Polish seminarians

At present over 7,000 seminarians are preparing in Poland for the priesthood in diocesan seminaries and those run by religious order. This is the largest number of seminarians in Europe. In the academic year 2005/2006 1,728 candidates to the priesthood were enrolled in the first year of philosophical and theological studies, 1,146 of whom entered diocesan seminaries. This is a slight increase relative to the preceding year, with 1,097 candidates enrolling in diocesan seminaries. The biggest number of priests to be, 49, was recorded in the Silesian Seminary in Katowice, whereas 48 candidates entered the Seminary in Tarnów, for years the biggest in Europe.

The current number of seminarians in diocesan seminaries is 4,859, which along with candidates to religious orders adds up to 7,131 men. The figure has remained constant for the past few years. The biggest number of seminarians are preparing to the priesthood in Tarnów – 240. Figures for other diocesan seminaries are as follows: Przemyśl – 182, Opole-Gliwice – 174, Lublin – 171, Wrocław – 155, Cracow – 152, Radom – 150, and Warsaw – 149.

Poland has for several decades been perceived as unique on the European scale when it comes to vocations; this phenomenon is sometimes referred to as the Polish school of vocations. Their number was influenced to the highest degree by the election of the Polish Pope in 1978. The years 1978-87 was a decade of a tremendous, 40-percent upsurge of vocations. The period 1988-94, in turn, saw a 20-percent decline, followed by an increase of over ten percent. For several years the number of candidates to the priesthood has remained constant. Traditionally, most seminarians come from south-eastern Poland. In the majority of cases seminaries are entered by young men who in the past were acolytes or members of Catholic movements and associations. Over half the candidates graduate the seminaries and receive holy orders.

awo, KAI //mam