By Fr. John Adamski

A recent article with an awesome-sounding title points our some very important things about the nature of a vocation to service in the Church.

In the June 1972 issue of the report form the seminary department of the National Catholic Educational Association, Walter J. Coville, a clinical psychologist in New York, writes concerning “The Psychological Development of Tentative Commitment to the Priesthood and the Religious Life.” I’d like to share an important section of that article with you:

“A vocation is a global activity to which an individual feels that he is called because of his unique interests and talents and to which he consecrates himself and dedicates his very existence. Few things in life are more important than developing and choosing a vocation in which a person will provide for those who may be dependent upon him, and will contribute his share to church and society, and in which he hopes to achieve a high degree of self-realization and self-fulfillment. The religious vocation, as any other vocation that involves significant responsibility over others, is not extended to just any person simply because he desires it. The aspirant must satisfy certain basic requirements and it is important to identify these in our considerations concerning the psychological development of commitment to a vocation.

Thus the first and core characteristic of a religious vocation is spirituality. This means that the priest or religious must himself be capable of a profound involvement with God, must be dedicated to the ministry of the Church and must be able to influence others with an enthusiasm and generosity that will enable him to postpone or forego his own ambitions in order to insure spiritual guidance and a Christian ministry of service for others.

“A second and intimately related characteristic of a religious vocation is an appropriate and genuine motivation that is rooted in a strong and continuing desire to do God’s work. This is a basic and essential characteristic that may be complicated and clouded, especially during the early years of a developing vocation, by romantic, immature or even neurotic features.

“A third requirement is that the religious candidate have adequate basic intelligence, characterized by good practical judgment and qualities of mind that will enable him to function securely with a certain degree of responsibility and in accordance with his value convictions.

“Emotional stability, which tends to cut across all of the other requirements and influences each in a unique way, is a fourth requisite of a religious vocation. The life of the religious man or woman is not easy since it makes extraordinary emotional demands and requires emotional resources that enable the individual not only to endure the stresses of religious life but also to maintain a continued and loyal commitment to the religious vocation.

“Finally, the religious vocation requires a certain degree of human relations ability. This, of course, implies that the individual is at ease with and accepts himself as well as others, is adequately social and sympathetic, is capable of communicating his ideas and convictions to others, and, if necessary, is capable of working in isolation.”

All of this may sound like a tall order for any human person. The point is not that each person thinking about service in the Church have all of these qualities already put together in a faultless manner. Rather, these are the goals and ideals of human personality which a person dedicating his life to leadership in the Church should be working toward.

The men and women who seek to serve others in this way need not be “super person,” but they certainly do need to be aware of their own personal strengths and weaknesses, understanding themselves as well as possible. This is important if they are going to be communicating something of the life of faith through their own lives to other people.

That, of course, is the other side of the coin. It may be good to reflect on Dr. Coville’s psychological outline for a while in order to try and appreciate some of its significance.

But we must also remember that the kind of life we’re thinking about also demands a firm intention to listen to the Lord’s call and his direction for one’s life. It is that sort of openness to the God we call Father which will be the final determination of our ability to serve his people.