Would you become a priest or nun?
Francis and Sauntrie interview students about their views on nuns and priests; they also interview currrent nuns and priests about their own career decisions.
To most people, being a priest means leaving behind friends, social life and material possessions. Not many teens even regard the priesthood as a possibility. Of the eight Daniel Murphy High School students interviewed all quickly responded with a firm "no."
"No, because I want to have a family," said junior Chris Toralba.
"No, I haven’t been motivated enough by God," said junior Dominic Montelongo.
Only one girl out of eight from Bishop Conaty—Our Lady of Loretto High School really considered the question and said she viewed becoming a nun as something possible in her future. The other seven were quick to say "no." One laughed and another was somewhat insulted when asked.
"No, I don’t want to become a nun. Do I look like a nun to you?" responded one junior at Bishop Conaty.
Becoming a priest usually requires a special "calling." The time of being called is different for everyone. Damien Delaney, a religion teacher at Bishop Conaty, heard the calling at 19 when he was challenged to look into priesthood by a priest while traveling in Rome.
For Mr. Delaney, it wasn’t that easy to comprehend. "Fully, I didn’t understand what I was giving up. In order to make that choice, you need to know what you’re giving up,"he said.
At age 28, he was ordained as a priest. Five years later, though, he left the ministry. "Disillusionment. Having your expectations not met," he explained.
He also said he had doubts during the time he was ordained. "Wondering if this would be the best lifestyle for me, if I’d be happy doing this, if I really wanted to do this for the rest of my life," he said.
Mr. Delaney recommends deep thinking before becoming a priest.
"It is good to get boys right out of high school into the ministry, but it is better to let them explore and live life first … and to explore the possibility of marriage," he said. "I did not explore the possibility of marriage."
Another Bishop Conaty religion teacher, Sister Kathleen Kinney, a Sister of Mercy heard her calling during her junior year of high school.
"It was the 50’s, a peaceful time. Back then, people thought it was good to become a sister. It was expected and supported," said Sister Kathleen, whose two sisters joined the Sisters of Mercy at the same time.
Catholic church needs priests
Total U.S. priests
1965: 58,632
1985: 57,317
2002: 44,874
Priestly ordinations
(new priests)
1965: 994
1985: 533
2002: 450
Parishes without a priest
1965: 549
1985: 1,051
2002: 2,928
U.S. Catholic population
1965: 45.6 million
1985: 52.3 million
2002: 62.2 million
Source: Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate
URL: cara.georgetown.edu
