Typical new U.S. priest: 33-year-old who prays Rosary, takes part in Eucharistic adoration

The typical member of the priestly ordination class of 2019 is a 33-year-old cradle Catholic, according to a recently released survey of 379 of the 481 men slated to be ordained to the priesthood in the United States this year. The survey was conducted for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate.
 
The typical ordinand regularly took part in Eucharistic adoration and prayed the Rosary before entering seminary, according to the survey.
 
Seventy-five percent of the men were preparing for the diocesan priesthood.
 
Twenty-five percent of the ordinands are foreign born, with the most typical foreign countries of birth being Mexico (5%), Nigeria (3%), Colombia (2%) and Vietnam (2%). On average, these foreign-born seminarians have lived in the United States for 14 years and arrived in the United States at age 22.
 
A high percentage of ordinands attended a Catholic elementary school (47%), Catholic high school (39%) or Catholic college (38%).
 
In addition, 11% were home schooled, typically for eight years, at a time when less than 2% of U.S. children were educated at home.
 
Among the survey’s findings:
 

• The typical diocesan ordinand lived in his diocese for 18 years before entering seminary;

 

• 70% of ordinands are white, 14% Latino, 8% Asian, and 6% black; 11% are converts, with the average age of reception into the Church being 18;

 

• 34% have a relative who was a priest or religious;

 

• 77% of the time, both parents were Catholic;

 

• 5% have served in the U.S. Armed Forces; 17% had a parent with a military career;

 

• 73% prayed the Rosary and 75% regularly participated in Eucharistic adoration before entering the seminary;

 

• Ordinands typically first began to consider the priesthood at age 16;

 

• 69% were encouraged by a parish priest to consider a vocation; 43% were encouraged by a friend, 39% by a parishioner, 38% by their mother and 33% by their father. The average ordinand received encouragement from four people;

 

• 45% were discouraged by someone from considering a priestly vocation. 6% were discouraged by a priest; 10% were discouraged by their fathers, 12% by their mothers and 23% by other family members;

 

• Ordinands, on average, have three siblings, with only 6% being only children;

 

• 38% are the oldest children in their families; 22% are the youngest;

 

• 55% had earned their undergraduate degree before entering seminary; 15% had earned a graduate degree;

 

• 68% worked full time before entering seminary;

 

• 53% took part in a parish youth group, 30% in Catholic campus ministry, 28% in Boy Scouts, 21% in a pro-life group, and 21% in the Knights of Columbus or Knights of Saint Peter Claver;

 

• 10% took part in the charismatic renewal, and 6% in Cursillo;

 

• 16% took part in a World Youth Day, 14% took part in a Franciscan University of Steubenville high school youth conference, 6% in FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students), and 5% in a National Catholic Youth Conference;

 

• 78% had served as altar servers, 53% as readers, 44% as extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, and 38% as catechists before entering seminary.