Where would I find info about . . .

[crich70]

Becoming a catholic priest in 19th Century Mexico?
What would have been the procedure for a young man to become a catholic priest in 19th century mexico? I'm working on an idea for NaNoWriMo where the hero is trying to become a catholic priest in 19th century Mexico around the time of the "war of the reform." His plans get changed as he joins the fighting between the liberals and the conservatives on the side of the conservatives. I'm guessing that there might be a conflict between being a priest and taking part in the fighting that would have been taking place. Being neither a priest nor a catholic I'm a bit lost on at what point my hero can still not be a priest and be able to take part in the fighting. I'm looking for background details on how he'd have gotten his training and what would have been expected of him back then. Now they have colleges and other such I understand but what would the steps have been in the 1850's? Who would have taught him? The local priest? Someone higher? And could he just leave prior to being ordained or would it have been more complex than that?
I want to make sure that his background is accurate for the time period.

[cromag]

Couldn't hurt to see if a local Catholic church has an information office. They may be a bit "concerned" about whatever light you intend to shine upon the Church, but it still might be worth a shot. Many local parishes have websites, as would the local diocese, I suspect. Ask a few. Anyway, that's where I'd begin.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by cromag

Couldn't hurt to see if a local Catholic church has an information office. They may be a bit "concerned" about whatever light you intend to shine upon the Church, but it still might be worth a shot. Many local parishes have websites, as would the local diocese, I suspect. Ask a few. Anyway, that's where I'd begin.

Thanks for the suggestions. I certainly don't intend to disparage their beliefs. I'm just trying to fill in some background for my main character a bit. What he'd have gone through and so forth prior to "The War of the Reform."

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by crich70

Becoming a catholic priest in 19th Century Mexico?
What would have been the procedure for a young man to become a catholic priest in 19th century mexico? I'm working on an idea for NaNoWriMo where the hero is trying to become a catholic priest in 19th century Mexico around the time of the "war of the reform." His plans get changed as he joins the fighting between the liberals and the conservatives on the side of the conservatives. I'm guessing that there might be a conflict between being a priest and taking part in the fighting that would have been taking place. Being neither a priest nor a catholic I'm a bit lost on at what point my hero can still not be a priest and be able to take part in the fighting. I'm looking for background details on how he'd have gotten his training and what would have been expected of him back then. Now they have colleges and other such I understand but what would the steps have been in the 1850's? Who would have taught him? The local priest? Someone higher? And could he just leave prior to being ordained or would it have been more complex than that?
I want to make sure that his background is accurate for the time period.

Well, the first thing you need to decide is if he's a member of some order, like the Jesuits or the Dominicans, for example, or a simple parish priest. If you found out what orders were working in Mexico at the time, you could then look up their history and rules and procedures as a starting point.

[crich70]

Well I've figured out that he was born in 1840 when Pope Gregory XVI was still around (the Pope died in 1846 & was succeeded by Pope Pius IX)and when the "War of the Reform" began (in 1858) my character Felipe Delgado was 18 yrs old. He was 21 when it ended (in 1861) and in the current story he's now 29 yrs old (1870). I'm thinking he was probably an altar boy and had begun to receive some instruction though I'm not sure what orders were present in Mexico back in the 1850's as yet. Anyway after what he saw in the war he drifted about for a while trying to reconcile what he'd seen/done with what the church said. At least NaNo doesn't start til Nov. 1st so I have plenty of time yet to work out some of the details. Thanks for the suggestions catlady.