{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Fr. Carter Griffin and Alvaro de Vicente on Vocational Discernment in an Age of Infinite Options","description":"\u201cWhoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it\u201d (Matt. 16:25). This week we\u2019re 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 \u201cdiscernment.\u201d It\u2019s 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\u2014and the moral courage of commitment. Chapters: 3:45 Christian discernment 6:09 Misuses of the word \u201cdiscernment\u201d 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 \u201cThrow your life away\u201d?! 46:17 The need for prayer 52:36 Crisis of vocations or crisis of faith? 59:59 Church choice and church-hopping Links:  \u201cThe Catholic Church Has a Manpower Problem\u201d, 22 September 2025,&amp;nbsp;WSJ 2026 Men\u2019s Discernment Retreat&amp;nbsp;for the Archdiocese of Washington  2026 Men\u2019s Discernment Retreat&amp;nbsp;for the Diocese of Arlington Forming Families, Forming Saints&amp;nbsp;by Fr. Carter Griffin Forming Fathers: Seminary Wisdom for Every Priest&amp;nbsp;by Fr. Carter Griffin Cross-Examined: Catholic Responses to the World\u2019s Questions&amp;nbsp;by Fr. Carter Griffin Why Celibacy? Reclaiming the Fatherhood of the Priest&amp;nbsp;by Fr. Carter Griffin Also on the Forum:  You\u2019re the Man for the Job: The Vocation of Fatherhood&amp;nbsp;featuring Alvaro de Vicente  Fostering Vocations in a Digital Age&amp;nbsp;featuring Fr. Carter Griffin Featured Opportunities: The Art of Teaching Boys Conference at The Heights School (May 6-8, 2026) ","author_name":"HeightsCast: Forming Men Fully Alive","author_url":"https:\/\/heights.edu\/heightscast\/","html":"<iframe title=\"Libsyn Player\" style=\"border: none\" src=\"\/\/html5-player.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/39289655\/height\/90\/theme\/custom\/thumbnail\/yes\/direction\/forward\/render-playlist\/no\/custom-color\/88AA3C\/\" height=\"90\" width=\"600\" scrolling=\"no\"  allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen><\/iframe>","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/assets.libsyn.com\/secure\/content\/196234640"}