I have recently come across some statistics about priestly ordinations in France. These figures are for diocesan ordinations only, and exclude all traditional and religious orders.
What I was not aware of, is the increasing practice in France of diocesan priests being ordained according to Extraordinary Form rites. The following figures cover the years 2010 to 2015, and so are not fully up to date.
Year OF EF Total
2010 96 (86%) 16 (14%) 112
2011 109 (88%) 18 (14%) 127
2012 97 (83%) 20 (17%) 117
2013 92 (88%) 12 (12%) 104
2014 88 (83%) 18 (17%) 106
2015 68 (77%) 20 (23%) 88
Taking the six years together, about 16% of diocesan ordinations have been in the extraordinary Form. The most noticeable feature of these figures is the downward trend in the numbers being ordained in the Ordinary Form. Although there is no marked trend in the numbers being ordained in the Extraordinary Form, the trend in this percentage of EF ordinations is definitely upward.
As far as I am aware, there is no example in England and Wales of any diocesan priest having been ordained in the EF in recent times, although Archbishop McMahon has ordained two FSSP priests, using the old liturgy.
A relatively new phenomenon in France is the bi-ritually trained diocesan priest. I presume that most of these opt for ordination in the EF, and represent most of the EF ordinations enumerated above.
When one adds the ordinations of Frenchmen belonging to the FSSP, ICKSP and IBP into the mix, and also takes into account the traditional Benedictine and Augustinian monasteries in France, which are prospering, the proportion of ordinations in the Extraordinary Form is quite impressive, probably 40% at the present time.
Delighted to read of France's increase in the love of The Usus Antiquior.
ReplyDeleteJust as interesting, is the fact that the French readership of the Blog Zephyrinus https://zephyrinus-zephyrinus.blogspot.co.uk/
has jumped from a total of 80,000 to 150,000 in the last twelve months !!!
France has now overtaken The United Kingdom into second place, overall, behind The United States.
The Traditional French love of The Liturgy and Things Catholic (La France est Catholique) is in full swing. Deo Gratias.
Interesting and encouraging.
ReplyDeleteThe laity meanwhile seem to have no great demand for the Old Mass. In data provided by Paix Liturgique, which is now some years old, 50% of Catholics said they were either somewhat or completely unfavorable of the Latin Mass.
In 2007 across France, there were 104 Sunday Latin Masses and there 221 in 2017. Which is a reasonable growth all the same.