Class of 2026: Ordinands to Priesthood

This report presents findings from a national survey of seminarians scheduled for ordination to the priesthood in 2026. The report is a part of collaboration between the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee of Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations and CARA. The purpose of this report is to compile information regarding men who are ordained to priesthood in the United States, within a particular year. CARA has conducted this research annually with the USCCB since 2006.

An example of findings from this years report (left) show the trends in the relationship between Catholic education and ordination. Catholic schools, parish-based religious education, and schooling in a Catholic home are all contributing. Read the full report by clicking below:

Studies Commissioned by the McGrath Institute

CARA has completed three studies commissioned by the McGrath Institute at Notre Dame University. The first evaluated satisfaction and challenges among recently ordained priests in the U.S. The second assessed sexual harassment, abuse, and misconduct at U.S. seminaries. The third evaluated the Church’s practices in assessing the suitability of candidates for the priesthood. All three reports are available in CARA’s publications section of our website (click “Read More” below).

The Impact of Marian Devotions on Vocations

This report presents findings from a survey of U.S. bishops, diocesan priests, permanent deacons, deacon directors, and major superiors of men and women about the impact of Marian devotion on their ecclesial vocations. The survey was designed by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University in collaboration with the Diocese of Saginaw. Altogether there were 1,091 respondents.