31 March 2010

A difficult decision. . .(UPDATED)

If you have been reading this blog for the last two years, you know that I have been struggling with how my vocation as a priest is properly expressed in the Dominican tradition.  

Though I am a life-long student and I love preaching. . .it's becoming clearer and clearer to me that my priestly vocation is being smothered as a Dominican.  In a nutshell, I don't have to be a priest in order to be a philosophy professor.  If my future in the Order is to minister as a member of a university faculty, then it will be necessary for me to move away from the Order and seek out a ministry that will allow me to both BE a priest and to DO priestly things.

Therefore, I have decided to seek exclaustration from the Order and return immediately to the U.S. where I will begin looking for a diocese that needs my vocation as a priest.

This has been a difficult two years of discernment.  Please keep me in your prayers!

UPDATE:  lots of email and comments on this post!  There seems to be some confusion about the nature of exclaustration.  I would encourage you to click on the link above for an explanation.

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32 comments:

  1. Dallas!
    Prayers for your intentions and ours (!) during this Triduum.

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  2. Certainly, father; may God give us all the strength to make such difficult decisions when our vocations become clear!

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  3. I will pray for you, Father. Thank you for your vocation, however it is expressed.

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  4. That certainly is a difficult decision! Be assured of my prayers for your continued discernment and future. Galveston-Houston could always use some more good priests :)

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  5. Prayers for you, Father.

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  7. Anonymous10:09 PM

    You will certainly be in my thoughts and prayers. WE could really use you in the Diocese of Sacramento~especially at the parish I had to leave after 8 years of being a very active parishioner. God Bless you Father.
    Sher

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  8. Of course.
    Come to St. Louis :)

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  9. Father, I will pray that the Holy Spirit guide you and give you peace, and that Our Lady will be at your side during this discernment period.

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  11. We will be praying for you, I know God has His own plans for you!

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  12. Oh and if this is an April Fools gag, I am coming after you.

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  13. Jeff -- start handing out the pitchforks and torches to the villagers ...

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  14. Anonymous11:08 PM

    Father,

    That was a very interesting link you provided. I hope that you have a blessed Triduum and Easter.

    An OP student brother

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  15. Anonymous11:10 PM

    Click on the "exclaustration" link and all will be revealed!

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  16. Not cool Father . . . but very cool and funny.

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  17. Yeah, and a pinch and a punch for the first of the month to you too!

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  18. You had me fooled. For all of two seconds.

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  19. Anonymous5:28 AM

    It's cause they made fun of your latin isn't it?

    Aprile Fazzo! =P

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  20. maryclare7:18 AM

    Yeh yeh!! Very funny....Fr.P
    maryclare:-)

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  21. Anonymous8:19 AM

    Thank you for reminding me what day it was. I was about ready to tell you Reno needs you here.

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  22. Father, I almost had a heart attack. You are bad!!

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  23. Exclaustration...does that mean you don't believe in Santa Claus any more?

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  24. Ha ha, Father. Oh - and you might be interested in this - click on "here" when you get there.

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  25. Gregg the Obscure10:56 AM

    Well, you've taken French classes and the Sorbonne has quite a philosophy department, so you ought to look into becoming a Parisian.

    That post was tres bien.

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  26. Surely defenestration would be more appropriate.

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  27. oof!
    Still, Prayers for your intentions and ours (!) during this Triduum.

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  28. Oh my... Glad I read the posted comments. You had me fooled on this post, too. ;)

    May you and the friars at the priory have a blessed Triduum Priory and a joyous Easter season!

    DT

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  29. Emmett1:33 PM

    I was really excited for a minute at the prospect of being assigned your parochial vicar someday if you came to Dallas. Oh well, if you decide to be exclaustrated (that sounds painful) 15 years or so down the road, you can be my parochial vicar!

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  30. To Clare and RC, Yeahhhhh..... :) !

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  31. Emmett, I would gladly serve as your vicar! Vicars have all the fun of being priests and none of the headaches of being pastors.

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  32. Austringer12:19 PM

    Aww, I bought this hook, line, and sinker....well, I'm sure my prayers for your "discernment" won't be wasted, as God will put them to use in some other fashion.

    Rats, I was going to make a pitch that you come to the diocese of Mpls. and St. Paul. Rats.

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