H/T: Roman Catholic Vocations Blogspot
“Church short on U.S.-born ministers”
By Erin McKeon The Facts.Com ( A Texas News website???)Published October 7, 2007In Catholic churches nationwide, immigrants are being counted on to take on a job fewer Americans have been willing to do. (Read all…)
A fair enough article overall. Not really big news to people that have been following it for some time. The article fails to mention how very typical this is of the US situation historically - we have ALWAYS had a goodly number of priests from “the other side” (as one Melkite Bishop used to refer to his Lebanese-born priests)…
In all fainess, our current American ratio of priest to laity is darn near the same as it was 100 years ago.
In actuality, our current American ratio of clergy to faithfyl - when counting America’s 16.6K perm. deacons, it is far better than it was 100 years ago.
It is also worth noting that there are about two-dozen exceptionally strong formation programs in the US at the diocesan and religious level. Should they continue to grow in the ways they have and inspire likewise among the other diocese and orders around them, I EASILY foresee a lowering of the median presbyteral age significantly in the next 20 years.
But of course, there is always room for one more soul.
I used to think that we would do well to open every bed we had in near-empty and half empty seminaries here in the US for African, Asian and Latin American Seminarians. But there is a reason a lot of those joints are half or near empty - it is probably best we don’t spread their malaise to Africa, Asia or Latin America. 
Americans have given VERY generously for decades and decades to the missions. It is only fitting that we now become a sort of mission territory ourselves - served by the very sons and daugters of the converts we have for decades been praying and paying to support.
But could we take a moment to consider the importance and effect of population growth on vocations? Namely, the family population.
I think there is more than a casual correlation between the rise in vocational 
numbers outside the US where birth rates are higher and (presumably) artificial birth control is less embraced. Humanae Vitae seems to strike again.
If we could look at some of the birt rates in some of the predominately Catholic countries that are non-European.
(births per 1,000 population)
Venezuela 21.22Argentina 16.53
Ecuador 21.91 births
Brazil 16.3 births
El Salvador 26.13 births
Belize 28.34 births
Costa Rica 18.02 births
Honduras 27.59 births
Nicaragua 24.12 births
Panama 21.45 births
Bolivia 22.82 births
Chile 15.03 births
Colombia 20.16 births
Ecuador 21.91 births
Guyana 18.09 births
Paraguay 28.77 births
Peru 20.09 births
Suriname 17.31 births
Uruguay 14.41 births
Philippines 24.48 births
Phenomenal growth in Africa and parts of Asia in countries that are not predom Catholic but will soon have Catholic populations larger than some predom Catholic countries is appreciable as well…
In Uganda, only 1/3d of the population is Catholic. , but with a birth rate of Uganda 48.12births/1,000 population (source) well, that is worthy of some thought. Conversions, and births are turning this country more and more Catholic by the day. In time the number of Catholics attending Mass weekly and active in the church could far outnumber the number of same in larger Western countries.
But aren’t these larger families and higher birth rates just a result of lack of access to family planning? I readily grant that birth control is being largely pushed on these populations where it has not been as widely available or, one could argue, as widely sought. By and large, what nations really want, they get. (Econ 101: Guns or Butter? comes to mind)
During the height of the Somali famine crisis, khat - which was mostly imported from Kenya by air - was still being flown in at a rate of 20 tons worth US$800,000, DAILY. Khat is basically a drug, and it violates the precepts of Islam - which is the predom religion of the area. Religious sensibilities be damned, what they really wanted, they really got, even when food was not available.
I can’t be told countries that are knee deep in guns, drugs and the like can’t easily import (with US/UN finance, assitance and blessing) condoms enough to be knee deep in the things. Imagine the water-balloon fights…
The secularist obsession with “stemming the brown tide” seems to not be so much invited as foisted. Good reason for it, it makes good money!
Planned Parenthood in this nation recieves heavy tax-dollar subsidy AND turns a profit (60M last year - not bad for a subsidized non-profit group! That is where I went wrong in my own business - I didn’t set up a non-profit!). For all the tax money they get, they aren’t doing for free. Cheap abortions are at least $350 most places… The younger you can get the patient for the first one, the more likely she will come back for 3-5 more by age 25… ($1750 for 5 abortions at the cheapest rate… Not bad for 25-60 minutes worth of work [total] for all 5!No one can say blood money is not abundant!)
A rather well done short skit was offered on the subject of contraception and the UN by seminarians from the Diocese of Saginaw here.
But I digress, where most of us (Catholics) live, the birth rates are pretty strong…
The Catholic Church in the future is going to continue to increase in the number of souls wearing bodies in shades of black and brown… But it seems to make sense, lest we forget, Catholic does mean universal.
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