Priests newly ordained for Chicago Archdiocese are all foreign-born

Published: 2008-05-19

CHICAGO (CNS) -- None of the 11 new priests the Archdiocese of Chicago ordained May 17 were born in the archdiocese, or even in the United States. Five are from Poland, products of the Bishop Abramowicz Preparatory Seminary program that brings Polish seminarians and forms them to be Chicago priests. Two are from Mexico, one from Ecuador and one from Colombia -- all products of Casa Jesus, a house of formation for Spanish-speaking young men considering the priesthood. And two are from Tanzania, and came through Tuite House, a program at St. Joseph College Seminary for African and African-American young men who are discerning whether they have priestly vocations. While the archdiocese welcomes the foreign-born priests with open arms -- and invests time and money in helping them learn about American culture, the American church and American English -- they won't have the familiarity with the people of many native-born priests, according to priests who work with them and with native-born Catholics who are considering the priesthood.

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