Applying

After reaching out to the vocation director, you and he would meet several times. Perhaps a meeting will be at his parish office while another may be over a cup of coffee. The goal of this initial stage is to get to know one another, to begin guiding and answering any questions you may have. Meeting with the vocation director never means you are going to or must apply, but is rather a way of taking that "next step" in discernment with the Church.

Through these initial meetings, together the discerner and vocation director will get a sense if he is able to, should, and/or is ready to receive the application. A man may be eligible to express his desire to apply for seminary within the Diocese of Rockford only after discerning with the vocation director.

Given the nature of the Diocesan Priesthood, all men interested in becoming a seminarian for the Diocese of Rockford must live on a familial or self-sustaining basis within the diocese for a period of no less than three years prior to seeking an application.

The application process revolves around a normal college academic year, with the first applications becoming available after August 1st and may be received through early springtime for the next academic year.

The application is composed of three main parts that take place chronologically:

The first part of the application is primarily written. Beginning with a formal interview with the vocation director, the applicant will then receive the application. This application covers general information like personal and family history, questions and answers like “Why do you want to be a priest?,” writing a spiritual autobiography, and gathering sacramental records and transcripts.

The second part of the application involves various interviews with a vocation team that supports the vocation director. This team is comprised of trusted lay faithful that are invested and active in the life of the local church, as well as other priests of the diocese. The goal of these interviews is to help support the written application in gauging whether a man can and should discern within seminary.

The third and final part of the application process is the medical exam and psychological evaluation. These further help the man and vocation director see if he has the capacity and freedom necessary to thrive in seminary formation.

With each of these three parts completed and in hand, the vocation director will process and review the application, ultimately giving his recommendation to Bishop Malloy. Taking the application himself, Bishop will then read through everything carefully, taking it all to prayer, before giving the applicant the final decision through the vocation director.

All said, the application process, from starting the first part to finishing the third and receiving an ultimate answer, takes an average of three to four months. Though it is not uncommon for it to take longer. The process of applying to seminary is a further step towards discernment of God’s will. There is a tremendous amount of patience, trust, and work that goes into it. The vocation director continually helps along the way.