Formators and others who work closely with Catholic priests regret the growing number of young men who are choosing to leave the priesthood — but hard numbers on exactly how many have done so up to now have been difficult to come by. 

The Catholic University of America is seeking to change that with a forthcoming research project aimed at determining the scale of the problem and, hopefully, solutions. 

The Knights of Columbus has pledged a grant of nearly half a million dollars to Catholic University’s The Catholic Project, which is spearheading the study to examine vocational commitment among young men and attrition rates among young priests — an underdiscussed topic recently highlighted in the Register. 

Stephen White, executive director of The Catholic Project — a noted education and research body that brings together Catholic clergy and laypeople to address pressing issues in the Church — told the Register that the ambitious project is aimed at obtaining concrete figures on the number of men leaving the priesthood and offering insights and recommendations on how to foster better priestly retention rates. 

When the time comes to perform the actual research, the project’s staff hope to leverage relationships with bishops and build on The Catholic Project’s track record of producing credible, thorough research on priests’ beliefs and attitudes, White said. 

“The goal here is to produce something that is helpful to bishops, priests, seminary formators … to help bishops, seminarians and priests with the new challenges they’re facing,” he said.

White said the release of the study is still a couple of years away, with The Catholic Project team now in the preparation and planning stage, with an eye to beginning data collection in 2027. In addition to gaining and compiling figures on how many men are leaving ministry, White said they plan to perform qualitative research by asking men who have left the priesthood about their reasons for doing so, contextualizing their answers in a manner that will be helpful to those in Church leadership. 

A Phenomenon Worth Studying

The need for The Catholic Project’s forthcoming research on priestly attrition is underscored by research that the organization released last October, showing that while priests generally report high levels of personal well-being, they view the flourishing of their dioceses or religious orders much more pessimistically. Furthermore, nearly half of priests ordained since 2010 report significant loneliness and burnout, compared to only 27% of their older counterparts. 

In addition, recent reporting from the Register focused on the anecdotal but widely attested recent rise in the U.S. of young men leaving the priesthood in short order — for reasons that have nothing to do with misconduct or scandal — within a few years of ordination. 

Experts who work with U.S. priests, as well as a current and a former priest who spoke to the Register on condition of anonymity for the aforementioned Register report, said they have increasingly seen burnout and loneliness drive men away from their vocation in recent years — but as of today, the apparent rise in priestly attrition had not been substantiated by a formal study.

Further Research and Aid to Church Leaders

In addition to the Knights of Columbus’ grant — which is specifically for the aforementioned research, as well as for the creation of mentorship programs for young men — Catholic University’s School of Theology and Religious Studies was in early December awarded a $7.1-million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to launch “New Wineskins,” an initiative aimed at strengthening the leadership skills of priests, seminarians and bishops. 

New Wineskins will include a pastoral laboratory for seminarians and tools for leaders to address polarization within their congregations. The Catholic Project will serve as a leadership partner for the initiative.

The Lilly grant, part of the Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative, will also fund a collaboration between six U.S. seminaries and the Missionary Society of St. Paul the Apostle to address a critical gap: While seminaries provide excellent theological and spiritual instruction, they often provide less emphasis on the practical leadership and administrative demands of running a modern parish. To address the evolving needs of Church leadership, the initiative also will include an institute aiming to provide continuing education for bishops, many of whom must lead in a vastly different social and ecclesiastical context than when they were first ordained.

Susan Timoney, the principal investigator for New Wineskins, said in a Dec. 3 press release: “This initiative allows us to address some of the most pressing issues in leadership for seminarians, men’s religious communities, bishops, and pastoral leaders. This is an opportunity to build on the School of Theology’s 130-year foundation of preparing leaders for service to the Church.”

Though the release of The Catholic Project’s study on men leaving the priesthood is still a couple of years away, initiatives aimed at supporting priestly well-being and encouraging men to be faithful to their vocation continue to be an important part of the conversation.