You have been a spiritual father to many, and some of those will do the same for others, infinite ripples spreading outward. I was just thinking of telling you that for father's day and why I came back to the site at this time, only to see Charleston beat me to it.
-- The Church Welcomes a Wave of New Members in 2024.
"Following the wave of lockdowns, restrictions, and other public-health measures that swept through the Americas, Europe, and beyond in 2020-21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, persons in and outside the Catholic Church expressed understandable worry that public religious observation would never recover."
"It comes as a welcome surprise, then, that reports have surfaced over the last month of incremental but hopeful Catholic growth in parts of the West."
"According to the Bishops’ Conference of France (CEF), 7,135 adults received baptism at the 2024 Easter Vigil. This constitutes a 32% increase from 2023’s numbers and a greater than 51% increase from the 3,639 adults who were baptized in 2021."
"Concurrently, adolescent baptisms in France show hopeful growth, with the number being baptized doubling over the past year."
"English Catholicism’s central church, Westminster Cathedral, reportedly had to turn people away on Good Friday after the building reached its capacity of 3,000 persons. People attending some of England’s other historic Catholic churches reported similarly strong numbers during the Paschal Triduum."
"On the other side of the world, the Archdiocese of Sydney, Australia rejoiced in what it called a “bumper crop” of new converts to the Faith at Easter. And while precise numbers are hard to come by at the moment, social-media platforms such as X and Instagram were replete with Easter-related messages."
"In the United States, certain dioceses have reported strong growth during the Easter season. The Archdiocese of Baltimore released a statement that 663 souls entered the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil, which represents a 50% uptick from 2023’s number of 437."
"The Archdiocese of Los Angeles saw 2,075 catechumens unite themselves to the Catholic Church, a number that broke the archdiocese previous record of 1,508 souls in 2016."
"Similarly, the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston witnessed a 30% increase over 2023 numbers; the Archdiocese of San-Antonio was just ahead of that at 39%; and and the Archdiocese of New Orleans’s converts by rose by 48% from the previous year."
"Other dioceses reporting a significant increase in persons received into the Church include the Dioceses of Fort Worth, Texas; Marquette, Lansing, and Grand Rapids, Michigan; Grand Island, Nebraska; Des Moines, Iowa; Little Rock, Arkansas; St. Augustine, Florida; and Knoxville, Tennessee."
"With respect to Catholicism in particular, many recent converts praise the Church’s moral and doctrinal clarity, even during this high point of crisis in her midst."
"The Church has found ways to flower for centuries in poor soil before vitalizing it with the words of the Gospel and the blood of the martyrs."
"If the Church can build Western civilization while helping to spread its greatest spiritual and intellectual treasures, surely she can rebuild it piece by piece, soul by soul."
"This report presents findings from a national survey of seminarians scheduled for ordination to the priesthood in 2024. The survey was administered between January 10 and March 10, 2024."
"Out of 475 ordinands invited to participate, 392 ordinands responded to the survey. The response rate is 83%."
=======
Type of Priesthood:
-- Four in five responding ordinands (83%) are preparing for ordination to a diocese or eparchy. Responding ordinands in religious institutes comprise 17%. The biggest group of responding ordinands (38%) is completing studies at one of the seminaries in the Midwest. Relatively few (5%) are completing studies at a seminary abroad.
-- On average, responding diocesan ordinands lived in the diocese or eparchy for which they will be ordained for 16 years before they entered the seminary. Responding ordinands in religious institutes knew the members of their religious institute for 6 years, on average, before entering.
=======
Age:
-- On average, responding ordinands first considered priesthood when they were 16 years old. Responding ordinands were scheduled for ordination, on average, 18 years later (at the age of 34).
-- Since 1999, the average age of responding ordinands has been in the mid-thirties, trending slightly younger, from an average of 36 in 1999 to the current average age of 35.
=======
Race/Ethnicity and Culture:
-- Two in three responding ordinands (67%) are Caucasian. One in five (18%) is Hispanic/Latino. One in ten (11%) is Asian/Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian.
-- Relatively few (2%) are African/African American/Black.
-- One quarter of responding ordinands (23%) is foreign-born. By comparison, since 1999, on average, 28% of responding ordinands were foreign-born.
-- The four most common countries of birth among the foreign-born are Mexico (5% of all responding ordinands), Vietnam (4%), Colombia (3%), and Philippines (2%). On average, foreign-born responding ordinands came to live in the United States 14 years ago, at the age of 22.
"This report presents findings from a national survey of seminarians scheduled for ordination to the priesthood in 2024. The survey was administered between January 10 and March 10, 2024."
"Out of 475 ordinands invited to participate, 392 ordinands responded to the survey. The response rate is 83%."
