Priestly ordinations on the rise

By Susan Brinkmann
CS&T Correspondent

 
They came from all walks of life — scientists, lawyers, artists, laborers, real estate agents — and ranged in age from 25 to 70. One man had been a sous-chef for the Hyatt Hotel chain and another a hog farmer who had tended 10,000 hogs. Some men spent years working in foreign missions; others never left the town where they were born.
But in the year 2004, their paths merged at the same intersection of life — ordaination into the priesthood.
The findings in the recently issued Report on Survey of 2004 Priestly Ordinations, compiled by sociologist Dean R. Hoge of Catholic University’s Life Cycle Institute, are both encouraging and enlightening.
Of the 126 dioceses and 32 religious orders that responded in time to the survey, several of the largest U.S. dioceses reported significant increases in their 2004 ordination classes, including the Archdioceses of Chicago (14 men); Newark (14 men); and New York (13 men).
Several smaller dioceses also reported a major increase in the number of ordinations. The Diocese of Columbus, Ohio, ordained six men, which is their largest number in 20 years; and the Diocese of Providence, R.I. ordained seven men, its highest number in 10 years. 
Hoge’s report finds three changes in the ordinands since his research began in 1998. “First, the average age at ordination rose from 34.8 to 37.0 years. Second, the level of education prior to entering the seminary rose. ...Third, the percentage born outside the U.S. rose from 24 to 31 percent.”
Although the mean age of the 336 ordinands in the survey rose 0.2 from last year, the majority [49 percent] remain under the age of 35. Three percent were over 60.
When Hoge first began tracking trends in ordinands in 1998, he found that 30 percent did not have a B.A. or B.S. degree. By 2004, that figure had dropped to 22 percent.
Correspondingly, the percentage of those who had a master’s or professional degree rose from 13 to 28 percent. Hoge called this a “notable change” in only six years. 
Also worth noting is that more than 50 percent of the ordinands attended Catholics schools. This is most notable at the secondary and college level.
Forty-two percent of the ordinands attended Catholic high schools, compared to 26 percent in the general population. At the college level, 46 percent attended Catholic colleges, compared to 10 percent among the general population.
Perhaps the most interesting numbers reflect an ever-increasing ethnic diversity.
“Hispanic [Latino] and Asian or Pacific Islanders each made up 12 percent of the ordinands, a figure higher than in recent years,” Hoge reported. Twenty years ago, in 1984, a nationwide survey of seminarians showed this number to be seven percent. The present number is still lower than the percentage of Hispanics in the total U.S. Catholic population today, which is estimated at 25 to 30 percent.
Another population that is under-represented in the priesthood is African-American,which represents one percent of the 2004 national ordination class.
On the other hand, Asians and Pacific Islanders, who make up two to three percent of the total U.S. population, represented 12 percent of the total 2004 ordinations 
In total, 31 percent of the 2004 ordinands were born outside the U.S., which represents an increase of seven percent from 1998. The four principal countries of birth reported were Vietnam, Mexico, the Philippines and Poland.
Overall, the report found that God’s call can be heard anywhere and at anytime in a man’s life.
One ordinand was originally a Quaker who was raised as a Methodist and converted to Catholicism after watching his wife’s parish gather around her while she lay dying of multiple sclerosis. Another man served as a legislative assistant in the U.S. Congress, and one ordinand had been a doctor for 40 years before becoming a priest. A police detective, several lawyers and a judge also answered the same calling last year — the priesthood.
“The trend is definitely up,” said Father John F. Babowitch, vocations director at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. “In my opinion, the trend right now is more high school men have been taking the opportunity to contemplate a call.”
He attributes this trend to a number of programs in place in high schools, to personal interviews he conducts every Thursday with young men contemplating a call, and also to the fact that more priests are talking to young men about the priesthood.
New vocations spring from prayer and invitation, Father Babowitch said. “When we make time for prayer in our parishes, be it the rosary, novenas, the Mass, and also encourage our parishioners to never be afraid to approach a young person and ask, ‘Have you ever thought of becoming a priest or religious?’ These two vital elements go hand in hand — prayer and invitation.”
Involving young men in parish life — as altar servers, Extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion and sacristans — continues to augment vocations wherever solid programs are in place. Seventy-four percent of the ordinands in Hoge’s survey were altar servers; 69 percent were lectors; 65 percent were Eucharistic ministers; 60 percent were retreatants. Youth ministry, right-to-life clubs and the Knights of Columbus have also proven to be fertile ground for the development of tomorrow’s priests.

Contact Susan Brinkmann at fiat723@aol.com or (215) 965-4615