Thank you for your interest in the Fathers of Mercy. A vocation to our Community, like all vocations, is a special and divine calling. As consecrated Religious men, we are called to follow and imitate Jesus Christ perfectly through a life of poverty, chastity and obedience in accordance with our Constitutions. We seek to imitate the model of the merciful Christ by bringing the Mercy of God to all people through the apostolate committed to us by our holy Founder, Fr. Jean Baptiste Rauzan (1757-1847), and confirmed for us by the Church.

"The Sovereign Pontiff and the Church, inseparable from her invisible Head, are in our eyes the first authority. It is Jesus Christ Himself transmitting through her to us the Way, the Truth and the Life. The Faith of the Roman Catholic Church is immutably ours." With these words, Father Rauzan indicated the love and affection that members of the Fathers of Mercy are to have for the Holy See and the Magisterium of Holy Mother Church. Our focus on mercy, along with a strong missionary zeal, is provided for us in the example and spirit of our beloved Founder who wanted his men to be both consecrated Religious and preaching missionary priests.

We are a clerical Religious Congregation of Pontifical Right founded in 1808 in France. By its very nature, our Community shares in the disciplines of Religious life and zeal for souls. The Fathers of Mercy consists of members who are priests, seminarians in vows working toward the Sacrament of Holy Orders and unmarried permanent deacons. Our Community does not have a permanent Brotherhood. As clerics, our spirit and apostolate are centered on the preaching of the Gospel and the administration of the Sacraments, especially the Sacraments of Penance and Holy Eucharist. As the work of our Founder was the restoration of the Faith in his native land following the French Revolution through the preaching of parish missions, so today we continue the work of Fr. Rauzan throughout North America.

Fr. Rauzan gave to us the symbol of the Father embracing the Prodigal Son, along with the motto Misericordia motus est ("He was moved with mercy") from the Gospel of St. Luke, 15:20. On our Religious habit, we wear this same symbol of mercy. The Fathers of Mercy have remained obedient to the Teaching Authority of the Church (the Magisterium) and the parish missions and retreats we preach present the Truth of Jesus Christ in all its clarity. We offer our members a solid formation program, with a focus on living faithfully the evangelical counsels (vows) of poverty, chastity and obedience and the priestly life. Finally, we seek to train men to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in the present Roman Rite with all due reverence, solemnity and devotion.

The Fathers of Mercy prefer men ages 18-40 who possess some college background and degree(s). However, we are also open to talk to men who have not yet started college. Our Congregation accepts men twice a year by offering both a February postulancy program and a June postulancy program. Our annual, one-year novitiate begins in August. The allotted years for one's studying philosophy and theology prior to priestly ordination will vary depending upon his academic background, but the standard timeline involves a two-year philosophy program and four-year theology program. Upon completion of his theological studies, the newly ordained will receive an assignment from the Superior General of the Congregation. As mentioned above, the primary apostolate of the Fathers of Mercy, as envisioned by our holy Founder, is the preaching of parish missions, retreats, devotions and novenas. The Community also assists bishops in the staffing of rural parishes. In the future, we hope to be able to take on some foreign missions and begin our own seminary, as our Founder also envisioned.

The daily life of a priest in the Congregation of the Priests of Mercy (CPM) is focused on the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and prayer, including adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, daily meditation, devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and other devotions including that of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Next to the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, the Fathers of Mercy esteem greatly the Sacrament of Penance, viewing it as the tribunal of God's merciful love.

I hope this information will help you discern further your vocation with us. If you have a sincere interest in the Fathers of Mercy, please feel free to contact me and I will be glad to assist you. You are welcome to spend a few days with us at our Generalate located in South Union (near Auburn), Kentucky in order to observe our Congregation firsthand.

May the Lord bless you through the hands of Mary Immaculate as you continue to discern your vocation. Have confidence and trust that if you truly seek God's will for your life, you will find it. Again, I thank you for your interest in the Fathers of Mercy.

Sincerely, in the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus,

Fr. Wade L. J. Menezes, CPM
Fathers of Mercy
Vocation Director