pay like?

DickSwiveller Returns

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

I've an uncle who is a Priest. lovely fella who was very instrumental in my upbrining.

At 17 I thought I had a calling. My mother was appalled but my Dad and his bro the Padre encouraged it.


I was brought up to Maynooth and given a tour of the Seminary and met all sorts of Church officials.


In the end after a lot of reflection and prayer I decided that it wasn't for me.


I ended up going a very different way in life.


Would still consider myself to be a strong Catholic though.

Interesting thread but I fear the bilious mob will descend any minute.

Giraffe Box

I believe it's a great way to meet boys.

Sunny Disposition

I didn’t, definitely not for me, but I know a few priests who are the salt if the earth. I think this is a generational thing, v few born from say the mid 70s or so would have considered it.

DickSwiveller Returns

Giraffe Box wrote: »

I believe it's a great way to meet boys.

didn't take long

DEFTLEFTHAND

I would never have had the discipline to become a man of God.

I was always too fond of the material things.


I respect all who go through with it. These men devote their entire lives to the Lord's work.

Hermy

I honestly don't know why anyone in their right mind would even consider becoming a priest.

But if you buy into the half truths and mythology of religion it might not seem so absurd.

The monk who was principal of my secondary school stuck his head in the door one day in maybe fifth year and asked if anyone had considered the religious life.

I considered it for fifteen to twenty seconds and decided it wasn't for me.

Sephiroth_dude

and be miserable for the rest of my life? no thanks.

Cleopatra_

I'm a woman so hadn't considered it.

Giraffe Box

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

I would never have had the discipline to become a man of God.

I was always too fond of the material things.


I respect all who go through with it. These men devote their entire lives to the Lord's work.

Where did you get the idea that being a 'man of God' and being fond of material things are mutually exclusive? That's mad Ted so it is.

DEFTLEFTHAND

You could join an Order of Sisters maybe.

begbysback

[Deleted User] wrote: »

The monk who was principal of my secondary school stuck his head in the door one day in maybe fifth year and asked if anyone had considered the religious life.

I considered it for fifteen to twenty seconds and decided it wasn't for me.

I once watched a documentary on monk living, really liked the look of a peaceful life, meditation, simple wardrobe, ringing bells and chanting - not a care in the world.

I was sold, where do I sign up? Then they showed the part where they rise at 4 am to go pick dinner from a field - meh I thought, probably not for me.

badabing106

Josef Stalin studied to be a priest in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia

arybvtcw0eolkf

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

Would still consider myself to be a strong Catholic though.

Do you even lift bro?.

Cleopatra_

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

You could join an Order of Sisters maybe.

Ah no, the celibacy thing is a deal breaker right there.

DEFTLEFTHAND

Marvin Nice Racketeer wrote: »

Do you even lift bro?.

Don't lift Mak. I do heavy reps of situps and pressup every day. I also do a 3k run twice a week.


Always like to stay in shape, a soldier of Christ._.._Lol

DEFTLEFTHAND

Cleopatra_ wrote: »

Ah no, the celibacy thing is a deal breaker right there.

This was my main issue too.

Giraffe Box

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

You could join an Order of Sisters maybe.

Which of the orders were in charge of the Magdalene Laundries?

DEFTLEFTHAND

Sephiroth_dude wrote: »

and be miserable for the rest of my life? no thanks.

But they're not miserable.


It's about reaching a higher plain of thinking.


I know a few Cistercian Monks and I'm really jealous of them. They're so happy but yet they have nothing in a material sense.


I want to reach that plain one day, nirvana, as the buddists say. Peace of mind.

Cabaal

Hermy wrote: »

I honestly don't know why anyone in their right mind would even consider becoming a priest..

Going back decades It was generally because the older brother went to be a doctor or got to go to college,

They could only afford to send one, so the least favourite became a priest in order to get further education

Ave Sodalis

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote:

I want to reach that plain one day, nirvana, as the buddists say. Peace of mind.

You can do that without religion though, so I don't see how joining a priesthood would be of much benefit in that regard.

Cabaal

I had a relation that became a priest.

After a few years he decided it wasn't for him and wanted out, he succeeded with a lot of work! .

But in doing so he was told by the Bishop he could never return to where he first said mass (his home town) and the local priest visited his mother and told her to burn every photo of him (she didn't).

As he couldn't make a life in Ireland he went to the UK. There he met a woman and started a family.

He did eventually revisit his home town but it was decades later and even then some people didn't want him coming in their front door for the shame of interacting with a man who left the priesthood.

Dark, dark times in this country.

Hermy

Cabaal wrote: »

Going back decades It was generally because the older brother went to be a doctor or got to go to college,

They could only afford to send one, so the least favourite became a priest in order to get further education

As a family historian I am familiar with the old practice of having a member of the family in the church. Quite a few nuns and priests in my tree and even a few bishops.

But in these supposedly modern times it is genuinely absurd to me that religion still hasn't been cast aside in much the same way as a child who comes of age disposes of the need for Santa or the tooth fairy.

Samuel T. Cogley

I wouldn't have been able to deal with the constant sex.

_Kaiser_

Nope, would never have considered it. I didn't even have to sit through religion class in school.

My mother's view was that we should be free to make our own choices when we were old enough rather than have it pushed on us as kids.

Of course Ireland was changing rapidly at time (80s and 90s) so it was even less relevant by the time I did finish school, and as I got older and learned about some of the damage the Church has done in this country it became something I'd have absolutely no time for myself.

That said, my late grandfather was extremely religious - Church twice a day, pictures of Jesus everywhere (typical of his generation to be fair) and obviously it fulfilled something for him, so each to their own.

AckwelFoley

I did when I was very young. Before puberty.

Then, I realised my love of vagina and cocaine was far too strong.

Hermy

Hermy wrote: »

I honestly don't know why anyone in their right mind would even consider becoming a priest.

But if you buy into the half truths and mythology of religion it might not seem so absurd.

I do and I´m atheist. I imagine that if you have very strong faith, maybe overwhelming at times then it makes sense that you´d want to follow that faith further.

Mint Sauce

When I was an Alter Boy at the age of 10 maybe, before I discovered girls. But then I also wanted to be an airline pilot, and an architect.

Thoughtform

Giraffe Box wrote: »

Where did you get the idea that being a 'man of God' and being fond of material things are mutually exclusive? That's mad Ted so it is.

Agreed! My uncle is a priest - absolutely fantastic man, works so hard for his parish - but he's mad for his electronic gadgets.

I'd have thought the celibacy aspect was the main off-putting factor for most.