Questions re: Priesthood

[SNJM]

Since you all seem to know EVERYTHING, I hope you can help me find the following the information. Yes, I've googled for answers (except the last ones which are personal questions) and no luck, just general numbers!!!

What diocese ordained the most priests in 2015?

What religious order ordained the most priests in 2015 ?

if you could be a diocesan priest, what diocese would you go to? (Please - women - answer these questions too - not as "women priests" but based on the "quality" of priests you encounter.)

if you could be a religious priest, which order and why?

Again, if you are reading this - woman or not - please answer this question based on your experience with priests in general:

if you felt you had a vocation to the priesthood, what would be your first choice?

 

Thank you!

 

 

 

 

[NadaTeTurbe]

if you could be a diocesan priest, what diocese would you go to? (Please - women - answer these questions too - not as "women priests" but based on the "quality" of priests you encounter.)

I can't answer as I am not an american, but I would serve my diocese. In France, many seminarians, sadly, treat their vocation as a supermarket. They go to the most popular and young diocese, without thinking about the need of their homeland. Without hesitation, I would serve my own diocese, to be able to serve the people around me, and the home where I am born. 

if you could be a religious priest, which order and why?

Jesuits, because St Ignace of Loyola rocks, and they have such a diversity of ministry. Or assumptionnist, since all the assumptionist priest that I have meet are very listening people, and my new SD is an assumptionist. 

Again, if you are reading this - woman or not - please answer this question based on your experience with priests in general:

if you felt you had a vocation to the priesthood, what would be your first choice?

Discerning my vocation  Then, I guess my diocese, and if I felt called to community life, jesuits or assumptionist. 

[chasmi]

Good question and interesting data you're seeking SNJM.  I can respond based on my geographic area, Michigan.  I think it might be nice to seek out what diocese' are most in need of priests.  There are many in the country that are in dire need.  The Archdiocese of Detroit is very much in need of priests and have a beautiful seminary, (major seminary), Sacred Heart Seminary located right in the heart of the city.  The Diocese of Toledo, Toledo Ohio is also in need of priests and have a wonderful and very prayerful new Bishop, Bishop Daniel Thomas.  He has become quite the figure in the diocese as well as the city of Toledo.  I believe the majority of the Toledo Diocese Seminarians attend the Josephinum (sp?) Seminary located near Columbus Ohio.

I personally think that if I were younger and seeking the religious life, I would check out the Holy Cross in Notre Dame IN.  Check out their ordination Masses on Youtube.  You can feel the joy and energy and the homilies and addresses help to understand the charism of the order.  They also have very nice and informative websites that address priest vocations as well as vocations to the brotherhood.

God's speed in your search!

Pax

 

 

[John Paul]

I meet a lot  pf amesome priests who are from the Mt.Saint Marys Seminary in Maryland

[Gabriela]

Why are you asking these questions?

[SNJM]

Because for the first time I have some young men discerning religious life with me. The first guy - I referred to a priest for SD & he ended up with the Vocation Office and got a very hard sell on the diocesan priesthood. This particular man is looking for a monastic community. He left, feeling very disappointed and frustrated. One of the things that he heard was how this particular Seminary has the MOST  seminarians & growth & this is where he belongs. He is now in a Monastery and beginning his way. 

I think men might do better with other men, but I won't - for obvious reasons - ever send anybody back to this vocation office.  One of the things that took some time to undo (for this client) was the focus on numbers. I asked that question from the VS researchers because I know if anybody could tell me the truth, it would be you all. I have read the recent CARA report, but it's too general & didn't give actual numbers. Also, I'm not of the school that puts quantity over quality yet, from this person's interaction,  this seems to the trend. 

i found a religious priest who is willing to see men for spiritual direction for free. I have excellent resources (especially anecdotal) on women's communities, but I don't have information on men's communities and seminaries.     

That is why I asked these questions. I would like to learn more and be more effective. 

Rose

Edited September 23, 2015 by SNJM
the only typo that jumped out at me, surely there are more!

[katherineH]

I don't know if the exact statistics to your questions exist or are readily available (I imagine CARA at Georgetown has data on this but I don't know if they're available to the public).  I have heard that Michigan has one of the highest number of seminarians (Lansing diocese, if my memory is correct). Lisa Ling's short documentary on the priesthood might be of interest to you - it's very well done and available on youtube. 

[Nunsuch]

I wonder about the question on numbers. In my opinion, a call to priesthood--like a call to religious life--is not quantitative but qualitative. Vocations aren't some kind of popularity contest.... Where are individuals called? Why? I would be suspicious of someone who was motivated by numbers.

[AveMariaPurissima]

Diocesan priesthood: I admit, I'm really only familiar with my home diocese, so I would (if I were a guy with a vocation) try there.  My archdiocese definitely needs more priests, and from what I can tell, all the priests ordained here in the past several years are very good. Our archdiocese has had some rough times in the past, but I think we're heading in a good direction overall now, and I think having more holy priests will help greatly to further transform the archdiocese.

Religious priesthood: I think the St. Joseph Province Dominicans are pretty darn awe.some!! As well as the other OP provinces in the U.S.

[veritasluxmea]

What diocese ordained the most priests in 2015?

What religious order ordained the most priests in 2015 ?

 I'm sorry I can't give a solid answer, is this of any help? As for religious orders, going on class size received, my best guess would be Dominicans, possibly western province. After that maybe Jesuits or the FSSP, I think they have similar class sizes. But don't take my word for it.

http://www.usccb.org/news/2015/15-055.cfm

if you could be a diocesan priest, what diocese would you go to?

 

 Probably Seattle, since that's my homeland and you can only join the diocese where you're from/live. I would seriously consider Phoenix since I've spent a significant amount of time there and it's a more supportive/active diocese. 

