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Catholic Church struggling to attract Priests
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Apr 16, 2025
As the number of Catholic priests continues to decline across the United States, Saint Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers is working to reverse the trend. FOX 5’s Sharon Crowley reports on how the seminary—once home to more than 200 seminarians and now down to 75—is training the next generation of clergy, many of whom come from abroad.
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The Catholic Church says several factors are to blame for pushing people away from the priesthood
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but they're hoping to turn things around. All right, Fox 5's Sharon Crowley joins us now with a look at how they're trying to build up a new recruitment strategy
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That's right, and it's Holy Week, so it's appropriate we talk about this topic. As fewer men are choosing life in the priesthood, the number of Catholics, though, around the world is increasing
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And that means many pastors are ministering at multiple parishes, traveling to different churches to celebrate Mass and to combat the trend
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many diocese in the U.S. are recruiting seminarians from abroad. Why do you want to become a priest
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I decided to be a priest because it's something that makes me happy, makes me complete
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I feel joyful about the life I have chosen to live. We are, in the best sense of fraternity
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a group of brothers who are all responding to the call of the Lord Jesus
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St. Joseph's Seminary in the Dunwoody section of Yonkers has a centuries-old tradition of preparing young men for the Roman Catholic priesthood
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I felt this is how I also want to serve the Lord as a priest
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being able to administer the sacraments to the people the sick and the dying and being able to have you know people actually look up to you as I looked up to them as a young boy
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29-year-old seminarian, Callistus Ibe left his home in Nigeria to study here
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Once he's ordained, he plans to serve in a parish in the Diocese of Brooklyn
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Did you ever have any doubts or did you question your decision? Of course, I did a couple of times, especially actually in college
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Callistus consulted a spiritual advisor about his doubts. He did ask me a single question
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Are you happy being in the seminary? His answer came easily. And I told him, yes, I feel happy being here
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And when I look forward, actually, to the years ahead of me
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imagining myself as a priest. He's one of 75 men enrolled here at the seminary
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which at its height had more than 200 seminarians. For decades now, there has been a steady decline in the number of young men choosing this vocation
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We've been through a bit of a slump. I think COVID impacted our efforts at recruitment
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Bishop James Massa is the rector and president of St. Joseph's Seminary
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He answered God's call to serve 40 years ago. Since that time, the reputation of the Catholic Church here and worldwide has been marred by the clergy sex abuse scandal
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It's been a time of introspection for the church. We failed in profound ways in protecting young people
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Here at St Joseph Seminary in Yonkers they been training and educating young men to become Catholic priests since 1896 In more modern times things are more challenging and they like to see that change here
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and attract more men to consider a life in the priesthood. We're beginning to see lots of interest through the college campus ministry associations
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also through young adult groups that meet around New York City. Catholic priests make a lifelong promise of celibacy, obedience, and poverty
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They commit to living a simple life spent serving others. At the beginning, it was not easy because, again, transition from one place
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from the type of life to another life, requires a lot of commitment, discipline
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Seminarian Juan Herrera is 36. I was teaching high school seniors and also first semester in universities
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trying to be like the chain. Those who are coming from high school to university
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they need somebody who helps them to transition from place to another place
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I was that type of professor or teacher. But after a while, I just felt like emptiness in my project of life
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Juan left his home and his family in Colombia to come here to study for several years
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He will be ordained in June. Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation
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On this night, he's doing homework, practicing celebrating Mass. Sounds like you think the world is in need of more priests Yes Because Because they need somebody to look at it Somebody who leads them to new realities where people can find hope joy
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The bishop agrees. The greatest joy in life comes when you make a gift of yourself to others
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And that's what a priest does. The motivation for the men who are here is very wholesome and very positive
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They really want to serve God's people. That's what brings them here
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And at some point on their journey, Jesus touched their lives. As with many young people today, what are you called to
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God is a plan for everyone. And he gives a particular call to each of us
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and with fewer priests the church has turned more and more to lay people to take on religious
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duties in the church deacons helping with sunday mass or administrative jobs and that frees up the
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catholic priests to focus more on spiritual duties like marriages and baptisms and funerals and all
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the rest of it obviously a huge long-term problem does the vatican and the pope have a plan to sort
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of up the numbers of priests well this won't surprise you pope francis wants us all to pray
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for more priests, whether you're a Catholic or not. And he sent the message out to parishes all
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over the world and here in the United States, asking cardinals and bishops to get the word out
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or even to telling families to be brave enough to encourage your son to do something like this
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Yeah. Very interesting. All right, Sharon. Thank you
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