What it is
The Discernment Year is the Diocese of Shrewsbury's structured way of helping a man take the priestly vocation seriously without rushing to seminary. It is a real programme, in real places, with real men currently doing it. Bishop Mark Davies has set it out in a single sentence on the diocesan vocations page.
A house of discernment has been established between the Eucharistic Shrine of Perpetual Adoration in Stockport and Shrewsbury Cathedral to allow men to find a small community where discipleship and discernment can be lived and supported by a structured life of prayer centred on the Holy Eucharist and supported by spiritual accompaniment and study of the Scriptures, the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the writings and lives of the Saints.
Source: vocations/priesthood, dioceseofshrewsbury.org.
Read the four pillars carefully. Prayer centred on the Holy Eucharist. Spiritual accompaniment. Study of Scripture. Study of the Catechism and the lives of the Saints. That is the spine of the year.
The two places
St Joseph's, Stockport
St Joseph's is the Diocesan Eucharistic Shrine of Perpetual Adoration, dedicated by Bishop Davies on 22 October 2022. The Blessed Sacrament is exposed continuously, with a special mission, in the Bishop's words, to intercede for new and generous vocations to the priesthood. Bishop Davies on St Joseph's:
For here we ask that all eyes may be opened to recognise Jesus Christ anew in the Sacrifice and Sacrament of the Eucharist, especially the call to the Priesthood, the vocation on which all other Christian vocations depend.
Source: dedication homily, dioceseofshrewsbury.org.
Shrewsbury Cathedral
The Cathedral, on Town Walls, Shrewsbury, SY1 1UE, is the seat of the Bishop. Margaret Rope, the Shrewsbury-born Carmelite, designed seven of its great Arts and Crafts windows. The Discernment Year places men here, alongside the Bishop's own Cathedra, so they can join the Diocese's mother church at prayer.
The Bishop on the Discernment Year video
The Diocese has produced a short film about the Discernment Year. Bishop Davies' own commendation gives a clear picture of what the programme is for.
This video offers more than information about a vocations initiative in Shrewsbury. The beauty of its filming opens a window for everyone to glimpse the Eucharistic heart of this discernment year at the Cathedral. I pray it will assist enquirers and also lead many more to pray for this initiative which has proved invaluable for the men who have come to spend time in this discernment community centred on the Holy Eucharist.
Source: dioceseofshrewsbury.org.
Who it is for
The Discernment Year is for men seriously considering the Catholic priesthood who want to test that call in community before applying to seminary. Typical candidates are between 18 and 50, baptised and confirmed Catholic. Some come from university; some after careers in teaching, medicine, law, or trades. It is not seminary. It is the year before, and it tells a man, gently and over time, whether the Lord is calling him to take the next step.
What the year actually contains
- Daily Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours. The day begins and ends in the Church's prayer.
- Hours of adoration. Time before the Blessed Sacrament is the centre of formation.
- Spiritual direction. Each man has his own director.
- Study. Scripture, the Catechism, the lives and writings of the Saints, including Saint John Henry Newman.
- Common life. A small community of brothers, sharing meals and prayer. The Vocations Group, meeting every two months, sits alongside.
- Parish exposure. Time at the Cathedral parish and St Joseph's, Stockport, learning what priestly ministry looks like.
Why this exists
The 2026 Pastoral Letter gave the figures. Twelve men are in priestly formation for Shrewsbury Diocese. Behind them is a steady flow of men engaging the Discernment Programme, and a Vocations Group of men still earlier on the road.
Today, in Shrewsbury Diocese, we must give thanks for the 12 men who are at various stages of their training for the Priesthood; for the constant stream of men coming forward to engage in our Discernment Programme in both Stockport and Shrewsbury; and for those regularly attending our Vocations Group to first consider their calling.
Source: Vocations Pastoral Letter 2026, dioceseofshrewsbury.org.
The Discernment Year exists because the priesthood is, in the Bishop's repeated phrase, the one vocation on which all other vocations in the Church depend. The Diocese is not waiting for men to arrive ready. It is building the road that gets them there.
How to enquire
- Email vocationsdirector@dioceseofshrewsbury.org. This reaches Fr Tony McGrath, Director of Vocations to the Sacred Priesthood. Give your name, age, parish, and a paragraph about why you are writing.
- Ask about the next Vocations Group meeting and put the date in your diary. Going to one Vocations Group commits you to nothing.
- Visit St Joseph's, Stockport. Sit in front of the Blessed Sacrament for an hour. Tell the Lord you are open.
- Ask your parish priest to write a letter of support when the time comes.
The cost of not enquiring
If the Lord is calling you, the cost of silence is real. Twelve men have said yes in this Diocese. The thirteenth might be you. Christ said, the harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few (Matthew 9:37-38). One way the Lord answers that prayer is by putting the question on a particular man's heart. Yours, perhaps. Email Fr Tony today.