=======
Type of Priesthood:
-- Four in five responding ordinands (83%) are preparing for ordination to a diocese or eparchy. Responding ordinands in religious institutes comprise 17%. The biggest group of responding ordinands (38%) is completing studies at one of the seminaries in the Midwest. Relatively few (5%) are completing studies at a seminary abroad.
-- On average, responding diocesan ordinands lived in the diocese or eparchy for which they will be ordained for 16 years before they entered the seminary. Responding ordinands in religious institutes knew the members of their religious institute for 6 years, on average, before entering.
=======
Age:
-- On average, responding ordinands first considered priesthood when they were 16 years old. Responding ordinands were scheduled for ordination, on average, 18 years later (at the age of 34).
-- Since 1999, the average age of responding ordinands has been in the mid-thirties, trending slightly younger, from an average of 36 in 1999 to the current average age of 35.
=======
Race/Ethnicity and Culture:
-- Two in three responding ordinands (67%) are Caucasian. One in five (18%) is Hispanic/Latino. One in ten (11%) is Asian/Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian.
-- Relatively few (2%) are African/African American/Black.
-- One quarter of responding ordinands (23%) is foreign-born. By comparison, since 1999, on average, 28% of responding ordinands were foreign-born.
-- The four most common countries of birth among the foreign-born are Mexico (5% of all responding ordinands), Vietnam (4%), Colombia (3%), and Philippines (2%). On average, foreign-born responding ordinands came to live in the United States 14 years ago, at the age of 22.
-- One in ten responding ordinands (10%) reported being home schooled. Among those who were home schooled, the average length of home schooling was 8 years.
-- Between 32% and 42% of all responding ordinands attended a Catholic school at the K12 and/or college level. Two in three responding ordinands (67%) participated in a religious education program in their parish, for 7 years on average.
-- Three in five responding ordinands (60%) completed an undergraduate degree or a graduate degree before entering the seminary.
-- Among those who attended undergraduate or graduate school before entering the seminary, the most common fields of study included business, liberal arts, philosophy, and engineering.
-- One in five responding ordinands (21%) carried educational debt at the time they entered the seminary (or religious institute), which was $26,898 on average. Between entering seminary and ordination, the average amount of debt carried by responding ordinands in religious institutes decreased by 72% and the average amount of debt carried by responding diocesan ordinands decreased by 11% since entering the seminary (unadjusted for inflation).
=======
Work:
-- Seven in ten responding ordinands (70%) reported having full-time work experience prior to entering the seminary.
-- Relatively few responding ordinands (4%) served in the U.S. Armed Forces.
=======
Family Background:
-- Nine in ten responding ordinands (92%) reported being baptized Catholic as an infant. Among those who became Catholic later in life, the average age of conversion was 23.
-- Three in ten responding ordinands (29%) have or had a relative who is a priest or religious.
-- Four in five responding ordinands (82%) reported that both their parents were Catholic when they were children. The vast majority of responding ordinands (95%) were raised during the most formative part of their childhood by their biological parents.
=======
Vocational Discernment:
-- In regard to prayer practices, three quarters of responding ordinands participated in Eucharistic Adoration (75%) on a regular basis before entering the seminary, as compared to 71% who prayed rosary, 50% who attended prayer/Bible group, and 40% who engaged in Lectio Divina.
-- In regard to group activities, half of responding ordinands (51%) participated in parish youth group before entering the seminary, as compared to 33% who participated in Catholic campus ministry, 28% who participated in Boy Scouts, and 24% who participated in Knights of Columbus/ KPC.
-- In regard to participation in parish ministries, seven in ten responding ordinands (71%) served as altar servers before entering the seminary, as compared to 48% who served as lectors, 41% who served as EMHC, and 32% who served as catechists.
-- Nine in ten responding ordinands (89%) reported being encouraged to consider the priesthood by someone in their life (most frequently by parish priest, friend, or parishioner).
-- Half of responding ordinands (45%) indicated that they were discouraged from considering the priesthood by one or more persons. Most often, this person was a friend or school classmate, mother, father, or other family member.
=======
Formation:
-- In regard to participation in formation activities in seminary, three quarters of responding ordinands (74%) reported that pastoral year internship contributed at least “somewhat” to their vocation.
7 comments:
You have been a spiritual father to many, and some of those will do the same for others, infinite ripples spreading outward. I was just thinking of telling you that for father's day and why I came back to the site at this time, only to see Charleston beat me to it.
Happy Father's Day to:
Fathers McDonald, Kavanaugh, Fox, as well as Evans. I thank each of you for your holy service to God and His True Church.
