The Catholic Archdiocese of Vienna sees the growth of seminarians

The Archdiocese of Vienna has reported an increase in the number of men preparing for the priesthood.

Fourteen new candidates entered the archdiocese's three seminaries this fall. Eleven of them come from the archdiocese of Vienna and the other three from the dioceses of Eisenstadt and St. Pölten.

The archdiocese brought its three seminaries together under one roof in 2012. In total, 52 candidates are being formed there. The oldest was born in 1946 and the youngest in 2000, CNA Deutsch, CNA's German-language news partner, reported on November 19.

According to the archdiocese, the candidates come from a wide variety of backgrounds. They include musicians, chemists, nurses, former civil servants and a winemaker.

Some of the candidates had previously left the Church, but have found their way back to faith and now want to dedicate their lives completely to God.

Cardinal Christoph Schönborn has led the archdiocese of Vienna since 1995. He resigned as archbishop of Vienna before his 75th birthday in January. Pope Francis refused the resignation, asking Schönborn, a Dominican friar descended from the Austrian nobility, to stay for "an indefinite period".

Candidates for the priesthood in Vienna study Catholic theology at the faculty of the Austrian capital. More and more candidates enter the seminary from the Pope Benedict XVI Philosophical-Theological University, pontifical university of Heiligenkreuz, an Austrian town famous for its Cistercian abbey. Four of the 14 new candidates have studied in Heiligenkreuz or are continuing there.

Matthias Ruzicka, 25, told CNA Deutsch that the seminarians were "a heterogeneous group". Ruzicka, who entered the seminary in Vienna in October 2019, described the atmosphere as "fresh and exciting". He said the Austrian capital was in a good location due to the large number of Catholic communities in the city. The candidates brought these different spiritualities with them to the seminary, he said.

Ruzicka suggested that the increase in seminarians was linked to the "openness that can also be felt in many other areas of the Church in the archdiocese of Vienna". He added that the candidates were not labeled as "conservative" or "progressive", but rather God was at the center "and the personal history he writes with each individual".

Seminary training lasts from six to eight years. In addition to studying theology, candidates are granted a "free year" to study abroad, even outside Europe.

At the end of seminary formation, there is often a "practical year" before candidates prepare for their ordination as transitional deacons. They are usually ordained to the priesthood a year or two later