Editor's Desk: Changing Complexion of Diocesan Priests

By Michael F. Flach
Herald Editor
(From the issue of 8/7/03)

A survey of men ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 2003 was conducted by the Life Cycle Institute in conjunction with the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Vocations. The survey asked 18 questions about the ordinand’s age, background, education, work experience, activities, hobbies, recognitions and experience with vocation efforts. Dean R. Hoge of Catholic University and graduate student Patrick Lynch computed the results.

Hoge said he found three significant changes in the ordinands since the research began in 1998. First, the average age at ordination rose from 34.8 to 36.8 years.

Second, the level of education prior to entering seminary rose. In 1998, 30 percent had less than a bachelor of arts or bachelor of science degree. In the 2003 sample, it was only 21 percent. The percentage who had received a master’s degree or professional degree beyond the bachelor of arts rose from 13 to 30 percent. "This is a notable change in only five years," Hoge said.

Third, the percentage of ordinands born outside the U.S. rose from 24 to 28 percent. The two principal countries of birth today are Vietnam and Mexico. In Arlington, Bishop Paul S. Loverde ordained a Vietnamese deacon, Augustine Minh Hai Tran, in early June. He is expected to be ordained a priest in 2004.

The 2003 survey included a series of questions asking the ordinands about their experiences with vocation programs. Personal contact, especially by a priest, friend or seminarian, was the vocation encouragement most often remembered. The second most common was retreat programs. Most ordinands have a history of parish activity, usually as altar servers, lectors and Eucharistic ministers. The most effective methods to encourage vocations are pamphlets and magazines.

Taking a closer look at the ethnic makeup of the ordinands, the survey reveals that 14 percent are Hispanics, a figure higher than in recent years. A 1984 survey of Catholic seminarians found that 7 percent were Hispanic. Although the numbers are encouraging, the 2003 figure is still lower than the total percentage of Hispanic Catholics in the U.S. population (estimated at 25-30 percent).

Asian or Pacific Islanders comprise 11 percent of ordinands, a figure higher than the percent in the total U.S. Catholic population (estimated to be between 2-3 percent). Only 1 percent are African-American, which is lower that the percentage of African-Americans in the U.S. Catholic population (estimated at 3-4 percent).

"This year’s class demonstrates once again that the Lord is calling gifted and talented men from all walks of life to the priesthood," said Father Edward J. Burns, executive director of the Secretariat for Vocations and Priestly Formation.

"The witness of local priests who engage and encourage their parishioners about their calling in life continues to show that most vocations are local and personal," he said. "In particular, it shows the impact of a priest’s personal invitation for a man to consider the priesthood."

The Archdiocese of Chicago led the nation this year with 16 men ordained to the priesthood. The Diocese of Rockford ordained 11, followed by Cleveland (10) and Boston (nine). The Society of the Divine Word, a religious order, ordained eight men, as did the archdioceses of Newark and St. Louis, and the dioceses of Bridgeport and Sacramento. St. Paul-Minneapolis, Baltimore and Austin ordained seven.

Additional information on the 2003 vocations survey is available at www.usccb.org/vocations. — M.F.F.

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