Survey finds stable families key to priestly discernment

A strong Catholic upbringing and discernment as a young man were among the most definitive factors.

A new survey is examining the demographics of incoming U.S. priests in 2022. The study was run by Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), in collaboration with the USCCB’s Secretariats for Clergy and Consecrated Life and Vocations.

The survey, issued between January 10 and March 18, 2022, was responded to by 317 seminarians. Of these, 238 were preparing to become diocesan priests, while the remaining 79 will enter religious orders. A plurality of the ordination class of 2022 (30%) attended seminaries in the Midwest, while only 8% completed their seminary studies abroad.