Where do you go to become a priest?
Men who are wondering if God might be calling them to be a priest can go to a special school called a "seminary". A seminary is a place where men study and pray about becoming a priest. Most seminaries have less than 200 students who are trying to decide if God is calling them to be a priest.
How long are you a priest?
Once a man is ordained as a priest, he is a priest forever.
How long does it take to become a priest?
Some men who have already gradutated college and completed their college undergraduate
degree may have to take only 2 years of college seminary, call "Pre-Theology", before
they enter Major Seminary and study Theology. So, when a priest is ordained, he
has completed at least one bachelor's degree and at least one master's degree. Some
have more than one degree at each level of education. Some seminarians also take
a year off from their life in a seminary to work in a parish.
If I go to seminary, does that mean I am going to be a preist?
No, just because you decide to go to a seminary does not mean you automatically
become a priest. The key reason for going to seminary is to try and figure out if
God really is calling you to priesthood. This takes time, a lot of study, and a
lot of listening to what God wants, not just what you want.
What is an ordination?
An ordination is a liturgical ceremony of the Sacrament of Holy Orders in
which a man is received into a ministerial order of the Church, most people are
familiar with three types of ordination: promotion to the orders of deacon and priest,
and the consecration of a Bishop. The principle act of each ordination is signified
by the "laying of hands" just as the Apostles did at the first ordinations of the
Church.