General Qualifications and Criteria for Acceptance

Baptized, confirmed and practicing Roman Catholic men with a desire to serve God and His People as a priest in the Diocese of Saginaw must possess the following general qualifications:

  1. Faith in Christ and love for Him and His Church
  2. Good moral character which can be attested to by the applicant’s pastor and one other priest
  3. A high school diploma with favorable academic abilities
  4. Emotional balance and maturity
  5. Good physical health
  6. Psychological readiness and capacity to pursue a sustaining, life-long commitment
  7. A deepening habit of prayer and a balanced devotional life
  8. Maturity to recognize and the willingness to respond to the needs of others
  9. Readiness to serve in the manner to which he is called by God, through his Bishop
  10. A developing spirit of detachment that helps him be in the world, but not of the world
  11. Freedom to enter this state in life
  12. Be between 18-40 years of age, applicants over the age of 40 are interviewed before proceeding
  13. Have roots in the Diocese of Saginaw or have some close connection to the Diocese. Be ready to serve the people and feel a close connection to them.  An ideal candidate should feel called to serve as a future priest, i.e. by living (past or present), working or studying within the diocese. On a case by case basis, consideration will be given to those who do not meet this criterion only after they have seriously considered the possibility of serving in their home diocese with the consultation