The atmosphere at our current parish, which has produced a good many vocations throughout its history, has brought me back to the question of how family and education foster vocations. A visitor pointed me to a USCCB survey of the 2015 class of ordinands to the priesthood. Over 90% came from Catholic families, mostly with both parents Catholic. Family members, as well as parish priests, typically fostered and encouraged their vocations. They commonly came from larger families, typically with 3,4, or 5 children. Over half had Catholic elementary educations, with about 45% attending a Catholic college.
It seems to me that boys and young men raised in families that have come into the Ordinariate are less likely to have these sorts of backgrounds. Anglican families are smaller; they'll be more likely to send their kids to Episcopal or public schools and secular prestige universities. There won't be a Catholic family background extending for generations. There won't be Catholic parish priests and religious to serve as inspirations and mentors. Currently, according to the USCCB survey, less than 10% of ordinands come from this sort of background.
In fact, the current cohort of Ordinariate priests are typically 65+, retired with a pension from the Anglican priesthood, and married. As parish priests, they aren't going to be worthwhile examples for the few boys and young men now in Ordinariate parishes. They became Catholic as a late-career strategic move, not as a sacrificial vocational choice made in transition to adulthood.
I don't see how this thing can succeed, frankly.