=======
I am sure that there have been times during which I addressed each of you in unacceptable fashion. I ask your forgiveness for that.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
With Father McDonald's permission:
Excerpts from an April 25, 2024 SSPX article:
-- The Church Welcomes a Wave of New Members in 2024.
"Following the wave of lockdowns, restrictions, and other public-health measures that swept through the Americas, Europe, and beyond in 2020-21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, persons in and outside the Catholic Church expressed understandable worry that public religious observation would never recover."
"It comes as a welcome surprise, then, that reports have surfaced over the last month of incremental but hopeful Catholic growth in parts of the West."
"According to the Bishops’ Conference of France (CEF), 7,135 adults received baptism at the 2024 Easter Vigil. This constitutes a 32% increase from 2023’s numbers and a greater than 51% increase from the 3,639 adults who were baptized in 2021."
"Concurrently, adolescent baptisms in France show hopeful growth, with the number being baptized doubling over the past year."
"Anecdotal evidence suggests potential renewed growth."
"English Catholicism’s central church, Westminster Cathedral, reportedly had to turn people away on Good Friday after the building reached its capacity of 3,000 persons. People attending some of England’s other historic Catholic churches reported similarly strong numbers during the Paschal Triduum."
"On the other side of the world, the Archdiocese of Sydney, Australia rejoiced in what it called a “bumper crop” of new converts to the Faith at Easter. And while precise numbers are hard to come by at the moment, social-media platforms such as X and Instagram were replete with Easter-related messages."
"In the United States, certain dioceses have reported strong growth during the Easter season. The Archdiocese of Baltimore released a statement that 663 souls entered the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil, which represents a 50% uptick from 2023’s number of 437."
"The Archdiocese of Los Angeles saw 2,075 catechumens unite themselves to the Catholic Church, a number that broke the archdiocese previous record of 1,508 souls in 2016."
"Similarly, the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston witnessed a 30% increase over 2023 numbers; the Archdiocese of San-Antonio was just ahead of that at 39%; and and the Archdiocese of New Orleans’s converts by rose by 48% from the previous year."
"Other dioceses reporting a significant increase in persons received into the Church include the Dioceses of Fort Worth, Texas; Marquette, Lansing, and Grand Rapids, Michigan; Grand Island, Nebraska; Des Moines, Iowa; Little Rock, Arkansas; St. Augustine, Florida; and Knoxville, Tennessee."
"With respect to Catholicism in particular, many recent converts praise the Church’s moral and doctrinal clarity, even during this high point of crisis in her midst."
"The Church has found ways to flower for centuries in poor soil before vitalizing it with the words of the Gospel and the blood of the martyrs."
"If the Church can build Western civilization while helping to spread its greatest spiritual and intellectual treasures, surely she can rebuild it piece by piece, soul by soul."
Pax.
Mark Thomas
Yesterday, God blessed us with a great sign of hope as His Holy Catholic in Washington, D.C., ordained 16 men into the holy priesthood.
Deo gratias!
Pax.
Mark Thomas
With Father McDonald's permission:
Part 1 of 2.
From the USCCB:
"This report presents findings from a national survey of seminarians scheduled for ordination to the priesthood in 2024. The survey was administered between January 10 and March 10, 2024."
"Out of 475 ordinands invited to participate, 392 ordinands responded to the survey. The response rate is 83%."
=======
Type of Priesthood:
-- Four in five responding ordinands (83%) are preparing for ordination to a diocese or eparchy. Responding ordinands in religious institutes comprise 17%. The biggest group of responding ordinands (38%) is completing studies at one of the seminaries in the Midwest. Relatively few (5%) are completing studies at a seminary abroad.
-- On average, responding diocesan ordinands lived in the diocese or eparchy for which they will be ordained for 16 years before they entered the seminary. Responding ordinands in religious institutes knew the members of their religious institute for 6 years, on average, before entering.
=======
Age:
-- On average, responding ordinands first considered priesthood when they were 16 years old. Responding ordinands were scheduled for ordination, on average, 18 years later (at the age of 34).
-- Since 1999, the average age of responding ordinands has been in the mid-thirties, trending slightly younger, from an average of 36 in 1999 to the current average age of 35.
=======
Race/Ethnicity and Culture:
-- Two in three responding ordinands (67%) are Caucasian. One in five (18%) is Hispanic/Latino. One in ten (11%) is Asian/Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian.
-- Relatively few (2%) are African/African American/Black.
-- One quarter of responding ordinands (23%) is foreign-born. By comparison, since 1999, on average, 28% of responding ordinands were foreign-born.
-- The four most common countries of birth among the foreign-born are Mexico (5% of all responding ordinands), Vietnam (4%), Colombia (3%), and Philippines (2%). On average, foreign-born responding ordinands came to live in the United States 14 years ago, at the age of 22.
