He’s 32 and has siblings. It’s highly likely he has had at least one job in the past and there is a one-third probability he was born in another country.
This is the profile of the new priests who are being ordained this year in the United States, according to an annual study published by Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) in Washington.
The “Survey of Ordinands to the Priesthood” is an annual study that has been carried out in the U.S. for 17 years now and always presents some very interesting data.
Every autumn, CARA asks all dioceses to point out the seminarists that should be accepted for priestly ordination the following year; ordinands are then each sent a questionnaire to fill in, their answers examined and the results published in the spring, just before their bishops ordain them to the priesthood.
The latest study shows 497 new priests were ordained this year in the United States. Their average age is 35, 5. The age is raised, partly due to the fact that a significant minority (about a quarter) are men who obtain priesthood after the age of 40. Splitting them into age groups – which is much more indicative in this case - shows that the age of most priesthood candidates is 32.
One important piece of data is the candidates’ origin: when asked about what ethnic group they belonged to, 67% of ordinands declared themselves to be white Caucasian and 15% stated they were Hispanic – this figure is significantly low in proportion to the number of Hispanics that make up America’s Catholic communities (30% approx.).
Conversely, the percentage of men of Asian or Pacific island origin being ordained to the priesthood is very high (10%).
Three out of ten ordinands are born outside the United States. Most of them have immigrated from Mexico, Vietnam, Colombia, Poland, the Philippines and Nigeria, in that order. They tend to be ordained to the priesthood after living in the country for 14 years.
23% of ordinands have obtained a degree by the time they enter the seminary: the subjects usually studied are philosophy and theology (23%), but also economic sciences (17%) and liberal arts (16%).
62% of ordinands say they have worked full time before entering the seminary, often as accountants and insurance agents.
4% say they have served in the armed forces.
Finally, it is worth pointing out that very few of the U.S.’s new priests are only children (only 3% of the sample examined).
The vast majority (52%) claim to have at least two siblings.
In 40% of cases it is the eldest son that decides to enter the priesthood.