The Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE) has officially launched the campaign for the Seminar Day 2026, This year it will be celebrated in most dioceses on March 22 (the Sunday closest to the feast of St. Joseph).
This year's motto, «Leave your nets and follow me,» is inspired by the passage from St. Luke (Lk 5:11), and seeks to invite young people to disconnect from digital noise and personal fears in order to respond to the priestly vocation.
At present, there are 1066 young men preparing for the priesthood in Spanish seminaries, as pointed out by Florentino Pérez, director of the secretariat of the Episcopal Subcommission for Seminaries, who described as a “counter-cultural decision” the option of these young men for a life of service to others as priests. In general data, although this year there are fewer entries than last year, there are also fewer dropouts, which stabilizes the data of the Spanish seminaries.
At this point, Perez wanted to emphasize that the dropouts occur in the early stages of the discernment process, which is good news, because this vocational process is carried out correctly.
Two seminarians from Cuenca, who were part of the team that created these materials, wanted to share their vocational testimony and experience during the presentation. At this point, Jorge, one of these seminarians, wanted to emphasize that “sometimes we focus more on the networks that we leave and we should focus on the Follow me, on what Christ gives us”.
Digital innovation and support
As a great novelty for this 2026, the Episcopal Commission for the Clergy and Seminaries has launched the web platform 4pm.es. The name refers to the time when St. John the Apostle decided to follow Jesus: «It was about four o'clock in the afternoon» (Jn 1:39).
This new portal is not only a repository of materials, but also a tool for discernment that includes: a videopodcast biweekly where seminarians share their real experiences; a song Follow me at composed ad hoc by Luispo and OzoresP as well as a series of materials designed to help young people identify their «life plan» in a society saturated with stimuli.
Radiography of the Seminary: Income rises, especially at the Redemptoris Mater
The presentation of the campaign is accompanied by statistical data collected by the Episcopal Subcommission for Seminaries. After years of steep declines, recent figures show a tendency towards stabilization and even a slight upturn in the total number of candidates.
The 2024-2025 academic year stands out for having once again surpassed the barrier of 1,000 seminarians, breaking a downward trend that had continued since 2017. Of these, a significant number (211) are being formed in the missionary seminaries. Redemptoris Mater, of the Neocatechumenal Way.
According to EEC data: “During this academic year 201 young men have begun their formation in Spanish seminaries, compared to 239 in the previous year. On the other hand, the number of dropouts has been slightly reduced, from 86 last year to 82 this year. As for presbyteral ordinations, in 2025 there were 58, compared to 85 the previous year. It should be remembered that these ordinations are directly linked to the diaconal ordinations of the previous year: 64 in 2025 and 69 in 2024”.
Spain has also experienced a special «influencer» situation this year, with the entry of two young content creators, Pablo Garcia and Alvaro Ferreira, into two seminaries to begin a vocational discernment process.
