OUT of 100 young men who enter the Catholic seminary, only 10 eventually become priests. And of this 10, still another two percent usually seek dispensation later on.

But this is not exactly worrying for Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz, who served as rector at the San Carlos College Seminary for about 10 years, spiritual director in Guadalupe Seminary in Metro Manila for another five years, and had been teaching in various seminaries.

“As far as I am concerned, and this has been my position as a bishop, I’d rather have one good priest than 100 bad ones,” Cruz said.

At the Mary Help of Christians College Seminary in Dagupan, only three seminarians who graduated last March will pursue their Theology studies in Vigan this June.

“This has always been the case,” he said, adding that getting an education in the seminary is an uphill climb as some may finish high school then go to college but not necessarily to pursue a degree in Theology.

Seminary administrators themselves sometimes have had to ask some seminarians to leave aside from those who decided to leave on their own.

Those who are advised to leave means that the seminary administrators have found something in the seminarians that are considered “negative factors”, he added.

Cruz encouraged parents to advise their sons to enter the seminary but that they should not exert “moral force” on their young sons.

“There must be a thousand and one reasons for those who leave on their own, but basically they feel that they are not meant for the priesthood,” Cruz said.

According to Cruz, there are generally three factors that prompt a priestly vocation: when the person is close to his church where he practices his catechism or joins religious activities; good examples of parents; or inspiration from the parish priest.

Aside from the Mary Help of Christians College Seminary, the Lingayen-Dagupan diocese also maintains a minor seminary in Binmaley. #

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