“Thinking of Priesthood” is an informal, day-long discernment/information event held every spring and fall at the Catholic Student Centers of or a nearby parish to one of the major universities in the state of Iowa.

Sponsored by the Knights of Columbus and hosted by the Vocations Offices of the Dioceses of Dubuque, Davenport, Sioux City, and Des Moines, this event brings together Fr. Jonathan Fassero, OSB with interested young men ranging from 16 to 40 years old.

Fr. Jonathan answers questions, addresses concerns and in a comfortable manner provides a description of what to expect as far as discernment, priestly formation, seminary life and what the possibility of the priesthood would hold for you.

The event is always held on a Saturday and begins at 9:30 AM with coffee and rolls. It ends with Mass followed by dinner (usually at a local restaurant), everything being concluded and the participants returning home by 7:00 PM. The value of the event is not just the information provided, but also the opportunity to meet with other guys considering the possibility of a priestly vocation, seeing that they are every bit as normal as you, and that there are in fact a surprising number of guys considering the Catholic priesthood.

Comments from recent event participants include:
"It was great to know that I'm not the only one in the world interested in this! I met some great guys who share many of the same values as I do."
"Informative, insightful, inspirational... it really helped clarify many of the questions I had about this."

The next Thinking of Priesthood Day is Saturday, March 24th at St. Cecilia’s in Ames. There is no charge for attending this event and transportation to and from the event will happily be provided if you are interested. For further information contact the Vocations Office for the Diocese of Des Moines at 515-237-5014 or lsteinkoenig@dmdiocese.org or through Facebook at the Des Moines Diocese Office of Vocations.