J. S. Paluch Vocations Awareness Seminar

August 19, 2014

CURRENT TRENDS IN

VOCATIONS

& USCCB INITIATIVES

REV. JOHN GUTHRIE

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR

SECRETARIAT OF CLERGY, CONSECRATED LIFE

AND VOCATIONS

www.usccb.org/vocations

POWERPOINT AVAILABLE

General Demographic Trends

Profession Class of 2013

Ordination Class of 2014

CCLV/CARA Study on Consideration of a Religious Vocation

Key CCLV Initiatives

OUTLINE

The number of priests in the US

continues to decline by 1% annually

1995: 49,054

2005: 42,839

2013: 39,839 (26,979 diocesan)

*Average Age=62 years old (diocesan)

66 years old (religious)

DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS--PRIESTHOOD

Annually there is a 1% decrease

in number of priests and a 3%

increase in number of permanent

deacons

At that rate, there will be more

permanent deacons than priests

in the US by 2030

DID YOU KNOW?

1995: 511

2000: 442

2005: 454

2014: 477

DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS--ORDINATIONS

Average age is mid-thirties and

trending slightly younger—80%

between ages 25 and 39

More ethnically diverse but not

as diverse as general Catholic

population

NEWLY ORDAINED

20-30% of newly ordained were

born outside the US for each of

the last ten years (jumped to 31%

this year)

NEWLY ORDAINED

For newly ordained: 26% had debt coming into the seminary; average debt was $22,500

For newly professed:

Most religious did not report that educational debt delayed their entry

For those that did: averaged two years delay

Average debt: $31,100

EDUCATIONAL DEBT

1995: 3,172

2000: 3,474

2005: 3,308

2013: 3,441

DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS—DIOCESAN

SEMINARIANS

Continued overall decline in number of

sisters:

1995: 90,809

2005: 58,634

2013: 52,557

91% of sisters are 60 years old or older

69% of sisters are 70 years old or older

DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS—RELIGIOUS LIFE

Continued overall decline of

religious brothers

1995: 6,535

2005: 5,451

2013: 4,459

DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS—RELIGIOUS LIFE

On consideration of a religious

vocation by never-married youth and

young adults

Good news: 600,000 never-married

Catholics (aged 14-35) have

“seriously considered” a call to the

priesthood and religious life

2012 CCLV/CARA STUDY

Key factors were all RELATIONAL

Attendance in a Catholic School

Participation in parish youth groups

Personal encouragement

Personally knowing a priest,

seminarian or religious

2012 CCLV/CARA STUDY

Men are more than 6 times more

likely to seriously consider if they

attended a Catholic high school

Women are more than 3 times

more likely to seriously consider

if they attended a Catholic grade

school

CATHOLIC EDUCATION

For men, participation in youth group

at primary school level increases

serious vocational consideration by 5

times

For women, participation in youth

group at high school level increases

serious vocational consideration by 9

times

YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULT MINISTRY

Encouragement:

If one person encourages a person to

consider a religious vocation, he/she is

TWICE as likely to do so

If three persons encourage, he/she is

more than FIVE times as likely to do so

(the studies indicate that 3 seems to be

the key number)

IMPORTANCE OF RELATIONSHIPS

Knowing someone in religious life:

Knowing a priest, sister, brother or

seminarian, increases the

consideration of a religious

vocation by 1.5 times

IMPORTANCE OF RELATIONSHIPS

Hispanic Vocations

Youth, Young Adult and Campus

Ministry

World Youth Day

Catholic Volunteers

KEY CCLV INITIATIVES

HISPANIC

VOCATION

INITIATIVE

PERCENTAGE OF HISPANICS BY

GENERATION

2014 2013 National

Caucasian / White

67% 74% 54%

Hispanic / Latino

15% 12% 38%

Asian / Pacific Islander

11% 14% 5%

African / African American

4% 0% 3%

ANNUAL SURVEYS OF NEW PRIESTS

(2014) AND RELIGIOUS (2013)

NOTE:

Total Hispanic/Latino: 15%

US-Born Latinos: <5%

(The key target: 70% of young

Hispanic Catholics are US-born)

ANNUAL SURVEYS OF NEW PRIESTS

(2014) AND RELIGIOUS (2013)

Caucasian/White 65%

Hispanic/Latino 15%

Asian/Pacific 10%

African American 4%

Other 6%

FUTURE ORDINATION CLASSES

MAJOR SEMINARIANS (2013)

