Follow a typical day in the life of Fr. Gary Zender, pastor of St. Louise Parish in Bellevue, and Vicar for Clergy for the Archdiocese of Seattle, as he talks about his priestly vocation.
"Becoming a priest or a man or woman religious is not primarily our own decision....
Rather it is the response
to a call of love."
— Pope Francis —
Every person has a vocation, a way God is calling them to love.
Discernment is the process by which you discover God's will and plan for you.
Maybe you are discerning your vocation within the church, wondering if you are called to the priesthood. Read on. There are many resources here that can help.
Seminarians in the Archdiocese of Seattle have begun their journey toward the priesthood. Meet some of our current seminarians and learn more about seminary life.
A member of a religious order belongs to a community bound together by a common charism and the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.
Each religious community is a special blessing in our church, with its particular mission and spirituality. Religious communities share much in common with each other, and yet, each one has its own unique spirit or 'charism.'
Finding the right vocation to serve God within the Church can sometimes be a challenging question. We have created an online vocations assessment to help.