Vocations to the Priesthood
Some Answer to Your Questions

 •  What is a calling?
 •  Who is a priest?
 •  And a diocesan priest?
 •  How do I become a priest?
 •  Vocations Directors Nearest To You
 •  More Vocations Ideas

And Who Is A Diocesan Priest?
Well, he is a Roman Catholic priest who serves the Church, under the leadership of a bishop, in fraternity with the other diocesan priests, of a local diocese. The bishop is the “chief priest” of the diocese, and a diocesan priest comes under his authority.

A diocesan priest spends his ministry within the boundaries of his local diocese. His most common role is as a priest ministering to a parish community. But he also performs other roles such as teaching at a seminary, assisting in the administration of the diocese, a chaplaincy and other duties which the bishop might require him to attend to.

So there are other kinds of priests?
The notion of a diocesan priest is distinct from that of a religious priest or a priest belonging to a community of apostolic life:

- The former is a priest who professes the charism of a religious order, commonly abiding by a monastic way of life. Examples are the Franciscans, Redemptorists, Dominicans and the Jesuits. A common appeal to the memory of most people would be a friar in a brown, black or white habit.

- The latter do not profess a charism, but nevertheless live in a community or set out with a specific missionary or social mission, such as the Maryknoll Fathers, the Paulists, the Mill Hill Missionaries and many others. Both the former and latter are obedient not to a local bishop, but to a Superior of their order or community.