Thank you for taking the time to provide useful replies, and I was (am) in agreement with you all the way through until your closing conclusions.  First, you only list clerical orders, but do not mention vowed religious brothers or vowed religious women.  Are you a cleric yourself, or once was?  Your statement "Indeed, both these religious communities have a critical mass of young priests for service" is a disservice to those reading what you state, as it disinformation as you present it.  True, there are "core" groups of religious here and there, but no where are there enough religious men or women - or secular priests and permanent deacons - to not only meet present ministerial needs, but will be mostly absent from the US Church in a decade or two, maybe three at most.  I am very alarmed when someone presents information that serves to diminish the urgency needed in the Church to face and deal with its huge deficit in vocations, and I see you doing just that.  I am not reassured.