Guided by our overall diocesan goal to nurture and develop holy and well-formed priests, great care is taken to insure a thoughtful and thorough assessment and application process for all potential seminarian candidates. This assessment and application process or sequence of events generally includes the following:
Initial Contact
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Begin with your own Pastor or Sacramental Minister or Pastoral Administrator and feel free to ask questions and begin vocalizing your questions about the priesthood.
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If your pastor is not a good fit for you, reach out to a nearby priest whom you feel comfortable talking to, know the director of priesthood vocations is happy to help you in these cases too.
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Actively participate in the vocation office various events, such as Holy Hours and more.
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Be a regular and active member in your parish Masses (they happen more often than Sunday)
Initial Meeting with the Director of Priesthood Vocations
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Establish seriousness of intention
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Answer any questions the potential candidate might have
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Begin to collect information: biographical data, age vs. maturity, level of involvement in parish, major obstacles, etc...
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Interaction with seminarians and priests at seminary visits
Formal Interview
Once contact is established, a formal interview follows between the Bishop and the potential candidate in which the following topics are discussed:
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Personal health and well-being
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Family and employment history
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Religious and educational background
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Your connection to the Diocese of Saginaw
Application Process
Acceptance into the diocesan priesthood formation program requires that a candidate demonstrate emotional maturity, academic ability, personal stability and consistent growth in the practice of the faith. If, after the formal interview, the director of priesthood vocations believes the individual possesses suitable psychological, intellectual and spiritual attributes, the candidate is then invited to begin the formal application process. This is typically a three-month process and the director of priesthood vocations will walk the applicant through every step.
