May 22, 2005

Photo by Dan McWilliams
Bishop Joseph E. Kurtz lays hands on José Manuel Pérez during his ordination to the diaconate Nov. 20 at St. Mary Church in Athens. Deacon Pérez is scheduled for priestly ordination in his hometown of Cuchicuato, Guanajuato, Mexico, on May 28. Praying beside Bishop Kurtz is Michael Maples, who was ordained a deacon on Oct. 23 at St. Meinrad Archabbey Church in Indiana. Deacon Maples will be ordained a priest on July 1 at Sacred Heart Cathedral, along with Deacon David Carter.

Those to be ordained this year tend to be older and better educated than in years past, and more are foreign-born.

WASHINGTON (CNS)—The ordination class of 2005 in the United States reflects an increase in the number of older and better educated priests and an increase in the number of those born in foreign countries, according to a report conducted by sociologist Dean Hoge of The Catholic University of America in Washington.

Hoge based his report on the trends seen in ordination classes since 1998 and compared with data on men to be ordained this year who responded to an annual survey conducted by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

He noted that the average ordination age has increased from 34.8 to 37 in the past seven years. He also said men entering the priesthood now tend to have a higher level of education. In 1998, 30 percent of candidates had less than a bachelor’s degree, but in the 2005 sample, only 28 percent had less than a bachelor’s degree. The percentage of candidates who had received a master’s degree or a professional degree beyond a bachelor’s degree also rose from 13 to 32 percent.

Another finding in the report was the percentage of new priests born outside the United States; since 1998 it has risen from 24 percent to 27 percent. Today new priests are primarily from Vietnam, Mexico, the Philippines, and Poland.

An example from the Diocese of Knoxville is José Manuel Pérez, 29, to be ordained May 28 in his hometown of Cuchicuato, Guanajuato, Mexico. Deacon Pérez is one of three men being ordained for Knoxville this year. The others are Deacon David Carter of St. John Neumann Parish in Farragut and Deacon Michael Maples, 34, of Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Alcoa. Both men are scheduled for priestly ordination on July 1 at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Knoxville.

This year 286 members of the 2005 ordination class responded to the survey. Of the respondents, 251 were preparing to be diocesan priests and 35 were entering religious congregations. Not all dioceses and religious orders responded.

Half the diocesan ordinands are under age 35, including Deacon Carter, 26, a student at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. Four percent are older than 60, including a 70-year-old ordinand who is a widowed father of three.

Asian or Pacific Islanders make up 12 percent of all the ordinands, a percentage substantially higher than the estimated 2 percent to 3 percent of the Asians or Pacific Islanders in the total U.S. Catholic population.

The percentage of Hispanic/Latino seminarians dropped to 10 percent from last year’s 12 percent. The figure is significantly lower than the estimated 25 percent to 30 percent of Catholics who are Hispanic/Latino. Only 1 percent of the class of 2005 is African-American. African-Americans constitute 3 percent to 4 percent of U.S. Catholics.

For 2005 the Archdiocese of Chicago and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis have the most ordinands with 16 and 15, respectively.

The report suggests that Catholic education at the high school and college level is a significant factor in cultivating vocations.

Forty percent of the ordinands attended Catholic high school, compared with 26 percent of the general U.S. population. The report also noted that 45 percent of the ordinands attended a Catholic college or university, compared with 10 percent of the nation’s 35- to 54-year-olds.

Six percent of the ordinands are converts to the Catholic faith. Hoge’s report said the average age at which ordinands joined the Catholic Church is 22.2.

Alonzo Garcia, who will be ordained for the Diocese of Tucson, Ariz., converted when he was 12. Tyson Wood, from the Archdiocese of Baltimore, was a Lutheran pastor for six years before he became a Catholic.

Many of the ordinands took part in diocesan and parish vocation programs. Thirty-nine percent participated in diocesan programs that included visits to seminaries or monasteries, and 20 percent attended parish vocation programs. Twenty-seven percent participated in World Youth Day events.

The survey also showed that many of the candidates had been involved in parish activities:

• 59 percent were eucharistic ministers.
• 76 percent were altar servers.
• 68 percent were readers.
• 53 percent attended religious retreats.

Bishop Blase J. Cupich of Rapid City, S.D., the chairman of the USCCB Vocations Committee, noted the wide-ranging background of the class of 2005. “It is heartening to know that these men are coming from all walks of life and the ranks of the priesthood are being filled by candidates from such diverse backgrounds,” Bishop Cupich said.

“These men will enrich the church. They offer great promise.”

Photo by Dan McWilliams
David Carter prostrates himself during his diaconate ordination July 17 at St. John Neumann Church in Farragut. Kneeling in prayer are (from left) Bishop Joseph E. Kurtz, Deacon Donald Amelse, and Deacon Carter’s younger brother, Travis. Having recently completed his studies at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, Deacon Carter will be ordained a priest on July 1 at Sacred Heart Cathedral.

Copyright 2005 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops