I'm not all that "holy". Can I still be a priest if I'm not very holy? Holiness—being like Jesus—is a lifetime endeavor for every person in every vocation.  If you don't see yourself as very holy right now, know that God will change you slowly, day by day and week by week.  When the time is right, you will be ready to be His instrument of grace for others.  But for now, go to confession and take advantage of the Sacrament of Reconciliation at least once a month.  Repent of your sins, go to Mass as often as possible and pray every day.  You will be surprised at how Christ-like you can become. Building an atmosphere in our Diocese that promotes vocations requires that all people become aware of the tremendous dignity of their call to holiness and a life lived in union with Christ, no matter what their state of life is.  We must be encouraged and encourage others to understand that the deepest longing of the human heart is to know and love Our Lord personally, to follow Him faithfully and to serve Him generously in whatever vocational state of life He is inviting us to embrace.  God does not call the perfect, he perfects the called!

How do I know what life choices God is calling me to? You must pray every day, asking God to reveal His plan for you.  Do not ask yourself, "What do I want to do with my life?” or “What do I want to become."  These are the wrong questions!  Rather, you should be thinking and asking: "Jesus, what do you want me to be?”  or “How do you want me to love You?"  And listen for the answer!  Listen with your heart, not just your head.    Can I be happy in my life if I don't follow the vocation Jesus invites me to embrace? If someone does not follow the vocation for which Christ made them, they can attain a certain degree of happiness in this world and still attain salvation.  However, they will not be as happy or blessed as they would otherwise have been had they followed their proper vocation.  This is why it is so important that everyone discern their particular vocation prayerfully and responsibly.  Of course, there are trials and challenges in every vocation.  To become a priest does not prevent you from experiencing frustration, suffering and sadness in your life.  But there is great joy in laying down one's life for Christ.  Your vocation is Christ's gift to you.  How you respond is your gift to Him.   Can't I be whatever I want? Yes!  Each person's freedom lies in discovering his or her particular vocation and in generously responding to the Lord who calls them to such great things in the state or way of life that He calls them to.  God always allows us the freedom to choose what we are going to do.   What is a vocation? A vocation is who you are.  For most men and women their vocation is to be a married person, for some men it is to be an ordained priest or deacon, for some people it is to be a person vowed to a religious community, and for others their vocation is to remain a single person.  Ultimately, God's invitation or calling to each of us is to love and serve Him and His Church in the particular state or way of life that he created us for.