By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Journalist According to a survey of the nearly 500 young men who will be ordained to the priesthood this year, the typical new priest is about 31 years-old, prays the Rosary and attends Eucharistic Adoration, and was encouraged to consider a vocation by a parish priest. CatholicCulture.com is reporting that the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate surveyed 329 of the 480 men who will be ordained to the priesthood this year and found that most are traditional Catholics. Among the findings: •  the median age of ordinands is 31; the mean age, 34 •  69 percent are white, 15 percent are Latino, 10 percent are Asian, and 5 percent are African-American •  33 percent were foreign born, with the typical foreign-born ordinand entering the US in 1998 at age 25; the most typical countries of origin were Colombia, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, and Vietnam •  8 percent are converts, with the typical convert entering the Church at age 25 •  47 percent attended a Catholic elementary school, 39 percent attended a Catholic high school, and 39 percent attended a Catholic college; 4 percent were homeschooled •  in 82 percent of cases, both parents were Catholic •  37 percent have four or more siblings •  94 percent had a full-time job before entering the seminary •  66 percent were encouraged by a parish priest to consider a vocation; 42 percent were encouraged by their mother, and 27 percent by their father •  52 percent were discouraged by a parent from considering a vocation; 20 percent were discouraged by a priest, and 8 percent were discouraged by a religious •  ordinands typically first began to consider the priesthood at 16 •  48 percent took part in a parish youth group, 30 percent participated in Boy Scouts, and 23 percent participated in the Knights of Columbus before entering the seminary •  21 percent attended World Youth Day, and 8 percent attended a Franciscan University of Steubenville high school youth conference •  71 percent served as altar servers, and 55 percent served as readers at Mass •  70 percent prayed the Rosary and 65 percent took part in Eucharistic adoration before entering the seminary In this year's papal message for the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, which will be observed May 15, Pope Benedict XVI encouraged the entire Christian community to take part in the effort to foster vocations. "Every Christian community, every member of the church needs consciously to feel responsibility for promoting vocations," he said, especially in an era when God's voice "seems to be drowned out by 'other voices' and his invitation to follow him by the gift of one's own life may seem too difficult." © All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace®  http://www.womenofgrace.com