Explaining Priestly Call to Non-Practicing and Atheistic Family Members

Something tells me that your family at least once shared your Catholic faith, given your family’s apparent religious heritage. If that’s the case, appeal to your shared family heritage, explaining that the Good Lord has drawn you closer to himself over the years, and now you’ve discerned you’re called to serve Jesus Christ and his Church as a ministerial priest.

What might work best, and hopefully plant seeds for your family members’ reconciliation to Christ and his Church, is your joyful witness in following through on your seminary studies and into the priesthood. Sometimes the best arguments don’t work because of people’s dispositions, but sustained joy in pursuing and living out your God-given vocation will speak positively and often persuasively over time to those who don’t share your views.

So, be patient and joyfully persevere in your faithful witness.