The class of 2010

The USCCB's snapshot of the ordination class of 2010 is now out.  The Catholic World News summary reads as follows ...

A survey of US seminarians who will be ordained this year has found that 31% were born outside the United States, with most coming from Mexico, Colombia, the Philippines, Poland and Vietnam.

Among the other findings of the survey:

the average (mean) age of ordinands is 37; the median age of diocesan ordinands is 33

10% are converts

37% have a relative who is a priest or religious

55% have more than two siblings

49% attended a Catholic elementary school, and 39% attended a Catholic college

60% completed college before entering the seminary; 92% held full-time jobs

16% had a parent with career military service

78% were encouraged by a priest to enter the seminary; few were influenced by vocational advertising

50% were discouraged by parents or other family members from considering the seminary; 15% were discouraged by priests, while 4% were discouraged by religious

19% attended a World Youth Day, and 8% attended a Franciscan University of Steubenville High School Youth Conference

67% regularly prayed the Rosary before entering seminary; 65% regularly took part in Eucharistic adoration

the seminarians typically began to consider a priestly vocation when they were 18

Two of these figures just jump out at me: Over half (55%) of these men come from families with 4 or more children and almost half (49%) attended a Catholic elementary school.  Large Catholic families and Catholic schools continue to be seedbeds of vocations (see here and here for similar results from another survey). It's too bad we don't have very many of either in DOR.

Also of interest is that the full report tells us that "about one in ten diocesan ordinands (10 percent) report that they lived in the diocese or eparchy for which they will be ordained less than a year before they entered the seminary."  Last year, this number was 17% and in 2008 it was 16%.  It is unclear whether this year's lower percentage actually means that fewer men are now feeling the need to seek ordination in dioceses other than their home dioceses, as fully 30% of the 2010 diocesan ordinands-to-be failed to answer this question.

Some readers might recall that the comments on my post concerning the class of 2009 indicated that several orthodox men raised in DOR have felt the need to seek ordination elsewhere (see here). I am looking forward to 2012 and beyond when, hopefully, that need will no longer exist.