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HeightsCast

Vocational Discernment in an Age of Infinite Options

Featuring and

“Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matt. 16:25).

This week we’re joined by Fr. Carter Griffin, rector of the St. John Paul II Seminary in the Archdiocese of Washington, and Alvaro de Vicente, headmaster of The Heights School, to examine “discernment.” It’s become a Catholic buzzword, applied (or sometimes, perhaps, misapplied) to a number of life situations. Here, Fr. Carter and Alvaro discuss the methods and limits of vocational discernment—and the moral courage of commitment.

Chapters:

3:45 Christian discernment

6:09 Misuses of the word “discernment”

9:39 Whether we can wrongly discern vocation

14:46 Choice paralysis

20:25 Submit to the process

25:48 Dating and marriage

29:55 Mentors and spiritual directors

33:21 Principles for discerning well

39:38 “Throw your life away”?!

46:17 The need for prayer

52:36 Crisis of vocations or crisis of faith

59:59 Church choice and church-hopping

Links:

“The Catholic Church Has a Manpower Problem”, 22 September 2025, WSJ

2026 Men’s Discernment Retreat for the Archdiocese of Washington

2026 Men’s Discernment Retreat for the Diocese of Arlington

Forming Families, Forming Saints by Fr. Carter Griffin

Forming Fathers: Seminary Wisdom for Every Priest by Fr. Carter Griffin

Cross-Examined: Catholic Responses to the World’s Questions by Fr. Carter Griffin

Why Celibacy? Reclaiming the Fatherhood of the Priest by Fr. Carter Griffin

Also on the Forum:

You’re the Man for the Job: The Vocation of Fatherhood featuring Alvaro de Vicente

Fostering Vocations in a Digital Age featuring Fr. Carter Griffin

Featured Opportunities:

The Art of Teaching Boys Conference at The Heights School (May 6-8, 2026)

About the Authors

Fr. Carter Griffin

Rector, Saint John Paul II Seminary

Father Carter Griffin is a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington, DC.  Raised Presbyterian, he converted to Catholicism while attending Princeton University.  After graduating in 1994, he served for four years as a line officer in the United States Navy prior to entering the seminary.  He attended Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland for two years of philosophy followed by the North American College in Rome for five years of theology.  Father Griffin was ordained to the priesthood in 2004 and served as priest-secretary for three years before beginning doctoral studies in Rome in 2008.  After completing his doctorate and serving as the parochial vicar of St. Peter’s parish on Capitol Hill, in 2011 he was appointed Director of Priest Vocations for the Archdiocese of Washington and Vice-Rector of St. John Paul II Seminary, where he now serves as Rector. He is the author of Why Celibacy: Reclaiming the Fatherhood of the Priest, Cross-Examined: Catholic Responses to the World’s Questions, and Forming Fathers: Seminary Wisdom for Every Priest, all published by Emmaus Road Publishing.

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Alvaro de Vicente

Headmaster, The Heights School

In addition to his responsibilities as headmaster of The Heights, Alvaro acts as a mentor to high schoolers, and teaches senior Apologetics.

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