Caucasian/White 70%

Hispanic/Latino 20%

Asian/Pacific 6%

African American 3%

Other 2%

FUTURE ORDINATION CLASSES

COLLEGE SEMINARIANS (2013)

Percentage of Hispanics as:

Full members 6%

Members entering in last ten years

17%

Members in initial formation

13%

NRVC/CARA REPORT ON CULTURAL

DIVERSITY IN RELIGIOUS LIFE

Collaborative Relationships with:

National Conference of Diocesan Vocation Directors (NCDVD)

National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC)

Asociación Nacional de Sacerdotes Hispanos (ANSH)

National Catholic Council for Hispanic Ministry (NCCHM)

CCLV HISPANIC VOCATIONS INITIATIVE

In the curriculum of the annual New

Directors Workshop

Regional workshops for all directors to

develop intercultural competencies and

other strategies

Challenge: increase the numbers of

Hispanic vocation directors (currently

11% of all vocation directors are

Hispanic)

WITH NCDVD

CARA Study: Incorporating Cultural

Diversity in Religious Life

Proposed CARA study on the family

and its impact on vocations (funding

approved by the Hilton Foundation)

WITH NRVC

Annual update at their annual

conference—encourage them to

continue to build a culture of

vocations in the Hispanic

communities in which they serve

WITH ANSH

Raices y Alas Meeting in San Antonio

CCLV and NCDVD will offer a workshop

(repeated once)

Present the Framework for Promotion of

Hispanic Vocations in the United States

Offer best principles/practices for this

promotion

WITH NCCHM

From the 2012 CARA Study on Priesthood and

Religious Life among Never-married US

Catholics

Key factors which moved an individual to

seriously consider a vocation to priesthood or

religious life:

Catholic education

Youth and young adult ministry

Encouragement within key relationships

OTHER KEY CONSIDERATIONS (BEYOND

THE SOLE COMPETENCY OF CCLV)

Only 3% of all US Catholic

Hispanics attend a Catholic

school

CATHOLIC EDUCATION

CATHOLIC SCHOOLING MAKES A

DIFFERENCE FOR HISPANICS

Highest Level of Education among Adult Respondents

Less than

high school

High

school

Some

college

Bachelor's

degree or more

Male adults

Non-Hispanic white 4% 32% 35% 29%

Hispanic 26 38 17 19

Other race 0 26 32 42

Female adults

Non-Hispanic white 2% 32% 37% 29%

Hispanic 18 42 24 17

Other race 2 17 31 50

A KEY CHALLENGE: LEVEL OF EDUCATION

Family:

Importance of the family especially

in Hispanic cultures

¡Oye! is developing resources in

this area

Proposed NRVC/CARA study on the

family and its impact on vocations

IMPORTANCE OF RELATIONSHIPS

YOUTH, YOUNG ADULT

AND CAMPUS

MINISTRY

Collaboration with the National

Federation for Catholic Youth

Ministry (NFCYM)

Possible involvement of LaRed

Importance of World Youth Day

YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULT MINISTRY

Importance of a strategic plan—being

intentional

Once again, ongoing relationship is the

key

Professors (!) and support staff are very

important in a college level

Build a community of discernment

Spiritual direction

CAMPUS MINISTRY--BOSTON

COLLEGE/CARA STUDY

WORLD YOUTH DAY

Men who attended World Youth

Day (or NCYC) are MORE THAN

FOUR TIMES more likely to

consider being a priest or a

brother

WORLD YOUTH DAY

CATHOLIC VOLUNTEERS

FOR WOMEN—never-married Catholic population

Have you ever considered becoming a Catholic religious

sister?

CATHOLIC VOLUNTEER NETWORK STUDY

10%

90%

YES

NO

FOR WOMEN—Catholic volunteers

Have you ever considered becoming a Catholic religious

sister?

CATHOLIC VOLUNTEER NETWORK STUDY

33%

67%

YES

NO

FOR MEN—never-married Catholic population

Have you ever considered becoming a Catholic priest or

brother?

CATHOLIC VOLUNTEER NETWORK STUDY

13%

87%

YES

NO

FOR MEN—Catholic volunteers

Have you ever considered becoming a Catholic priest or

brother?

CATHOLIC VOLUNTEER NETWORK STUDY

54%

46% YES

NO

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

Secretariat of

Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations

www.usccb.org/vocations

email: jguthrie@usccb.org