Like last year, The USCCB has published a feature page on the Priesthood Ordination Class of 2009. This year looks to be a great year for new priests named “David”.
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| Fr. David Skillman St. Louis |
Fr. David Endres Cincinnati |
Fr. David Cupps Richmond |
Fr. David Cleric Portland |
Fr. David Sabel Peoria |
This looks to be a good class of Professed Religious being ordained too:
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| Fr. Harry Monaco OFM |
Fr. Peter Hoang Nguyen O Carm. |
Fr. Claude Williams O.Praem. |
Fr. Louis Leonelli CFR |
Fr. Andrew McAlpin OP |
One intriguing page on the USCCB site is a list of quotes from the new ordinands. Again, I picked out a few interesting tidbits about these new priests:
People might be surprised to know that I…
Was the Executive Director of Entertainment for the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
Was a fallen away Catholic who had a reconversion to God after many years away from the Church.
Am Deaf. I will be the first Deaf priest for the Archdiocese of Boston.
Was born in Germany while my parents were stationed there for the United States Army.
Dated a Catholic girl in high school whom I thought I would marry. She is now a religious sister in the Capuchin Sisters of Nazareth in Pennsylvania.
Worked as a locomotive engineer and in the railyards.
Was the assistant equipment manager for the Tampa Bay Buccaners from 1984-1993.
Was the captain of the football team at Yale University.
Have a master’s degree in Applied Physics.
Received a degree in Agronomy. I was planning to take care of a Golf Course or Sports Facility.
Am related to a canonized saint, who was from the same town where my parents lived in Mexico. He lived during the Cristero period, when the Church was under persecution, and died a martyr.
Come from a family of 10 (Father, Mother, 4 brothers and 3 sisters) with 18 nieces and nephews.
Felt a call to some sort of priestly/religious life since I was a child. My mother has often commented on the fact that as early as 9 years old I used to tell people that I wanted to be a monk, yet we were Methodist, and I had never met a monk before.
The USCCB has published a full report on the demographics of this class. A few facts include:
- The average age for the Class of 2009 is 36. More than half (57 percent) are between the ages of 25 and 34. This is approximately the same as it was in 2008 and consistent with the average age of ordination classes for the last five years. The youngest ordinand in the class is 25; the oldest, 66. Two ordinands are 65 or older.
- Ordinands have been active in parish ministries, with between about half and three-quarters indicating they served as an altar server, lector, and/or Eucharistic minister.
- Responding ordinands represent 112 dioceses/eparchies and 46 religious congregations.
The full PDF report is here:
http://www.usccb.org/vocations/classof2009/class_of_2009_report.pdf
Congratulations to the Class of 2009!
Click for the post on the Priesthood Ordination Class of 2008.
UPDATE: Thanks to Kevin & Kenna Knight for the link avalanche from New Advent!
