Good News on the Vocations Front

The Archdiocese of Washington's paper, the Catholic Standard, is reporting that twelve men will be ordained priests for the archdiocese this year. Interestingly, lay movements seem to be a real catalyst for vocations. Two of the men mentioned the Neocatechumenical Way as an influence.

Three mentioned Opus Dei. Of the three, two are sons of members of the Work, come from large (over 7 kids) families, and attended The Heights, a local high school that is a corporate work of Opus Dei. The third was influenced by Fr CJ McCloskey. The last few crops of priests in DC have had a number of ties to Opus Dei.

Also notable, is that the priestly candidates seem to be getting younger. In the past few years it seemed to be that a high percentage were forty and over.

Congratulations and prayers go out to all twelve of these men and to Fr Robert Panke, vocations director of the archdiocese.