Ordained Priests Older, Better Educated

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops released a host of interesting statistics relative to the men ordained during May of this year. The data was gathered by the USCCB Secretariat for Vocations and analyzed the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), the Catholic research group of Washington, DC that was chaired by Bishop Friend from 1997 – 2003.

Responses to the survey were submitted by 233 seminarians from 98 of the 195 dioceses and 24 of the more than 200 religious orders of men in America. Separate data was collected from 144 diocesan vocations directors and heads of 44 religious orders who estimated 359 potential ordinands.

Findings from the survey indicated:

• The average age of men ordained in 2006 is 37, with 22 percent under 30, and four percent over 60.
• Almost a third of the men were born outside the United States. Of ordinands born outside the U.S., the largest percentage came from Viet Nam, Mexico and the Philippines. Seventy percent of all men ordained last month were born in the United States.
• The percentage of ordinands who are Asian outpaces their average among the nation’s population, while the percentage of Hispanic and African Americans is lower than their average within the U.S. population.
• More than half of the men ordained attended a Catholic elementary school.
• About 75 percent of the ordinands reported having full-time work experience prior to entering the seminary, most often in education.
• Almost ten percent had served in the U.S. Armed Forces, more than of third of those in the Navy.
• Six percent of the ordinands were converts to Catholicism. (40% within the Diocese of Shreveport)
• More than half of these men gave time as altar servers, lectors, Eucharistic ministers, or participated in a parish spiritual retreat.
• Two-thirds of the ordinands were initially invited to consider the priesthood by a priest.

Chairman Blase Cupich, Bishop of Rapid City served as Chairman of the Bishops Committee on Vocations commented, “These are quality men that started out in the seminary with strong educational backgrounds and underwent thorough theological education and spiritual, human and pastoral formation throughout their seminary experience. The variety of backgrounds reflects the variety found in the current Catholic Community which will welcome them in parishes nationwide. The generosity of these men needs to be met by the entire community promoting and encouraging their sons to become ‘fishers of men.’

John Mark Willcox
Director of Vocations

(June 2006 issue of the Catholic Connection)