[mbraynard]

I could be mistaken, but real Church doesn't allow for 25 year old MALE priests - at least in the US. You need to have your degree and then spend a lot of time at Seminary. Am I mistaken?

Jeez - I'd be damned before I gave a 25 year old of either sex the time of day if they told me they were a priest. Listening to their homilies must be the psychological equivilent of shooting a nail gun into your skull.

[wideawake]

In theory someone as young as 25 can become a priest. It's not as common in the US.

Jeez - I'd be damned before I gave a 25 year old of either sex the time of day if they told me they were a priest. Listening to their homilies must be the psychological equivilent of shooting a nail gun into your skull.

You'd be surprised. My parents' parish had a 26 year old Nigerian priest who, although hindered by his accent, gave brief and pointed homilies that were well-received.

There are plenty of 60 year old priests whose homilies are unendurable.

I would rather have a 25 year old spend five minutes explaining how the day's Gospel ties into the Catechism than a 60 year old give a twenty minute disquisition on how some incident on his vacation in Spain got him thinking about how funny life can be.

[ArrogantBustard]

25 years old ... interesting age ... In the military, a 25 year old could easily be a seasoned veteran and leader of men. In academia, a 25 year old may well have a Ph.D. (or at least be close to graduation). At 26 I quit teaching high school (had been there for 4 years) to work as an engineer. 25 isn’t a punk kid.

[buwaya]

You are correct. A priest ordained by age 25 these days would be extremely unusual, though I believe that is the minimum age as per current canon law. The usual age is more like 35.