In the early 1980's, Bishop C. David Luther, Western Orthodox Bishop of Altoona wrote:

Whom does God call to be his priests and ministers?

My answer is simply that I don’t know. What’s more, even as a bishop in Christ’s church, I don’t believe it’s for me to say. Certainly, none of us—even the most holy, the most spiritual—is worthy. Yet we still know that God does call some to serve Him in a special way, to carry out His command to go forth and teach all nations.

Are you called to be a priest? As I said, I can’t answer that question. And I don’t believe anyone else can either. Only you and God have the answer.

Let me stress also, I don’t believe you have to know—to have certain knowledge—that God is calling you to be a priest. True, some receive a more certain calling than others through the grace of the Holy Spirit. But for most of us, the call comes more in the form of an emotion, a desire, a feeling that we want to be priests.

By the very fact that you’re reading this . . . chances are you fall in that category. You can envision yourself celebrating the sacred mystery of the Holy Eucharist. You can almost feel the peace that comes with helping a penitent know that God forgives his [sic] sins and giving the reassurance of absolution in the sacrament of Confession. You anticipate the joy you experience in welcoming new members into the Body of Christ through Baptism. You see yourself ministering to the sick and the needy in the name of Christ. You may even have a vision of yourself kneeling before a bishop and receiving Holy Orders through the imposition of hands from a successor of the apostles.

But you never thought it could happen. It was a dream—a dream you may have even tried to pursue in past years, but which you were unable to fulfill for some reason or another. Or, perhaps, a dream you’ve been wanting to follow now, but feel you can’t because of family obligations, financial conditions, or the need to relocate either for schooling or in pursuit of your ministry.

Reading this . . . may be the first step in helping you fulfill your dream—in helping you answer the call of Christ.

Bishop David Luther returned home to the Lord a few years ago, but many of us continue the work of God in his spirit. Had it not been for his work, I would never have been able to fulfill my dream to follow God's call and realize my true vocation. I always wanted to be a priest, but I never believed that I could . . . but I did because of Bishop David's work.

Now, in my own small way, I try to continue in the spirit of Bishop David Luther to find ways for folks called by God to realize their dreams. If I can help you with your own process of discernment, please contact me.

Blessings and prayers,

+David

The Reverend David Dismas, M.Div., S.T.M.
Bishop of Rumney Marsh