Seminarian numbers up in Seattle

SEATTLE – This city’s Roman Catholic archdiocese is sponsoring one of its largest classes of seminarians in decades, defying a national trend that has seen the number of priests-to-be plummet in the past 40 years.

The Seattle Archdiocese, which covers Western Washington, has seen a turnaround in the past dozen years, growing from 12 seminarians in 1993 to 35 this year, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported Wednesday.

The average age of those studying for the priesthood in the archdiocese also has dipped, from the mid-30s to late 20s, the P-I said.

All that as the number of high school, college and graduate-level seminarians has dropped by more than 85 percent since 1967, according to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University.

Priests and observers say the spike in Western Washington could stem in part from the appeal of the late Pope John Paul II, whose long papacy and commitment to traditional church principles generated a following among conservative young men.

“Young people have grown up in this chaotic world, where the world map has changed many times since these guys started grammar school,” said Rich Shively, the archdiocese’s vocations director.

“But the one thing that’s remained constant in their lives is Pope John Paul II. He represented a timeless church and seemed timeless himself.”

The archdiocese also has relied on a low-pressure recruitment approach that typically involves inviting boys and men between the ages of 16 and 30 to meetings where priests talk about their lives.

“Our approach to vocations has been intentionally low-key and invitational,” Shively said.

Bryan Dolejsi, who plans to start his last year of graduate-level theological studies this summer, is part of that bumper class of seminarians.

Dolejsi, 30, said he felt a call to the priesthood in college, while studying in a library.

When he explained his decision to a woman at a party soon afterward, he was a bit puzzled by the response.

“She said, ‘You seem really normal to be doing that.’ I thought, is that a compliment, or not?” he said with a laugh.

“That summarizes the contemporary mind-set in general; it’s seen as something that’s odd, or a novelty.”