=======
Pax.
Mark Thomas
From the USCCB:
"This report presents findings from a national survey of seminarians scheduled for ordination to the priesthood in 2024. The survey was administered between January 10 and March 10, 2024."
"Out of 475 ordinands invited to participate, 392 ordinands responded to the survey. The response rate is 83%."
=======
Type of Priesthood:
-- Four in five responding ordinands (83%) are preparing for ordination to a diocese or eparchy. Responding ordinands in religious institutes comprise 17%. The biggest group of responding ordinands (38%) is completing studies at one of the seminaries in the Midwest. Relatively few (5%) are completing studies at a seminary abroad.
-- On average, responding diocesan ordinands lived in the diocese or eparchy for which they will be ordained for 16 years before they entered the seminary. Responding ordinands in religious institutes knew the members of their religious institute for 6 years, on average, before entering.
=======
Age:
-- On average, responding ordinands first considered priesthood when they were 16 years old. Responding ordinands were scheduled for ordination, on average, 18 years later (at the age of 34).
-- Since 1999, the average age of responding ordinands has been in the mid-thirties, trending slightly younger, from an average of 36 in 1999 to the current average age of 35.
=======
Race/Ethnicity and Culture:
-- Two in three responding ordinands (67%) are Caucasian. One in five (18%) is Hispanic/Latino. One in ten (11%) is Asian/Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian.
-- Relatively few (2%) are African/African American/Black.
-- One quarter of responding ordinands (23%) is foreign-born. By comparison, since 1999, on average, 28% of responding ordinands were foreign-born.
-- The four most common countries of birth among the foreign-born are Mexico (5% of all responding ordinands), Vietnam (4%), Colombia (3%), and Philippines (2%). On average, foreign-born responding ordinands came to live in the United States 14 years ago, at the age of 22.
=======
Pax.
Mark Thomas
Part 2 of 2:
Education:
-- One in ten responding ordinands (10%) reported being home schooled. Among those who were home schooled, the average length of home schooling was 8 years.
-- Between 32% and 42% of all responding ordinands attended a Catholic school at the K12 and/or college level. Two in three responding ordinands (67%) participated in a religious education program in their parish, for 7 years on average.
-- Three in five responding ordinands (60%) completed an undergraduate degree or a graduate degree before entering the seminary.
-- Among those who attended undergraduate or graduate school before entering the seminary, the most common fields of study included business, liberal arts, philosophy, and engineering.
-- One in five responding ordinands (21%) carried educational debt at the time they entered the seminary (or religious institute), which was $26,898 on average. Between entering seminary and ordination, the average amount of debt carried by responding ordinands in religious institutes decreased by 72% and the average amount of debt carried by responding diocesan ordinands decreased by 11% since entering the seminary (unadjusted for inflation).
=======
Work:
-- Seven in ten responding ordinands (70%) reported having full-time work experience prior to entering the seminary.
-- Relatively few responding ordinands (4%) served in the U.S. Armed Forces.
=======
Family Background:
-- Nine in ten responding ordinands (92%) reported being baptized Catholic as an infant. Among those who became Catholic later in life, the average age of conversion was 23.
-- Three in ten responding ordinands (29%) have or had a relative who is a priest or religious.
-- Four in five responding ordinands (82%) reported that both their parents were Catholic when they were children. The vast majority of responding ordinands (95%) were raised during the most formative part of their childhood by their biological parents.
=======
Vocational Discernment:
-- In regard to prayer practices, three quarters of responding ordinands participated in Eucharistic Adoration (75%) on a regular basis before entering the seminary, as compared to 71% who prayed rosary, 50% who attended prayer/Bible group, and 40% who engaged in Lectio Divina.
-- In regard to group activities, half of responding ordinands (51%) participated in parish youth group before entering the seminary, as compared to 33% who participated in Catholic campus ministry, 28% who participated in Boy Scouts, and 24% who participated in Knights of Columbus/ KPC.
-- In regard to participation in parish ministries, seven in ten responding ordinands (71%) served as altar servers before entering the seminary, as compared to 48% who served as lectors, 41% who served as EMHC, and 32% who served as catechists.
-- Nine in ten responding ordinands (89%) reported being encouraged to consider the priesthood by someone in their life (most frequently by parish priest, friend, or parishioner).
-- Half of responding ordinands (45%) indicated that they were discouraged from considering the priesthood by one or more persons. Most often, this person was a friend or school classmate, mother, father, or other family member.
=======
Formation:
-- In regard to participation in formation activities in seminary, three quarters of responding ordinands (74%) reported that pastoral year internship contributed at least “somewhat” to their vocation.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
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