More Men Studying to Become Priests
More men are studying to become Catholic priests, according to a new survey that shows their numbers to be at the highest level in six years.
The survey will be published in May by a research group at Georgetown University in Washington. It was first reported by USA Today.
Among the reasons for the increase is a larger number of men in their 30s and older who are entering Catholic seminaries after leaving secular careers.
Another factor is the increasing number of immigrants entering the priesthood. One in four priests ordained in 1998 in the United States was born outside the country.
But the number of new seminaries represents only half the number in the United States three decades ago. If all the prospective priests were ordained, they would not offset the number who retire, die or leave the priesthood each year, experts said.
The U.S. Catholic Conference estimates that there will be 21,000 active priests in 2005, a decrease of 40% from the mid-1960s.
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