Father Ronald Rolheiser, a member of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, has shared his personal experience in discerning his vocation to the priesthood. He recalls growing up in a Catholic environment where young people were encouraged to consider religious life or the priesthood. Despite feeling resistance to this path during his youth and aspiring to become a psychologist, he describes an internal voice that persisted.
Rolheiser references C.S. Lewis’s reflection on conversion: “I knelt down against my resistance because I had come to realize that God’s compulsion is our liberation.” He explains this as an inner moral sense that guides individuals toward their responsibilities rather than their preferences.
He details how, after graduating from high school and spending long hours working alone on farms, the idea of becoming a priest became unavoidable for him. The decision crystallized just before he was set to attend university. After discussing it with his parents and meeting with a local parish priest, he chose to join the Oblates—a decision influenced by familiarity with the order and having an older brother already among them.
“Two weeks later I was in the Oblate novitiate — as one of the most reluctant novices in the history of the Oblates! But from day one, it was right. I knew it was where I was called to be,” Rolheiser states. He notes that despite struggles over 60 years in ministry, he has not doubted his choice or calling.
He adds: “And God, life, ministry, and the Oblates have been life-giving beyond what I deserve. Ministry has been grace-filled beyond measure and the Oblates have given me healthy community, exceptional educational opportunities, a series of wonderful ministries, and a pride in our congregation’s charism to serve the poor.”
Reflecting on making such a decision at age 17—a time when contemporary culture might question maturity—Rolheiser says: “Well, I have never seriously doubted my choice, and I look back on it now as the clearest, most unselfish, and life-giving decision I have ever made.”
He concludes by acknowledging that each person’s journey is unique: “That’s my story, but there are many life-giving stories different from mine. God’s compulsion has an infinite variety of modalities.”
For more information about Father Ronald Rolheiser’s work as a spiritual writer or about his background with the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, visit www.ronrolheiser.com.
