Kristina Valente, Author at Brooklyn Priests

18 Nov Reconsidering the Sacred Office of the Priesthood

Posted at 17:27h in Vocation Director's Corner by Kristina Valente

It’s easy to forget the awesome office of the priest. We see him daily offering the Mass, hearing confessions, anointing, counseling, helping his people to overcome their difficulties and sins. How often do we stop to think about what the priest really is? One way to...

22 Oct Vocation and Free Will

Posted at 17:26h in Vocation Director's Corner by Kristina Valente

Did you realize that you do not get to choose your vocation? That does not mean you have no free will regarding your vocation. On the contrary, a vocation cannot be lived without free will. Think about what a vocation is: it is a call from...

23 Sep Vocation Cultivation

Posted at 17:31h in Vocation Director's Corner by Kristina Valente

From a perspective of faith, everyone shares some common fundamental questions: What is the true meaning for my existence? What is God's plan for my life? To what fruitfulness am I called? To discern one's vocation is to find the answers to these fundamental questions of life. It’s...

13 Aug Discernment Advice from St. Ignatius

Posted at 18:11h in Vocation Director's Corner by Kristina Valente

I’ve always wanted to be a priest and heal souls! That’s why I’m discerning the priesthood. But lately, I’ve lost interest and think maybe God isn’t calling me any more. One of the most difficult parts of discerning your vocation is knowing when to accept a...

22 Jul Discerning with a Screen

Posted at 17:30h in Vocation Director's Corner by Kristina Valente

You can’t discern totally online — you need to talk to a person! The Internet has made it really easy to find all kinds of information about discerning a vocation, and that’s great! Information about religious orders, seminaries, and discernment in general, is available with just...

12 Jun What St. Joseph Can Teach Us About Discernment

Posted at 16:07h in Vocation Director's Corner by Kristina Valente

We know almost nothing about St. Joseph. Scripture tells us relatively little, and pious tradition should be taken with a grain of salt. But what we do know about his life can be a great help and consolation to one who is in the turmoil of...

22 May Wait & See

Posted at 16:49h in Vocation Director's Corner by Kristina Valente

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12 Apr Discernment & Desire

Posted at 17:37h in Vocation Director's Corner by Kristina Valente

When Pope Francis was a young seminarian in his twenties, he had to think about celibacy very carefully. A few years ago, when he was a cardinal, he recalled in an interview: "I was dazzled by a girl I met at an uncle's wedding...

22 Mar Priestly Courage

Posted at 18:25h in Vocation Director's Corner by Kristina Valente

The extreme heroism of a few priests is well known. You've heard stories of priests who were martyred, or sacrificed their own lives for others, or endured great hardships for the sake of the Gospel. Imagine a man who comes home to see his house on...

27 Feb How to Pray

Posted at 15:50h in Vocation Director's Corner by Kristina Valente

In a previous E-Newsletter, we talked about what prayer is (and is not). This article focuses more specifically on how to pray. To begin, here are some important points to consider: Rely on God. We can’t develop a relationship with God by ourselves. We must rely on...