More men want to be Catholic priests. Millennials are leading the way

[_Abyssinia]

The Rev. Benedict O’Cinnsealaigh looks out his office window at the courtyard below, marveling at how much his view has changed in just a few weeks.

Catholic church: More millennial priests fuel growth in seminaries

 

[angel12]

And yet there’s another thread (getting quite long) on “The Reason Why Young Men are Leaving the Church.”

 

[JimR-OCDS]

At The Athenaeum of Ohio - Mount St. Mary Seminary, enrollment had plummeted since the 1960s. But a recent spike in enrollment, driven by millennials, has spurred the first expansion of their Mount Washington campus in almost 60 years.

Sounds great until you realize that the increase has to do with Mount St Mary Seminary taking over for the other’s that closed years back.

So, the total number of men entering the priesthood is still down overall.

Jim

 

[_Abyssinia]

Sounds great until you realize that the increase has to do with Mount St Mary Seminary taking over for the other’s that closed years back.

So, the total number of men entering the priesthood is still down overall.

Jim

I’m really not sure that is the reason why their numbers are up…

As noted in the report, the seminarians are also younger. Isn’t the reason why their numbers are up because of new or fairly new seminarians?

 

[JimR-OCDS]

It’s what has taken place across the USA.

Here in Boston, St John’s Seminary is now the seminary serving all of the New England States.

There use to be a least one seminary in each of the states, but the decline of candidates to the priesthood ended up in closing them all except St John’s.

Also, they’re really not younger. Years back we had high-school seminaries where young men went through high-school in the seminary. Two from my parish made it all the way to ordination and then went to Argentina to serve in the Missionaries of La Salette.

Jim

 

[_Abyssinia]

It’s what has taken place across the USA.

Here in Boston, St John’s Seminary is now the seminary serving all of the New England States.

There use to be a least one seminary in each of the states, but the decline of candidates to the priesthood ended up in closing them all except St John’s.

Also, they’re really not younger. Years back we had high-school seminaries where young men went through high-school in the seminary. Two from my parish made it all the way to ordination and then went to Argentina to serve in the Missionaries of La Salette.

Jim

The percentage of seminarians age 29 and younger has increased, the statistics reveal that. There is no such upcline seen with seminarians aged 30 and older. Per 2015 NPR article:

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