A community of discernment for those who sense God's call to ordained ministry — held in prayer, accompanied by the Church, and given space to listen.
Fellowship of Vocation — FOV — is the Diocese of False Bay's community of discernment for men and women who believe God may be calling them to ordained ministry. It is not a training programme, nor a fast track to ordination. It is something quieter and more important: a sheltered space in which a vocation can be tested, explored, and — if God wills — confirmed.
Joining the FOV does not commit a person to ordination, and it does not guarantee that ordination will follow. What it does offer is accompaniment — by the Church, by a spiritual director, by a community of fellow enquirers — as a person learns to listen more carefully to what God is saying about their future.
Members of the Fellowship meet together regularly in their archdeaconry and across the Diocese, sharing in prayer, study, and honest conversation about vocation. They are accompanied throughout by a FOV Director appointed by the Bishop, and each member is assigned a personal spiritual director to support their inner journey.
The Fellowship typically lasts between one and three years, depending on where a member is in their discernment. At the end of that time, the Diocese — in conversation with the member, their spiritual director, and their parish — will offer a formal discernment assessment, which may lead to recommendation for ordination training, or to a clearer sense of calling to another form of ministry.
FOV is structured around four interlocking dimensions of the discernment journey, each essential to hearing God's call clearly and faithfully.
Members are invited to deepen their prayer life and learn to listen — in silence, in scripture, in liturgy — for the voice of God that makes all callings known. Regular retreats and quiet days are offered.
Each FOV member is assigned a trained spiritual director with whom they meet monthly. This is a relationship of trust, confidentiality, and deep companionship in the inner journey of faith.
FOV members gather together regularly — by archdeaconry and diocese-wide — to share, to pray, to study, and to learn from one another's experience of discernment. No one walks this road alone.
Vocation is tested in the life of the Church. FOV members are encouraged to deepen their engagement in parish ministry and to reflect on that experience with their director and the FOV community.
There is no set timeline. The FOV moves at the pace of the person's discernment, not the other way around. Some members will spend one year in the Fellowship; others will take two or three years to reach clarity. Both are equally valid.
Joining the FOV does not mean you have decided to be ordained. It simply means you are willing to ask the question seriously, in the company of the Church, and to let God answer it in his own time and way.
The Diocese asks only that members engage honestly and prayerfully with the process — attending the meetings, keeping up with spiritual direction, and remaining open to whatever God is saying, including the possibility that ordination may not be the path ahead.
Download the application form below, complete it prayerfully, and return it to the Diocesan Office. If you have any questions before applying, you are welcome to reach out to us first — all enquiries are treated in complete confidence.
Before you apply: Please speak with your parish priest. Their support and knowledge of your faith life is an important part of your application. You will be asked for their details below.
All information provided is treated in confidence by the Diocesan Director of Vocations and will not be shared without your consent. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
Download the official Fellowship of Vocation application form. Print, complete in full, and return it to your parish priest or directly to the Diocesan office. Ensure your parish priest has signed the relevant section before submitting.
Download FOV FormIf you have questions before applying, or would like to speak informally with the Diocesan Director of Vocations, please don't hesitate to get in touch. There is no obligation, and all enquiries are treated with complete confidentiality.
Contact the DioceseDownload the PDF form, complete it prayerfully and honestly, and have your parish priest countersign it.
Return the completed form by email or post to the Diocesan Office, addressed to the Director of Vocations.
The Director of Vocations will acknowledge receipt within 5–10 working days and arrange a preliminary conversation.
If accepted, you will be welcomed into the Fellowship and assigned a spiritual director to begin your discernment.