This report presents findings from a national survey of seminarians scheduled for ordination to the priesthood in 2025. The report is a part of collaboration between the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Secretariat of Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations and the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA). The purpose of this report is to compile information regarding men who are ordained to the priesthood in the United States, within a particular year.

The survey was administered between Jan. 10 and March 20, 2025. Out of 405 ordinands invited to participate, 309 ordinands responded to the survey. The response rate is 76 percent.



Type of priesthood

Four in five responding ordinands (80 percent) are preparing for ordination to a diocese or eparchy. Responding ordinands in religious institutes comprise 20 percent. The largest group of responding ordinands (37 percent) is completing studies at one of the seminaries in the Midwest. Relatively few (5 percent) 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 17 years before they entered the seminary. Responding ordinands in religious institutes knew the members of their religious institute for six 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).



Race/ethnicity and culture

Seven in 10 responding ordinands (69 percent) are Caucasian. One in 10 (12 percent) is Hispanic/Latino. One in 10 (12 percent) is Asian/Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian. One in 20 (6 percent) is African/African American/Black.

One-quarter of responding ordinands (26 percent) is foreign-born. The three most common countries of birth among the foreign-born are Mexico (5 percent of all responding ordinands), Vietnam (4 percent), and Philippines (3 percent). On average, foreign-born responding ordinands came to live in the United States 15 years ago, at the age of 21.



Education

More than one in 10 responding ordinands (15 percent) reported being home schooled. Among those who were homeschooled, the average length of home schooling was nine years.

Between 36 percent and 46 percent of all responding ordinands attended a Catholic school at the K-12 or college level or both. Three in five responding ordinands (58 percent) participated in a religious education program in their parish, for six years on average.

Three in five responding ordinands (63 percent) completed an undergraduate degree or a graduate degree before entering the seminary.

Among those who attended an undergraduate or graduate college before entering the seminary, the most common fields of study included philosophy, engineering, business, science, or math.

About a quarter of responding ordinands (27 percent) carried educational debt at the time they entered the seminary (or religious institute), which was $37,092 on average. Between entering seminary and ordination, the average amount of debt carried by responding ordinands in religious institutes decreased by 58 percent and the average amount of debt carried by responding diocesan ordinands decreased by 3 percent since entering the seminary (unadjusted for inflation).



Work

Two in three responding ordinands (66 percent) reported having full-time work experience prior to entering the seminary.

One in 20 (6 percent) served in the Armed Forces of the United States of America.



Family background

Nine in 10 responding ordinands (92 percent) reported being baptized Catholic as an infant. Among those who became Catholic later in life, the average age of conversion was 22.

Nearly nine in 10 responding ordinands (85 percent) reported that both their parents were Catholic when they were children. The vast majority of responding ordinands (95 percent) were raised during the most formative part of their childhood by their biological parents.

Three in 10 responding ordinands (31 percent) have or had a relative who is a priest or religious.



Vocational discernment

In regard to prayer practices, three-quarters of responding ordinands participated in eucharistic adoration (78 percent) on a regular basis before entering the seminary, as compared to 72 percent who prayed rosary, 48 percent who participated in a prayer or Bible group, and 41 percent who engaged in Lectio Divina.

In regard to group activities, half of responding ordinands (51 percent) participated in a parish youth group before entering the seminary, as compared to 35 percent who participated in Catholic campus ministry, 23 percent who participated in Knights of Columbus or Knights of Peter Claver, 22 percent who participated in a parish young adult group, and 21 percent who participated in Boy Scouts.

In regard to participation in parish ministries, nearly three in four responding ordinands (73 percent) served as altar servers before entering the seminary, as compared to 46 percent who served as lectors, 34 percent who served as extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, and 32 percent who served as catechists.

Nine in 10 responding ordinands (89 percent) reported being encouraged to consider the priesthood by someone in their life, most frequently by parish priest (60 percent), friend (52 percent), or parishioner (42 percent).

Two in five responding ordinands (43 percent) indicated that they were discouraged from considering the priesthood by one or more persons. Most often, this person was a friend, school classmate, mother, father, or other family member.



Formation

In regard to participation in formation activities in seminary, seven in 10 responding ordinands (68 percent) reported that pastoral year internship contributed at least "somewhat" to their vocation.

More than half say these formation activities contributed to their vocations: clinical pastoral education (56 percent), a 30-day retreat (56 percent), spirituality year (52 percent), or a priestly fraternity group (51 percent).



[Ed -- This is the Executive Summary of the Report. The full report is available here: www.usccb.org/resources/Report-Ordination%20Class%202025-Revised%20FINAL%20(1).pdf.]