Have you been sitting with this question for a while now: Is God calling me to be a priest?
Have you searched for answers or compared yourself to others who seem to have their lives mapped out and decided you need more time to think? So, you think more… and the thinking does not give you the understanding you hoped for; instead, it leaves you with more questions, more doubts, and a thought that maybe the reason you can’t find an answer is that something is wrong with you.
For a young man trying to figure out God’s call on his own (with no priests to help, no brotherhood to talk to, and no one to tell him what they see in him) usually ends up in one of two places: a constant loop of questions with no answers, or a decision to walk away from the question. Neither of those is discernment, but both of them are what happens when a young man tries to figure it out all alone.
I want you to know that nothing is wrong with you. The problem is that you are trying to do something alone that was never meant to be done alone. No young man should walk away from God’s call, or stay trapped in a loop of unanswered questions, because he has no one to help him discern it.
I was a sophomore at Wildwood Catholic when my pastor, Father Wallace, asked me if I ever thought about being a priest. I was beginning to think about the priesthood at this point, but I still hadn’t told anyone. Father Wallace saw something in me that I could not see in myself. He pulled me aside and called me out. From that day on, he encouraged me to follow God’s plan and discern with an open heart.
Through high school, priesthood discernment groups, and eight years of seminary (including a pilgrimage to Lourdes in France, walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain, and attending World Youth Day in Portugal), I kept learning the same thing: I could not get discern God’s call alone… and neither can you.
Here are the three steps I took to answer that question:
Step 1: Trust God
Have you been trying to hear God’s call, without the brotherhood that makes discernment work? In the Catholic tradition, God calls a man to the priesthood and the community confirms the call. I learned early that if I place my trust in myself, I am not going to be effective. If I give everything to God, He will do marvelous things with me.
Step 2: Register for a Discernment Retreat
It can be scary at first when you’re in a room with other men your age who you may never have met before, yet all of you are trying to answer the same question: Where is God calling me? Finding out that I wasn’t the only one who did not have it figured out was a big relief for me. It was nice to know that I wasn’t the only one who had been reluctant to tell others.
Step 3: Let Others See What You Can’t
The brotherhood and community you’ll find will give you something you cannot give yourself. The men will notice gifts in you that your own anxiety has hidden, and they will provide a community to support you going forward.
The Office of Vocations is hosting a young adult (ages 18-29) men’s retreat on April 24th and 25th at the Franciscan Hospitality Center in Cherry Hill, so you don’t have to figure this out alone anymore.
Who You Could Be on April 26
Right now, you are a man trying to figure out God’s call on your own. Don’t let it be a constant loop with no answers, or decide to walk away.
After this retreat, you will be a man who talked about this question, sat with other young men who understand, and let others notice and point out what you could not see in yourself.
If you’re a young man (18–39) wondering if God might be calling you, or trying to talk with someone about this question you haven’t told anyone else, you don’t have to figure this out alone.
Father Thomas Piro
Latest posts by Father Thomas Piro (see all)
- You Are Not the Only One Who Doesn’t Have This Figured Out - April 8, 2026
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