When I look back at my experience as an adolescent at the seminary vocation centre, these are the first three things that come to mind: adventure, guidance and God.

Although I  remember feeling the call to the priesthood since I was very young, I always found it hard to admit or to talk about it with someone. Diffident and brimming with fear that I might be misunderstood or perhaps mocked, I tried to subdue what I was feeling in my heart as much as possible. Nevertheless, no matter how much I tried, every single day was like an endless internal struggle: “What should I do?”, “Should I ignore what I feel God is calling me for or face it?, “Should I take this internal struggle as a sign that God is trying to tell me something, or maybe I am imagining things?” Dilemmas like these tormented me day and night, and when they started to become unbearable I decided that it was time to pluck up  courage and do something about it.

I approached a priest whom I knew very well, and after sharing with him how I felt, he immediately suggested that I start attending the Seminary Vocation Centre. Needless to say, at first I was very reluctant to do so, as I  knew nobody from the centre and I had no idea what lay ahead. However from the very first time I set foot at the Centre, I knew it was going to be worth it.

As time went by, the Seminary Vocation Centre became for me a place where I found the guidance I truly needed, especially through the testimonials of different priests whom I got to know at the centre, but also through the opportunity of frank conversations about practically every question and dilemma that surfaced in my heart. It was a place where I explored different vocations in the Church, but most of all at the vocation centre I got to know God more personally, and learnt not to be afraid of Him but rather trust Him with my life! For all of this I am grateful to this very day.

If you are reading this and you’re facing the same struggles as I did, I earnestly encourage you to get in contact with the Seminary Vocation Centre, and rest assured that it will help you find whatever you’re searching for!

Authored by: Fr James Saydon