Enrollment in the post-baccalaureate level of priestly formation in 2020-2021 totaled 3,110, a decrease of 183 seminarians from last year’s theologate enrollment, according to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University. The decrease in number came during the pandemic when many seminaries were limited to virtual courses and programs. This and other changes are found in the newly published Catholic Priests’ Formation in the United States: Statistical Overview for 2020-2021.
Of the post-baccalaureate level enrollment, 75 percent were candidates for dioceses and 25 percent were from religious orders. These totals include pre-theology students, who may have undergraduate degrees in another academic discipline, but need additional work to qualify for theologate enrollment.
The racial and ethnic background of seminarians is gradually becoming more diverse. In 2020-21 those in theologates were (58%) white/Anglo/Caucasian. One in six (17%) was Hispanic/Latino, 10% were Asian/Pacific Islander, and 4% were black/African American. Another 11% were listed as “other,” which includes Native Americans, multi-racial, and international students that do not identify with these racial and ethnic categories. In 1992-1993, the first year CARA collected racial and ethnic data, 79% of theologate seminarians were white/Anglo/Caucasian, 11% were Hispanic/ Latino, 8% were Asian/Pacific Islander, and 2% were black/African American.
Catholic Priests’ Formation in the United States: Statistical Overview report is available on the CARA website at: https://cara.georgetown.edu/PriestFormation2021.pdf for download. Reports on diaconate formation and on lay ecclesial ministry formation will also be released soon.
The Catholic Ministry Formation Directory 2021, published biennially since 1997, provides current listings of more than 450 Catholic ministry formation programs in the United States, organized by program type, by state, and by diocese. Each entry includes a listing of the current leadership for each program, contact information, and a detailed program description. The Directory is available in searchable PDF and hardbound formats, and includes the complete 2020-2021 statistical overview. The Directory can be ordered on the CARA website at: cara.georgetown.edu/publication/catholic-ministry-formation-directory/
The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate is a national, nonprofit research center that conducts social scientific studies about the Catholic Church. CARA was founded in 1964 and has been affiliated with Georgetown University since 1989.
