 | What is the average age of a person entering the seminary or a religious order?
According to a study in 1993, the average age for seminarians was 32, whereas it was 25 in 1966.
In 1998, 34 percent of men ordained were between 30-34 years of age; 26 percent were under the age of 30; and 80 percent were under the age of 50.
The average age of religious order seminarians tends to be somewhat older than that of diocesan seminarians.
Seminarians come from a variety of educational backgrounds.
In 1998, many seminarians who were ordained were educators, some had militariy experience.
Some were leaders in college activities. Paul Hudock, 30, of the Diocese of Wheeling, West Virginia, was senior class president of Shepherd College in Shepherdstown, W.Va.. Thomas P. Doyle, C.S.C., 31, who will be ordained as a member of the Indiana Province of the Congregation of the Holy Cross, was student body president at the University of Notre Dame.
Some were preceded into the priesthood by relatives. Brian Lang, 38, a studio artist, joined his brother, Father James Lang, as a priest in the Diocese of Syracuse, N.Y.
There are many older men who, after working in various careers, have heard the call to ordained priesthood. Richard DeMolen, Ph.D., 59, of the Diocese of Reno, Nev., and Anthony Gomez, 45, of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, were teachers.
Albert J. Fornace, 78, of the Diocese of Orlando, Fla., was a cardiologist for 50 years. Francis Raffo, Jr., 54, of the Diocese of Raleigh, N.C., was a chemical engineer.
Two percent of the seminarian class of 1998 were lawyers, including Thomas Bastian, 34, of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, N.Y.
Douglas R. Arcoleo, 33, of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, N.Y., was a stage hand at NBC and worked for Saturday Night Live.
Some have dramatic stories. Hoa Xuan Nguyen, 35, of the Diocese of Forth Worth, Texas, survived being lost at sea for 30 days before being rescued by an American Navy ship after the fall of Saigon in 1975.
Todd Mlsna, 30, of La Crosse, Wis., is visually handicapped and legally blind, yet successfully completed seminary studies.
David Bristow, 58, of the Forth Worth (Texas) diocese, was an Episcopal priest and a winner of two bronze stars and three purple hearts for service in the United States Navy.
Many members of the class had extraordinary involvement in their parishes. John Torrez, 28, of the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kan., worked in religious education, evangelization and assisted migrants in entering the church.
Many men have entered the seminary immediately after completion of an undergraduate degree. David J. Lies, 28, of the Diocese of Wichita, Kan., joined the seminary after completing his bachelor degree in English.
Many had academic honors or other achievements. Thomas Kirchhoefer, 26, of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, Mo., was an eagle scout. Richard DeMolen was a Fulbright scholar and winner of the National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship. Anthony Gomez spent 25 years as a racer in national roller skating competitions.
Almost a quarter of the men were born outside the United States. Doan The Pham, 38, is among the four percent of the class born in Vietnam. Akan Simon, 32, of the Diocese of Rockford, Ill., is among the two percent from Africa. An additional four percent were born in Mexico.
Portions of this text come from the USCCB website for vocations |