Will you take up the challenge?

"Two thousand years ago Jesus Christ instituted the Catholic priesthood to continue his ministry here on earth. Since then the Church has ordained men to serve God and his people, recognising that some roles within the Christian community can only be performed by a priest.

"The priesthood is a sacrament and a ministry that is vital and irreplaceable. It is also a vocation - a calling Christ gives to those he wants to follow him in a life of love expressed in service...."

"Pope John Paul II wrote of the priesthood as a 'gift and mystery'. Prayer, Marian devotion, retreats and spiritual reading, sacramental and pastoral ministry, all contribute to a priest's awareness of the divine origin of his vocation.

"There is an element of mystery, sacredness and holiness that characterizes the priest who is sent into the world and into the everyday lives of people."

From the Vocations website of
the Diocese of Southwark