The ordained men are a bit younger these days.
As part of a five-year pattern, the average age of ordained men is getting younger — for the class of 2011 it is 34. This is a healthy sign in my opinion, since it’s best for men to get ordained early in their lives. A minimum age for ordination in modern times has been in the upper 20’s.
This and other facts are those discussed in a study conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), a Georgetown University-based research center. The study is an annual national survey of men being ordained priests for U.S. dioceses and religious communities. The entire report can be found at the bishops’ vocation Web site, www.ForYourVocation.org.
Years ago I spoke to a priest at a national Catholic teachers’ convention in St. Louis. He had entered the seminary at age 35 and was ordained some years later. “My only regret is that I didn’t enter the seminary earlier,” he said.
While late vocations, whether to marriage, consecrated life, or the priesthood are good in themselves, it seems to me that one who enters his vocation early in life can put more of himself into it, and is probably of greater service to those to whom he ministers.
It’s a good sign that the Church in America is on the right track — and hey, we’ll have these priests around longer, too.
