Fr. Bill Byrne , ordained in 1994

Each man who feels the urge, the call, the desire for priesthood must take it seriously. However, he must realize that the decision is not made the first day. The Church in her wisdom gives you years of formation so that when the Archbishop calls your name you can step forward with a free and certain heart. You don’t propose on a first date and the Church does not ordain you unless you and those responsible feel that you are certainly called by Christ.

We all have questions to answer so that we can freely answer yes to Jesus’ call to Holy Orders or move on to follow Him in another vocation. I learned how to embrace celibacy as a life-giving path to holiness. I learned to pray. I learned the power of obediently following my bishop and so finding true freedom in letting God’s "will be done."

I describe my parents as "professional Catholics" – daily Mass, First Friday. They are professional in that they take their faith very seriously, but they do so with a great deal of humor and joy. It is and was the perfect seed-bed for a vocation. Having a priest in such a family would bring them much joy, an answer to a Catholic mom-of-eight’s prayers. Therein lay the problem. Although I had taught school for three years after graduating from Holy Cross and I had brought an apartment with my brother, I still had to make sure that my decision to be a priest was a mature one, a holy choice. I had to make sure that I was not just saying yes because I knew it would make my parents happy. I had many areas where I needed to grow, but this was a definite area where I needed clarity. Eventually, through many hours in front of our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, theology classes and seminary formation, I really began to hear the Lord and know it was His voice calling me to serve Him as a priest. The fact that my mom and dad were happy was an added bonus. My vocation was mine, a gift from Christ that I needed to cherish and guard as the precious gift it is.

People often ask me when I decided to be a priest, and I respond, "my third year of seminary." They look surprised as if I should have known the day I entered. It takes years of seminary to certify the initial desire to be a priest. That’s why seminaries exist.