Top 10 takeaways from a report on the 400 men becoming US priests in 2026

(OSV News) — This spring, the U.S. will see more than 400 men ordained to the priesthood, both diocesan and religious.

What does the latest generation of priests in the U.S. look like, and what factors have shaped their vocation?

To find out, OSV News examined data from the Ordination Class of 2026 Study, conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University.

The annual report, which CARA has overseen since 2006, is commissioned by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops‘ Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations. 

Of the 428 ordinands asked to participate in the Feb. 12-March 20 survey, 334 (78%) responded to CARA.

As in previous years, the latest findings — announced by the USCCB in an April 21 press release — come ahead of the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, observed on the Fourth Sunday of Easter (April 26), which is also known as Good Shepherd Sunday in the Latin Church. The Gospel passage (Jn 10:1-10) for the Mass highlights Jesus’ role as the Good Shepherd.

Here are the top 10 takeaways from CARA’s report:

1. Sixteen is the average age for first considering a priestly vocation.

About half of the survey respondents said they were between the ages of 3 and 16 when they first considered the priesthood, with another half between 16 and 51, for an average age of 16.

But that age was slightly higher for those about to be ordained as priests in religious orders, who were typically 18 when they first thought about the vocation. Half of that cohort was between 3 and 19 years old, and the other half between 19 and 39 years old.

More than one third (39%) of ordinands first contemplated the priesthood while they were still in elementary school, between the ages of 6 and 13.

2. The newest priests will mostly be in their early 30s at the time of their ordination.

The current class of ordinands will, on average, be 33 years old when they are ordained, with half between 26 and 31 years old, and the other half between 31 and 75 years old.

Almost half (49%) of this year’s ordinands are 30 years or younger, with 38% between the ages of 31-40 years old. The latter age group represents 59% of religious institute ordinands, in contrast to 33% of their diocesan counterparts — a difference CARA noted was “statistically significant.”

Most of the ordinands (62%) identified themselves as white, with 17% identifying as Hispanic or Latino, 11% Asian or Pacific Islander, 5% Black or African American, and 2% listing another ethnicity.

3. More than 25% of this year’s class were born outside of the U.S.

More than one quarter of this year’s ordination class was born outside of the U.S. Of those participating in the survey, 26% said they had been born outside of the U.S., with the most common nations listed as Vietnam (5%), Mexico (3%) and Colombia (2%). CARA noted the class of 2026 hailed from 30 different nations.

4. Eucharistic adoration, the rosary, and prayer/Bible groups top the list of prayer practices prior to seminary.

A majority of survey respondents — 81% overall — said they spent time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. Diocesan ordinands were somewhat more likely to cite Eucharistic adoration (83%) than their religious order counterparts (75%), but the practice was in the majority for both cohorts.

Close behind adoration was the rosary — 79% overall, with 81% of the diocesan and 70% of the religious order respondents listing the devotion.

Prayer and Bible groups were named by just over half (52%) of those surveyed, with religious order respondents (59%) more likely than diocesan ordinands (50%) to name such practices.

Generally, lectio divina (48%), high school retreats (44%) and college retreats (29%) also proved formative.

5. Most of this year’s class had been altar servers before entering the seminary.

A majority of the survey respondents (79%) said they had been altar servers prior to the seminary, with 81% of diocesan and 72% of religious order participants citing that ministry.

Ordination class members also served as lectors (49%), extraordinary ministers of holy Communion (35%), campus or youth ministers (34%) and catechists (32%).

6. At least one person encouraged them to consider the priesthood — and it was usually a parish priest.

Almost all (92%) of this year’s ordination class said they had been encouraged by at least one person to consider becoming a priest. Overall, 70% of the survey respondents said that person was a parish priest, followed by a friend (49%), mother (46%), parishioner (44%) and father (37%).

Less than half (41%) were discouraged from entering the seminary by another family member (22%), friends or classmates (17%), a mother or father (12% each.)

7. Most of the new priests come from two-parent, multi-sibling Catholic homes, and were baptized Catholic as infants.

Overall, 93% of those surveyed said they had been baptized Catholic as infants, a figure that represents 94% of the diocesan and 89% of the religious order ordinands. The latter group had a higher rate (11%) of those who became Catholic later in life.

A majority (86%) of the 2026 class said both of their parents were Catholic — 88% for the diocesan cohort, and 81% for the religious order ordinands. CARA predicted that if the current trend holds, that overall number is expected to reach 88% in 2031.

Almost all of the 2026 class members (97%) said they’d been raised by at least one biological parent, and 88% reported being raised by a married couple, living together. Another 5% lived with one parent who was separated or divorced, and 2% with a widowed parent during the most formative part of their childhood.

Another 2% were raised by an unmarried couple living together; those who were raised by an unmarried or married couple living separately, a single unmarried parent, or another individual each totaled about 1%.

The newest priests typically had three siblings, and the largest share (37%) were somewhere in the middle in terms of birth order, with just 5% reporting they were only children.

8. Not all of the class went to Catholic school — but more than 60% attended a parish religious education program.

Overall, 45% of the ordination class attended a Catholic elementary school, with fewer attending a Catholic high school (38%) or college (34%). Another 11% reported they were homeschooled.

A majority of the survey respondents (63%) said they had participated in a parish religious education program. Diocesan ordinands (66%) were more likely to have done so than their religious order counterparts (51%).

9. More than half earned a degree and worked full-time before entering the seminary.

Three in five of the survey respondents, or 61%, said they had received an undergraduate or graduate degree before they entered the seminary. Philosophy, theology, engineering, business, science and math were the most common fields of study.

CARA found that 64% of ordinands had at least some full-time work experience prior to the seminary. Top fields listed were church ministry (18%), education (17%), business (15%), and sales and customer service (12%). One third (33%) of those in the religious order cohort who had worked full time cited education as their field.

10. Educational debt, though significant for some, wasn’t an issue for most when they entered the seminary.

A majority of respondents (79%) said they did not have educational debt when they entered seminary formation. Those who did averaged just over $33,000 in debt, with half having anywhere from $2,000-$25,000, and the other half carrying $25,000-$150,000 in balances.

At the time of their ordination, those with educational debt had balances averaging slightly over $22,000, with one half reporting between $800-$11,500 and the other half anywhere from $11,500 to $150,000. Family members (65%) provided the main assistance in paying down educational debt, followed by religious communities (29%), the Labouré Society (19%), the Knights of Columbus (16%), parishes (10%) and friends or coworkers (10%).

Gina Christian  is a multimedia reporter for OSV News. Follow her on X @GinaJesseReina.

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