Pope Saint John Paul II, in his message to youth stated: "Many of you are called to marriage and family life, but some will receive a call to the priesthood and religious life. Every vocation, every path to which Christ calls us, ultimately leads to fulfillment and happiness, because it leads to God, to sharing in God's own life."

These few words from Pope Saint John Paul II contain many truths about vocations. Every vocation is a call from God to live a fulfilling and happy life as a disciple of Christ, regardless of whether one is called to the priesthood, to religious life, to married life, or to the single state. We are all called to love God and to love our neighbor, and no God-given vocation is holier or better than another.

Nevertheless, it is true that God calls many men from every generation to single-heartedly serve His Church as priests. For centuries, these priests have shown us that fulfillment, happiness and holiness of life are most fully realized by faithfully living the life to which God calls each person. This is why it is so important to genuinely discern our true, God-given vocations. Until we do, our hearts will be restless.

BE COURAGEOUS.

Pope Saint John XXIII exhorts us to be courageous in all of our aspirations.  In striving both to know and to do God's will, let us take to heart Pope Saint John XXIII's fortifying words "Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams.  Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential.  Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do."

PRIESTHOOD

Holy Orders is the sacrament through which the mission entrusted by Christ to his apostles continues to be exercised in the Church until the end of time. It is the sacrament of apostolic ministry. In the ministry of the ordained priest, it is Christ himself who is present to his Church as Head of his body, Shepherd of his flock, High Priest of the redemptive sacrifice, and Teacher of the truth. This is what the Church means by saying that the priest, by virtue of the sacrament of Holy Orders, acts in persona Christi –– that is, in the person of Christ.