Five Conversations about the Priesthood

Five Conversations about the Priesthood: A Simple Way for Busy Priests to Help Men Discern
Fr. Michael Pratt

Parish priests are by far the biggest influence on men who enter seminary. But realistically, how can busy priests help young men discern the priesthood? This booklet proposes a disarmingly simple approach. It’s a field-tested method that’s efficient and effective--both realistic for time-strapped parish priests, and also profoundly influential for young Catholic men who may have a priestly vocation. 

The heart of the method involves five short 15-minute phone conversations about essential aspects of priestly life, as presented in Cardinal Dolan's Priests for the Third Millennium. Fr. Pratt supplies a simple one-page summary of the pertinent chapters, with discussion points.

The book is simply a "launching point" for the priest to share about his day-to-day ministry, of which young men know very little. The result is meaningful conversation that gets men thinking about the importance and possibility of priesthood.

In just 36 pages, Fr. Pratt lays out the basic approach, the conversations, and the follow up:

CONTENTS

Father, You Have a Crucial Role

What Discerners Do Not Know

How to Spot Potential Vocations in Your Parish

Ask for a Meeting

The Initial In-Person Meeting

The Five Conversations Explained

Tips for the Phone Conversations

Conversation #1 - Priestly Identity

Conversation #2 - The Eucharist in the Priest’s Life

Conversation #3 - The Sacrament of Penance

Conversation #4 - Preaching

Conversation #5 - Parish Priesthood

Next Steps

Final Words

Fr. Pratt is a priest in the Diocese of Tulsa, where he serves as Vocation Director