A diocesan priest ordinarily serves the Church within a rather well-defined area of a diocese. A religious priest, on the other hand, is a member of a community which goes beyond the geographical limits of any diocese. He does a variety of other works as well, but sacramental life is his special ministry. It takes about the same amount of preparation to be a priest as any professional person, four years after college or eight years after high school. There is no certain age to start preparing for the priesthood.
Some people enter the seminary after high school, college or after they have been working for years.
Spirituality, the study of prayer and the development of one's relationship with God, is covered mostly on an individual basis, with each man meeting with a priest-advisor. Ability to minister is developed in supervised programs. If a man goes to a college seminary, he has the same classes as a regular liberal arts college with the addition of classes on Church and God. After college, he enters theology, where his time is spent studying the Scriptures, the teachings of the Church, and the skills he will need to be a priest. A seminarian should be an average or above average student.