Poland: Decrease in Candidates to the Priesthood
The number of candidates to the priesthood in Poland is steadily decreasing compared to last year. Fr. Jozef Kloch, spokesman for the Polish Bishops’ Conference, indicated to the press on October 17, 2013, that 75 fewer candidates have knocked on diocesan seminary doors and 58 fewer on the doors of religious congregations. Despite this decrease, the Polish seminaries still number 589 candidates – in their first year only – for a population of 38 million; compared, for example, to 691 seminarians – all years included – in France, for a population of about 65 million.
According to a press release from the German Catholic press agency KNA, published on October 17, the numbers of new entries have been continually dropping since the year 2005, when 1,145 new seminarians were registered. The total number of seminarians is about 3,000. Last year, the Polish Church performed 400 priestly ordinations, but over 300 of the candidates who had entered in 2007 had left the seminary along the way.
Numbers are dropping in the religious orders as well. The congregations counted 169 entries this year, compared to 227 last year. Altogether, the religious novitiates count about 1,800 future priests.
(sources: apic/kna – DICI#284 Nov. 8, 2013)
You can also read :
Poland: The bishops are sounding the alarm
Poland: Fewer and Fewer Catholics Practicing
Poland: A New Drop in Vocations
