SOPV Press Kit
The State of Priestly Vocations
Vocation Ministry, founded in 2015, has spent countless hours producing these reports to better understand the current state of vocations to the priesthood in the Catholic Church. The number of priests, ordinations, and seminarians is shrinking nationwide, so we set out to explore the answer to the question everyone asks, “Why aren’t there more priests?”
These reports attempt to address the vocational health of the Church in America. By exploring what trends rise to the surface as pivotal factors in vocation promotion, we made note of places where the Church is seeing success and identified areas that need re-evaluation. We hope that this information will guide bishops, priests, and laity in finding a path forward in creating fertile soil for vocations.
Vocation Ministry Suggested Interview Questions
- Can you share the origin story of Vocation Ministry and how you, as a layperson, came to start this mission?
- What inspired Vocation Ministry to produce the State of Priestly Vocations in the U.S. report?
- In your opinion, what are some of the most startling or unique findings from the 2025 report?
- How does the Priestly Availability Index (PAI) shed light on the accessibility of priests to their communities, and what does this mean for parish life?
- How do you hope this report will help dioceses?
- How does Vocation Ministry partner with dioceses to promote vocations? Any notable successes or outcomes from Vocation Ministry’s work over the past 10 years?
- Where can our audience go to learn more about Vocation Ministry and access the complete report?