Fewer seminarians now being ordained as priests

By Jennelyn Mondejar

DAGUPAN CITY – Only eight to 10 out of 100 seminarians are ordained as priests every year, Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan Oscar Cruz bared, saying sufficient number of priests must serve the Catholic population in a particular place.

“The ideal ratio of priests to parishioners is 1:20,000 or 30,000,” he added.

In Cruz’s archdiocese, which covers towns and cities in Pangasinan’s second, third and fourth congressional districts, plus Bautista town in the fifth district, about two to four new priests are reportedly ordained every year.

The bishop said it is not true only those who can afford end up as priests because of the big educational expenses incurred during their studies.

Based on their findings, most of those who become priests belong to below middle class, while there are few who are in the middle and above middle classes, he added.

Cruz said seminarians undergo rigid formation of their scholastic and psychological profile.

A small parish has one priest, while a bigger one has two or three, he added. Cruz said since he became archbishop in Lingayen-Dagupan in 1991, he has established two chaplaincies in Villanueva, Bautista town and in Canan Sur, Malasiqui town, and a parish in Tandoc, San Carlos City.

Later this year, he will open a chaplaincy in Wawa, Bayambang, he added. Cruz said a priest may celebrate three to four Masses on Sundays in addition to the extra anticipated Mass on Saturdays.

A priest also celebrates Mass in remote barangays, he added. Cruz said it is not advisable to have many priests in one area because they will not feel the value of their vocation as some go abroad or to other dioceses.

“Basically, a priest should serve in his own archdiocese where he is committed to serve and his promise of obedience is to his archbishop,” he said.

However, Cruz said there are cases when a priest is advised to go to other countries like Canada and Australia.

“Of course, we also face several problems and many attempt to demolish
us but we survive,” he said.

Fr. Mario Morales, rector of the Mary Help of Christians Major Seminary in
Bonuan Gueset, Dagupan City, meanwhile said this school year (first semester), they have a total of 40 seminarians, 20 of whom are freshmen, nine sophomores, 11 juniors and eight seniors.

Binmaley town, also in Pangasinan, hosts the Mary Help of Christians Minor Seminary for high school seminarians, also under Cruz’s jurisdiction.

Morales said one advantage of entering the seminary in high school is the earlier formation, especially in academic and spiritual life.

However, psychologists have found out that uprooting a child at an early age from his family would make him “disoriented” with home and social life, he added.

Morales said as seminarians advance in their college years, they become less and less in number if they can’t really cope with seminary life.

About 50 percent survive college seminary life, he added.

Morales said last school year, they had 10 college seminary graduates and seven went on to pursue theology course.

“It’s really a lot of sacrifice to become a priest but it’s worth it,” he said. Rich seminarians hardly hurdle the long sacrifice to become priests because they are used to convenient life, he added.

Fr. Oliver Mendoza, parish priest of San Fabian town, said after college seminary, those who are unDer the Lingayen-Dagupan Archdiocese go to the Immaculate Conception School of Theology in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, a regional seminary catering to those from the Ilocos and Cordillera regions, where they study theology for five years, including one year of their non-academic spiritual formation.

“After that, they will be ordained as deacon and have to undergo six months of formation again like having on-the-job training.Then, they are finally ordained as priests,” he said.

Mendoza said kind priests help seminarians who cannot afford the expenses to continue their vocation to become priests by looking for benefactors.

“If we see that the seminarian really loves his vocation, we go out of our way to help,” he said.