| Topic: |
Religions > Bible |
| User: |
"Gene Poole" |
| Date: |
29 May 2006 09:39:47 AM |
| Object: |
Surveying Seminarians |
Surveying Seminarians
Sightings 5/29/06
Surveying Seminarians
-- Martin E. Marty
Over 200 Sightingses ago (January 7, 2002), I quoted the late Edward H.
Levi, who, when he was president of the University of Chicago, told me,
after I asked about the subject: "The profession of ministry is too
important in our culture and society for it to go unmonitored or
uncontributed to by universities." Agreed. That importance is why we offer
an occasional sighting of seminarians under our canopy labeled "Public
Religion in America."
Levi's "our culture" is local as well as national. Here's one locale: Los
Angeles. Two weeks ago, thirty-four retired Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America bishops and their spouses, plus this pretender, heard Cardinal
Roger Mahoney converse about the LA archdiocese. It claims 5 million
communicants -- almost as many as there are in the national ELCA. Where
does Mahoney find clergy to administer the sacraments to so many in that
sacramental fellowship?
We hurry right along to another locale: the Chicago archdiocese, with its
2.36 million communicants (39 percent of the population). What prompts
this sighting is the May 14-27 issue of "our" archdiocesan New World
newspaper, which glories in the ordination of twelve new priests, all
headed for parish priesthood.
Taking roll call: four are from Poland, which makes sense, since Chicago
is the second largest "Polish" city in the world. Others are from Mexico
(two), Ecuador, Vietnam, Tanzania, and Colombia. That leaves two US-raised
natives. Currently there are 842 active and retired diocesan priests in
the archdiocese. It would take seventy years at the current rate to
replace them. True, priests from religious orders and priests borrowed
from elsewhere -- but from where? -- can help contribute to the survival
of the priesthood as clergy who can administer the sacraments, on which
the spiritual life of the Church depends.
Not that Protestants can relax, though the infusion of ordained women into
the ranks during the past third of a century or so has helped sustain
clergy cohorts. The Association of Theological Schools (which includes
Catholics, too) has seen a tick upwards in the number of slightly younger
seminarians. In 1999, 37 percent were in their twenties (representing the
long-ago norms) and now 42 percent are of that age -- something cheered in
Colloquy, an Association of Theological Schools paper (May/June 2006).
Grateful for late vocation prospects, as all ATS schools are, they cheer
the downward-in-age trend because 1) younger ones have more years of
service ahead; and 2) younger ones cost less to educate. We might add that
while older students bring experience and perspective, younger ones can
approach ministry with more sense of adventure and, says this older
writer, can learn more quickly.
Tisa Lewis for the ATS keeps her eye on surveys of college-and-university
seniors who are asked about their spirituality. All the spirituality
figures are "up." Asked about "Expectation of Full-Time Positions after
Graduation," 24.1 percent of entering seminary students nationally picture
parish ministry futures, while "Undecided" comes in second, at 20 percent.
The rest are divided among nineteen other possible outcomes.
Clearly parishes, congregations, worriers, executives, and those already
in ministries have to do better at luring more onto the front lines. We'll
watch for upward trends next year.
In the meantime, benisons, new ordinands!
Martin E. Marty's biography, current projects, upcoming events,
publications, and contact information can be found at www.illuminos.com.
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The Religion and Culture Web Forum for May features "How Biblical Is the
Christian Right?" by Margaret M. Mitchell. To read this article, please
visit: http://marty-center.uchicago.edu/webforum/index.shtml.
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Sightings comes from the Martin Marty Center at the University of Chicago
Divinity School.
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--
Faithfully,
Gene Poole
http://grace.break.at
God is still speaking
http://www.stillspeaking.com
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Remove your hat to e-mail me.
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