Sep 6, 2005 / 22:00 pm
Nathan March is part of the largest class of seminarians in the Maine since 1995. He and four others expect be ordained for the Diocese of Portland in just two short years, reports the Associated Press. Another three ordinations are slated for the following year.
Like elsewhere in the United States, the number of priests has been dwindling for years. Currently, 95 priests serve Maine’s 234,000 Catholics, and their numbers are expected to drop further in the next five years.
But young men who are heeding the call to the priesthood, like March, are signs of hope for Catholics in the eastern state. Currently, there are 11 seminarians in Maine, ranging in age from 26 to 52.
Prior to entering the seminary, March was earning more than $60,000 a year as an electrical engineer and living in Portland's snappy West End.