US dioceses vary widely in attracting seminarians
February 18, 2025
» Continue to this story on Catholic World Report
CWN Editor's Note: According to official statistics there are 2,980 men training for the priesthood in the 176 Roman Catholic dioceses in the US.
Writing for Catholic World Report, J.J. Ziegler takes an in-depth look at the numbers, showing which dioceses have been most successfully in recruiting seminarians, and which least successful: from the Diocese of Rapid City, South Dakota, which has a seminarian for every 1,904 Catholics, to the Diocese of Brownsville, Texas, with one for every 169,933. Among the largest archdioceses, Philadelphia boasts a seminarian for every 16,281 Catholics; in Chicago, one for every 67,066.
Although there are many exceptions, Ziegler notes: “In general, the larger a diocese is, the stronger the current it must swim against in attracting seminarians.”
The above note supplements, highlights, or corrects details in the original source (link above). About CWN news coverage.
For all current news, visit our News home page.
All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a current donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!
