Discern Priesthood

At prayer one day in 1978, Catherine Doherty received the inspiration to offer our community as a spiritual formation center for future priests. Since 1980, more than a hundred men have come to discern a possible call to the priesthood through our program.

Through the initiative of the Most Rev. Brendan O’Brien, former bishop of the Diocese of Pembroke, our Madonna House program was included in the 1994 Vatican Visitation of Seminaries in Canada, thus formally recognizing the program as a contribution to priestly formation in the Church.

What is our program, then? Basically, it is joining in the prayer schedule and the simple ways of serving in the daily life of Madonna House itself. Education is first of all an insertion into a whole way of life, permeated by the Christian mysteries. Every aspect of our life is meant to deepen your relationship with the Lord. You would be challenged in your social relationships with men and women; in growing in your love for the liturgy, prayer, and silence; in learning how to live simply; in appreciating the value of manual labor; in giving up your own will in imitation of Christ; in fostering a love for Our Lady, St. Joseph, and the saints.

One day a week is dedicated to study of topics such as “Foundations of the Spiritual Life,” “Living the Liturgy,” “Praying the Scriptures,” The Catechism of the Catholic Church, several documents of the Church on the priesthood, and the Pope’s encyclical on Mary. But the accent on these classes is “practical,” that is, they are meant to foster growth in your spiritual life. The development of your intellectual theological formation will come later, according to God’s call, especially if you continue your studies in a seminary.

In short, the focus of the Spiritual Formation Program is to de-clutter the “inner noise” so that the Lord’s voice about your vocation may be heard more clearly.