Average age of clergy increasing

Press, 28 January 1988, Page 15

Average age of clergy increasing

PA Wellington The average age of ordained clergy is increasing, according to spokesmen from the Anglican and Catholic churches. The Rev. Jim Lyons of the Catholic Communications office in Wellington said the typical entrant in a seminary was between 25 and 28, as compared to the secondary school leavers in the early 19605. He said this showed that candidates were thinking harder about whether to enter, and this was illustrated by the higher percentage today of entrants who were ordained at the end. Of the 34 who entered a seminary with Father Lyons in 1961, 11 became priests. Last year 14

entered the same seminary, and between half and two-thirds of them are expected to be ordained. Father Lyons said the higher proportion was significant. But a higher proportion of a shrinking number is still a shrinking number. Father Lyons said the dwindling number of Catholic priests (a Western phenomenon, since the priesthood is booming in the Third World) did not amount to a shortage since lay people were now taking over many of the activities priests once performed. “We’re not saying 'Look, don’t bother, we’ve got plenty’ — we’ve got an ageing priesthood and there aren’t many under

40,” he said. Dean Michael Brown of Wellington’s Anglican Cathedral said the total number of full-time priests ordained today was about the same as 20 years ago, but priests ordained last year were mainly in their 40s. This compared with Dean Brown’s year group of 1964, when the priests’ average age was in the 20s. Dean Brown said women priests, who make up 40 per cent of the total, had taken their rightful place. He said that when non full-time priests and lay people were taken into account, the church was “doing very nicely, thank you.”