 

if you could be a religious priest, which order and why?

Well, if it's anything like my discernment as a female... I would explore an attraction to the Jesuits, CFRs, and probably the FSSP, but knowing myself think I would end up with the Dominicans. Maybe the FSSP. Just because if I was made to be a father, and express that as a priest, preaching and offering mass would be more closely imitating and following Christ. 

 

if you felt you had a vocation to the priesthood, what would be your first choice?

 

I think I would check out the diocesan priesthood just because that's the more obvious place to start- but knowing me, I think I would end up in a religious order and that would be my final choice/call. I just feel attracted to the evangelical counsels.  

[Luigi]

I don't know anything about the numbers of priests ordained per diocese. I don't know where you'd look it up, either. 

As for orders, it's probably the Dominicans, but the Jesuits or Holy Cross might be in the running. Benedictines could also be in the running, but with each monastery being independent, I don't know how you'd compare it accurately. And I'd look more at trends than at any given year.

If I went to a diocesan seminary, it would be St. Louis - they've had a fairly steady stream of 4-5-6 guys per year for the last few years, the formation is solid, the academics are solid, the theology is orthodox. It's getting a little too conservative for me in terms of externals - most of the seminarians wear cassocks most places these days, but I guess I could live with that. 

If I went to an order, my first inclination would be the Dominicans, but I could also go Benedictine. One major difference is mobility versus stability, but that part wouldn't matter to me too much. If I went Benedictine, I'd choose a monastery with a college, but Benedictine colleges are private, therefore expensive, therefore pretty exclusively for rich kids, and I have a pretty serious problem with rich people. Somebody needs to teach them, and train/convince them to support the Church, but I'm not the one to do it. By contrast, most of the Dominican churches (and houses of study, and seminaries, and provincial houses) I know of are in more diverse areas which may include some rich folks but also include lots of more needy folks. 

[Oremus Pro Invicem]

if you could be a diocesan priest, what diocese would you go to? (Please - women - answer these questions too - not as "women priests" but based on the "quality" of priests you encounter.)

if you could be a religious priest, which order and why?

Again, if you are reading this - woman or not - please answer this question based on your experience with priests in general:

if you felt you had a vocation to the priesthood, what would be your first choice?

 

Thank you!

If I could be a diocesan priest I would choose Seattle. It's my home and our priests could use the help.  Most of the priests I've encountered here have been from religious orders: Dominicans, Redemptorists, SOLT, Jesuits, and FSSP who've just recently gotten their own parish church in Tacoma, and are still working on a location near the Ballard area. 

If I could be a religious priest it would be, FSSP: I'm drawn to the Liturgy and the orthodoxy. It's been a blessing to be able to say, "I don't know about this, I will ask my priest" and know that  I'm going to be getting an orthodox answer.   Now I'm not saying there aren't orthodox diocesan priests, but rather that they are scattered around the area.  I also love that the FSSP have missions and that by going to them I would have absolutely no choice in where I'm sent.  This for me is huge since I view not having a choice in the location as being a great invitation to trust in God's providence.  My second choice would be The Canons Regular of Saint John Cantius.  Their mission is the restoration of the sacred in both the OF and EF and I think that is just amazing.  I would call both orders: Missionaries of the Liturgy. After those two my next two choices would be the Carmelite Monks in Wyoming and Franciscans of Primitive Observance. 

My first choice would be religious and then diocesan.

Edited September 24, 2015 by Oremus Pro Invicem

[Gabriela]

Because for the first time I have some young men discerning religious life with me. The first guy - I referred to a priest for SD & he ended up with the Vocation Office and got a very hard sell on the diocesan priesthood. This particular man is looking for a monastic community. He left, feeling very disappointed and frustrated. One of the things that he heard was how this particular Seminary has the MOST  seminarians & growth & this is where he belongs. He is now in a Monastery and beginning his way. 

I think men might do better with other men, but I won't - for obvious reasons - ever send anybody back to this vocation office.  One of the things that took some time to undo (for this client) was the focus on numbers. I asked that question from the VS researchers because I know if anybody could tell me the truth, it would be you all. I have read the recent CARA report, but it's too general & didn't give actual numbers. Also, I'm not of the school that puts quantity over quality yet, from this person's interaction,  this seems to the trend. 

i found a religious priest who is willing to see men for spiritual direction for free. I have excellent resources (especially anecdotal) on women's communities, but I don't have information on men's communities and seminaries.     

That is why I asked these questions. I would like to learn more and be more effective. 

Rose

I see. I agree with you that numbers are not the way to go when discerning. It's a very, very bad strategy for making that decision. One needs to follow one's heart, listen for the call, follow the heart, listen...

With that in mind, your first two questions are fine, but like katherineH and nunsuch, I don't know if these numbers exist (and all three of us do academic vocations research). CARA hasn't published them, and I wouldn't be surprised if they don't have them. The only person I'd suspect would have them would be in the Vatican, but why would they have them? They know how many men are ordained, but how many enter seminary...? Each bishop would know for his diocese, but why would other bishops have the numbers for other dioceses? The Church just isn't organized that way, and CARA likely wouldn't ever report such numbers even if they had them because it'd lead to the kind of "popularity competitions" others (including you) have already mentioned. That's no way to run a seminary (or a vocations office).

After the first two questions, though, I fail to understand the point. I mean, if you agree (which you seem to) that discernment is a very personal experience that's negotiated between a unique individual and God, then what does it matter for your directees where the rest of us (especially the women among us) would discern? What other people are doing or would do is irrelevant to them. They should be focusing on God's voice and their own hearts.

You're an SD, so I expect you know all this. I'm just pointing out why I perceive the questions not to match the goal here. Of course, if this is just another one of those "I'm curious what you all would do if..." thread, well then, okay!