Call to the priesthood

CCC #2253: “Parents should respect and encourage their children’s vocations. They should remember and teach that the first calling of the Christian is to follow Jesus.”

I felt called to the priesthood during my Sophomore year at Michigan State University. I was doing well in Mechanical Engineering school, I had secured a summer job at the headquarters for General Motors, and I was dating a girl who potentially would have a been a great wife. But I felt this persistent tug in my heart to leave everything and follow Christ in an exclusive way. When I approached my mom, she said, “If this is what God is asking, then I fully support you, and as your mother, I could not be more proud.” My dad offered a little resistance at first but he also said, “Michael, I give you my blessing…If this is what God wants, I have no right to get in his way.”

I always admired St. Paul’s capacity to leave his former life to follow Christ 100%, and his passionate love for Christ that eventually led to his martyrdom. The priesthood is truly a gift and a mystery…if your child feels this call, please give him your blessing!

 

 

About Father Michael Sliney, LC

Father Michael Sliney was ordained a priest in Rome on December 24, 1998. He studied mechanical engineering at Michigan State University for two years before entering the Legion. As a seminarian he earned a bachelors in philosophy from the University of St. Thomas Aquinas and degrees in philosophy and theology from the Pontifical Regina Apostolorum College in Rome. He works with youth groups in the Washington D.C. area.
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