The report also suggests that the demand for Spanish-speaking priests is on the rise. Help Aleteia continue its mission by making a tax-deductible donation. In this way, Aleteia's future will be yours as well.
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Foreign-born priests
The report found that about one in four (26%) of U.S. priests ordained in 2022 are foreign born. Of this figure the most common country of origin is Mexico (6%), followed by Vietnam (4%). The average age that foreign-born ordinates entered seminary was 22, after having lived in the U.S. for an average of 13 years.
Spanish-speaking
The foreign-born Catholic Hispanic population mirrors the rate of foreign born priests at 26%, and even fewer (20%) are not fluent in English. In the group of Hispanic Catholics under the age of 18, 94% were born in America and speak English fluently. NCR found that minors who live with immigrant family members are more likely to continue practicing their faith after they become adults.
The demand for Spanish-speaking priests is on the rise as well. Around 70% of Catholic parishes in the U.S. offer Spanish-language Masses, while the AP reported around 40% of the Catholic population is Spanish-speaking. NCR notes that only about 15 of the 41 U.S. priests ordained from the diocese of Orange in the last 10 years can speak or read Spanish.
