Vocation Book Recommendations
TO SAVE A THOUSAND SOULS
FR. BRETT A. BRANNEN
To Save a Thousand Souls is the definitive guide for men considering the priesthood. Using powerful and entertaining stories, this easy-to-read book explains how to carefully discover God’s call. To Save a Thousand Souls is used by hundreds of dioceses and thousands of seminarians. Many regard it as the standard “catechism for discernment,” with Bishop Robert Barron calling it a “classic of the genre." It has been re-printed in Europe and Asia and translated into Spanish, French, Romanian, and Vietnamese.
PRIESTS FOR THE THIRD MILLENNIUM
Timothy Cardinal Dolan
A book that speaks frankly about the tough issues priests face today, offering Christ-centered solutions, and renewing the joy of being Catholic in the heart of seminarians, priests, and the people they serve.
THE PRIESTS WE NEED TO SAVE THE CHURCH
Kevin Wells
Kevin Wells in these compelling pages that showcase how heroic priests can faithfully tread the narrow path of holy self-sacrifice first blazed by the apostles themselves. From scores of insightful interviews with modern priests, exorcists, seminary formators, and even disillusioned laity, Wells here draws forth a blueprint for priestly holiness that can once again fill our Church with priests abounding with sincere, supernatural faith, on fire with God’s love, and moved by the irresistible impulse to save souls, no matter the cost to themselves.
IN SINU JESU
A Benedictine Monk
In 2007, Our Lord and Our Lady began to speak to the heart of a monk in the silence of adoration. He was prompted to write down what he received, and thus was born In Sinu Jesu, whose pages shine with an intense luminosity and heart-warming fervor that speak directly to the inner and outer needs of our time with a unique power to console and challenge.
The pages of this remarkable record of spiritual communication range across, and plunge into, many fundamental aspects of the spiritual life: loving and being loved by God; the practice of prayer in all its dimensions; the unique power of Eucharistic adoration; trustful surrender to divine providence; the homage of silence; the dignity of liturgical prayer and the sacraments; the mystery of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass; priestly identity and apostolic fruitfulness; the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the saints in our lives; sin, woundedness, mercy, healing, and purification; the longing for heaven and the longed-for renewal of the Catholic Church on earth.
THE PRIEST IS NOT HIS OWN
Archbishop Fulton Sheen
The beloved Archbishop Sheen, whose cause for canonization is open in Rome, presents a profound and deeply spiritual look at the meaning of the priesthood and relationship of the priest with Christ as an "alter Christus".
Sheen delves deeply into what he considers the main character of the priesthood, and one not often discussed, that of being, like Christ, a "holy victim". To be like Christ, Sheen emphasizes that the priest must imitate Christ in His example of sacrifice, offering himself as a victim to make His Incarnation continually present in the world.
CHRIST THE IDEAL OF THE PRIEST
Blessed Columba Marmion
The great spiritual writer, Fr. Columba Marmion, wrote this classic work on the priesthood to show the holiness that priests are called to, and how that holiness can only be attained through close union with, and imitation of, Jesus Christ. While aimed at the clergy, this profound spiritual work will also be of immense inspiration for laity in coming to a deeper understanding of the true nature and calling of the priesthood.
Echoing the thought and writing of St. Paul, Marmion stresses that the priestly life must be dominated by Christ and in constant dependence on His merits, His grace and His activity in the soul of the priest. In all his actions, in the sacred acts of worship, the administration of the sacraments, private prayer and devotions, and serving the various needs of his flock, Marmion says the priest must always see himself as the minister of the Savior, as Alter Christus.
WHY CELIBACY? RECLAIMING THE FATHERHOOD OF THE PRIEST
Fr. Carter Griffin
Priestly celibacy, some say, is an outdated relic from another age. Others see it as a lonely way of life.
But as Fr. Carter Griffin argues in Why Celibacy?: Reclaiming the Fatherhood of the Priest, the ancient practice of celibacy, when lived well, helps a priest exercise his spiritual fatherhood joyfully and fruitfully. Along the way, Griffin explores:
the question of optional celibacy
some pitfalls of celibate paternity
the selection and formation of candidates for celibate priesthood
why biological fathers are also called to spiritual fatherhood
the powerful impact of celibacy on the Church and the wider culture
In a critical moment for the Catholic priesthood, Fr. Griffin brings light and hope with a new perspective on the Church's perennial wisdom on celibacy.
DISCERNMENT DO’S AND DON’T
Fr. George Elliott
Do you feel like God is calling you to . . . something, but you don’t know what? Don’t know where to start? Do you find it hard to clear away the noise of life, and apps, and phones and really listen to God?
You’re not alone! But, happily, now there is a book to help you cut through the clutter so as to prayerfully discern God’s will for your life . . . that life to which He calls you and for which He created you.
Discernment Do’s and Don’ts, a practical guide to vocational discernment for Catholic teens and young adults, combines the teachings of the Scriptures, Church documents, the Church Fathers, and the saints—and a healthy dose of good old common sense—into one handy “How to” guide on finding God’s will for you.
THE DISCERNMENT OF SPIRITS
Fr. Timothy M. Gallagher
St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, is one of the most influential spiritual leaders of all time, yet many readers find his Rules for Discernment hard to understand. What can Ignatius teach us about the discernment of spirits that lies at the very heart of Christian life? In The Discernment of Spirits, Fr. Timothy Gallagher, a talented teacher, retreat leader, and scholar, helps us understand the Rules and how their insights are essential for our spiritual growth today. By integrating the Rules and the experience of contemporary people, Gallagher shows the precision, clarity, and insight of Ignatius's Rules, as well as the relevance of his thought for spiritual life today. When we learn to read Ignatius correctly, we discover in his remarkable words our own struggles, joys, and triumphs. This book is for all who desire greater awareness of God's action in their daily spiritual lives, and is essential reading for retreat directors, spiritual directors, priests, and counselors.