Ordinations In France Increased

France showed nearly a 10% increase in the number of priestly ordinations for 2019 compared to last year. There will be 125 new priests ordain in France this year.  This is positive news especially in light of the fact that the Catholic Church is always in need of priests.  According to the article, the rise in priestly ordinations is due to the congregations and religious communities.  And yes, some of those new priests came from the Neocatechumenal Way communities.  Unfortunately, the Traditionalist communities whose priests celebrate the Mass in Latin in the "extraordinary form of the Roman rite" experienced a slight decrease.  The following article can be found here.
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Priestly ordinations by Archbishop Michel Aupetit at Notre-Dame de Paris. (Photo by FREDERIC SOREAU/CIRIC) 

According to recent research by La Croix, 125 men will be ordained priests in the Church of France this year.  82 of these are diocesan priests, while the other 45 are from religious congregations or other communities. 

It marks an increase over last year, according to figures obtained by La Croix.  In 2018, the number was 114, marking an annual rise of nearly 10%. 

Four of the newcomers are followers of the Neocatechumenal Way and three of them are from the Emmanuel Community.  

The Diocese of Versailles alone has nine ordinations, while four new priests will be ordained for the Diocese of Creteil.  The Dioceses of Frejus-Toulon and Bayonne and the Archdiocese of Besancon are each ordaining three men this year.  

The Archdiocese of Parish also have five ordinations, including two from the Emmanuel Community.  But the numbers there continue to fall.  Paris ordained 10 priests in 2017 and only six last year.  

Some dioceses that have not experienced ordinations for some time, including Belfort-Montbeliard and Nancy, each ordained two men this year.  Saint-Die and Sees dioceses each ordianed one new priest in 2019.  

A total of 56 French dioceses ordained new priests this year.  That's down from 58 last year.  

Several archdioceses - including Bordeaux, Rennes, Toulouse and Marseille -- did not ordain anyone this year.  It is the second year in a row that Marseille has not had an ordination.  

Diocesan ordinations stagnate, religious communities rise

The number of diocesan priests is the same as last year.  The rise in ordinations is borne by the congregations and religious communities.  

The Community of St. Martin is still way ahead with new ordinations.  The trend is expected to continue next year when 11 deacons will be ordained for the priesthood on June 28. 

Traditionalist communities whose priests celebrate Mass in Latin in the "extraordinary form of the Roman rite" experienced a slight downturn.  

The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter ordained four new priests, while the Good Shepherd Institute and the Institute of Christ the King each ordained one.  

As for the Jesuits, there are to be four ordinations, two coming in November.  The Dominicans will have four, the Carmelites three and the Community of St. John two. This reinforces the contribution of the religious orders.  

There is less dynamism among the Sons of Charity or the Lateran Canons.  

Difference between the figures of La Croix and those of the CEF

As in previous years, the figures of La Croix differ slightly from those reported in the same period by the Bishops' Conference of France (CEF), which announced a total of 126 ordinations. 

In 2018, CEF announced an almost identical number (125) while La Croix announced 114 priests. 

These differences are explained by different census methods.  The CEF number is based on the figures provided to it by dioceses and communities.  

La Croix chooses not to include foreign-national priests ordained in France because it holds the view that they will not remain there for long.

For example, in 2019, the ordination in Parish of a Vietnamese Assumptionist priest and that of a Hungarian priest from the Chemin Neuf community were not taken into account because they then moved to Belgium. 

Similarly, the bishops' conference recorded four ordinations celebrated in the St. John community, under the parent community in France, but La Croix only counted the two French members. 

However, La Croix took into account the traditionalist communities: the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, the Good Shepherd Institute and the Institute of Christ the King.  The CEF did not take into account these six new priests in its tabulation.

These figures, like those provided by the CEF, should be taken with relative caution because it is difficult to establish exact figures.  It should be noted the number of annual ordinations remain far below the estimated 800 French priests who die each year.