ANNUAL STUDY ON PRIESTLY ORDINATION CLASS OF 2022
In conjunction with the World Day of Prayer for Vocations celebrated on Sunday August 8th, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations (CCLV) released the Ordination Class of 2022 Study, conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University. A few of the major findings of the report are:
· On average, responding ordinands first considered priesthood when they were 16 years old. Responding ordinands were scheduled for ordination on average 18 years later (at the age of 33).
· Three in five responding ordinands (60%) are Caucasian. One in five (22%) are Hispanic/Latino. One in ten (11%) are Asian/Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian. Relatively few (4%) are African/African American/black.
· A quarter (26%) are foreign-born. The most common countries of birth are Mexico (6%), Vietnam (4%), Colombia (2%), Brazil (2%), and India (2%).
· One in ten (9%) report being homeschooled. Between 39-42% of respondents attended a Catholic school on the K-12 and/or college level.
· Before entering seminary, 74% regularly participated in Eucharistic Adoration and 72% prayed the rosary.
· Half of responding ordinands (50%) participated in parish youth group, three in ten (28%) participated in Catholic Campus Ministry/Newman Center and 25% were involved in Boy Scouts.
· Seven in ten (74%) served as altar servers before entering the seminary. Other commonly cited parish ministries include lector (51%), extraordinary minister of Holy Communion (37%) and catechists (37%).
· Nine in ten (90%) were encouraged to consider the priesthood by someone in their life (most frequently, the parish priest, friend, or another parishioner).
· Sadly, half of responding ordinands (48%) were discouraged from considering the priesthood by one or more persons. Most often, this person was a family member (other than parents) or a friend/classmate.
The full CARA report and profiles of the Ordination Class of 2022 can be accessed here: https://www.usccb.org/committees/clergy-consecrated-life-vocations/ordination-classes