Higher Calling : ‘Does God want me to be a priest?’ It’s a question that each boy at Queen of Angels High School must answer for himself.

At Our Lady Queen of Angels High School in Mission Hills, no graffiti mar the walls. No cigarette butts litter the bathrooms. No souped-up cars blast Guns N’ Roses in the parking lot.

But the most unusual thing about this Catholic high school is its student population of 150 boys: They are studying to become priests.

“We are a specific school for boys asking the question, ‘Does God want me to be a priest?’ ” says Father Lawrence Signey, dean of students.

Some, like Signey--class of ‘79--will go on to become priests. Others will not; still they will carry the lessons of Queen of Angels with them.

“I learned the importance of service there,” says Capt. Steve Ruda of the Los Angeles Fire Department. “I never lost that sense of mission to care for others more than myself. In my case, I chose to serve the people of Los Angeles as a firefighter,” says the 14-year veteran and member of the class of 1970.

The 66-year-old school, situated next to the San Fernando Mission since 1954, is one of 10 seminary high schools in the United States, and the only one west of the Mississippi.

Admission is highly competitive, and applicants must exhibit a strong commitment to Catholic living. Finalists and their families are interviewed, and letters of recommendation from parish priests are required.

Each student arrives knowing that his high school life will be markedly different from that of his peers.

He will board at the school from Sunday night to Friday afternoon (tuition is $2,100 a year). His hair must remain above his collar and he must wear a uniform of pants, white shirt and navy sweater. He must celebrate Liturgy of Hours services three times a day and not leave the school grounds without permission. And if he is caught with cigarettes, alcohol or drugs, he will be dismissed.

Yet, their lives are similar to those of other teen-age boys: traveling down the school’s halls in packs, cracking jokes, razzing teachers and complaining loudly about their latest homework . . . in Latin.

“There are a lot of good things about this school,” says John Knoll, 18, of Fullerton, who wants to become a priest. “Responsibility is stressed. If you sleep late, it’s not the end of the world, but you learn there are consequences to your actions. You also learn to stand up for what you believe in and not be afraid.”

The boys’ Spartan cubicles sport iconography from both the spiritual and material worlds: crosses on the beds and walls, posters of Madonna (the “Blonde Ambition Tour”), boom boxes and sundry musical instruments.

During a recent noon Mass, all 150 students gathered in the school’s cavernous Baroque-style chapel to pray and sing. The sea of diverse young faces showed boys listening attentively as Father John Nghi, a faculty member, read aloud. Then four upperclassmen played hymns on their guitars while a fifth accompanied on the piano.

When Nghi announced “the Sign of Peace,” the boys rushed from their pews to shake hands, embrace and wish each other blessings. Camaraderie is very important here, among students, faculty, returning alumni and administration.

“There’s a lot of friendship,” says Cesar Castro, 18, of Santa Monica. “Everyone supports each other. When you have problems, you’re encouraged to talk to a close friend or go to one of the priests or teachers. You’re never without support.”

Rules at Queen of Angels are clearly laid out. Should a boy commit an infraction, he is issued demerits. Monthly listings of violations are posted prominently on a hall bulletin board. Tardiness, talking during Mass, sloppy uniform and messy dorm room are common infractions. According to Signey, more serious behavior problems are rare.

“When you compare here to other high schools, you see that the types of problems we encounter are insignificant,” says Signey. “But if one does arise, we go with it right away. We’ll work with the student and his family. And if the boy is troubled, his peers will come to his aid.”

Although many of the students are committed to a lifetime in the clergy, others are unsure. (It is estimated that 13% become priests).

School officials emphasize that no pressures are placed on students to accept the vocation; the decision must come from within. Each boy is required to select a priest as a personal spiritual adviser.

Faced with normal adolescent temptations, hormonal assaults, everyday problems and peer pressures, they spend their four years weighing their futures very carefully. (Although priests-to-be do not have to promise a lifetime of abstention until their final year of seminary, they are encouraged to lead chaste lives before that.)

“Sometimes they do have doubts, and they come to me,” says Father David Gallardo, head spiritual adviser. “They are particularly concerned about God’s calling. They ask me, ‘Did you feel this way? How will I know? Did this come up for you, too?’ And their doubts are very reasonable.”

According to Father Dick Martini, rector, students are “prepared for celibacy” through training in three skills:

* Intrapersonal (building self-esteem, enjoying solitude, understanding one’s sexual feelings).

* Interpersonal (caring for others, being generous).

* Personal freedom (taking charge of life, managing anger and expressing affection without sexuality).

“If celibacy is still mandatory when I am ordained, then that’s what I’ll do,” says senior Joe Wilhelm of Laguna Beach. “But there’s some talk about allowing clergy to marry, and that would be OK for me, too.”

Says Cesar Castro: “I’m willing to be celibate once I reach the priesthood, but meanwhile I do date.”

Senior John Knoll, however, views celibacy as an important requirement of religious life. “I think it is necessary in the life of a priest in order to give himself freely to the people. Certainly if it’s asked of me, that is the way I’ll live.”

Queen of Angels’ graduation statistics are impressive: Nearly 100% of each graduating class goes to college; about 10% of the student population drops out each year “because they recognize that seminary life is not for them,” Martini says.

Of the 1992 senior class of 21 boys, 13 will attend St. John’s Seminary College in Camarillo. The rest will go to college.

Perhaps the most famous Queen of Angels graduate is Cardinal Roger Mahony, who oversees the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

“The school’s setting beside the mission greatly inspired me,” he says. “It was a constant reminder of the roots of the church, Christianity’s beginnings in California, Father Serra and the sacrifices made in Jesus Christ’s name. Being there gave me a deeper sense of mission.”