The New Seminarian

My, how things have changed. When I was a mere youth back in the 50s and 60s, most of the seminarians I knew had attended special high schools (aka, "minor seminaries") prior to going on to a college seminary and then to theological studies. By the time they were ordained, they had, therefore, been in a seminary of one form or another for 12 or more years -- and even longer for those in some religious orders. It seemed to be expected that the discernment of a priestly vocation came early in life.

I can recall chatting with a Maryknoll priest when he spent a day at my Catholic high school in suburban New York on what must have been a recruiting visit, and coming away from this brief interaction with an appointment to meet with him and his superior in Manhattan the following week. I really hadn't thought much about a religious vocation, but those Maryknollers were a persuasive bunch. And, as I recall, there might have been a few freebies involved, maybe even one of those big Maryknoll daily missals. As it happened, our subsequent meeting didn't last very long, maybe an hour. Once they had a chance to dig a bit deeper into my thoughts and expectations and slightly bent pysche, they realized I was an unlikely candidate for both the priesthood and the missions. I came, they saw, and we decided to go our separate ways. Thus ended my brief testing of the priestly vocational waters. It makes you wonder, though.  Would they have been so dismissive today, or would there have been follow-up meetings, discernment weekends, mini-retreats, etc.?

In any event, vocations directly out of high school are no longer the norm and, as a result, today's seminarian is very different from his predecessor in the 1950s. If you want to see how different, you can check out the U.S. Bishops' latest report on the current class of seminarians (2010). You can download the entire report (a PDF file) by clicking here. Here are some interesting facts gleaned from the report about those being ordained to the priesthood this year:

• 92% had a full-time job at some point prior to entering the seminary
• 60% completed college and 20% had a graduate degree before pursuing the priesthood
• One-third entered the seminary while still in college
• On average they were 18 when they first considered the priesthood
• The median age is 33 (the youngest is 25, and eleven men will be 65 or older when ordained) 
• 80% come from families where both parents are Catholic
• 80% were encouraged to consider the priesthood by a priest
• 37% had a relative who is a priest or a religious
• 67% regularly prayed the Rosary and 65% participated in Eucharistic adoration before entering the seminary
• 55% have more than two siblings; 24% have five or more siblings; 38% are the eldest child in their family
• 30% were born outside the US
• 70% are Caucasian; 13% are Hispanic/Latino; 10% Asian/Pacific Islanders

There's a lot more good information in the report and it should be required reading for all parish vocation committees.

Pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life.