2013 ordination class stats

Here's the typical, newly-ordained Catholic priest in the U.S.: a 32 year-old, cradle Catholic who regularly prays the Rosary and attends Eucharistic Adoration.

In other words, they're this guy:

32-year-old Jorge Borgoglio (now Pope Francis),
pictured just before his ordination to the priesthood.

Yep, according to research findings recently released by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), the majority of men being ordained to the priesthood are regularly doing the things that the Church has long insisted helps to strengthen spiritual lives (i.e. praying and adoring Christ in the Most Blessed Sacrament).

Shocking, I know.

Here's more from CatholicCulture.org:


Among the survey’s findings:

• the median age of ordinands is 32; the mean age, 35.5
• the typical diocesan ordinand lived in his diocese for 18 years before entering seminary, though 15% had lived in their diocese for less than a year before entering seminary
• 67% of ordinands are white, 15% are Latino, 10% are Asian, and 5% are black
• 9% are converts, with the average age of reception into the Church being 24
• 34% have a relative who was a priest or religious
• in 81% of cases, both parents were Catholic
• 4% have served in the US Armed Forces; 13% had a parent who spent his career in the military
• 68% regularly prayed the Rosary, and 62% regularly participated in Eucharistic adoration, before entering the seminary
• ordinands typically first began to consider the priesthood at 16
• 67% were encouraged by their parish priest to consider a vocation; 46% were encouraged by a friend, 38% by a parishioner, 34% by their mother, and 22% by their father
• 19% were discouraged by a priest from considering a vocation; 30% were discouraged by their fathers, 28% by their mothers, 43% by other family members
• 20% have five or more siblings, 10% have four siblings, 22% have three siblings, 24% have two siblings, 21% have one sibling, and 3% have no siblings
• 40% are the oldest children in their families
• 63% had earned their undergraduate degree before entering seminary, and 23% had earned a graduate degree
• 62% worked full time before entering seminary
• 47% took part in a parish youth group, and 35% took part in Boy Scouts
• 20% took part in a World Youth Day, and 11% took part in a Franciscan University of Steubenville summer conference
• 67% had served as altar servers, 55% as readers, and 46% as extraordinary ministers of the Holy Communion before entering seminary

For more To take a look at the entire report, click here.