A nun makes stained glass decorations in the seminary's art department. [Photo by Wei Xiaohao/China Daily]

Demographic shift

Urbanization has resulted in a rapid rise in the number of Catholics in urban areas. In 2013, Wang Zuo'an, head of the State Administration for Religious Affairs, told Study Times that there were at least 6 million Catholics in China, and the number was rising.

Yang said most of the country's Catholics lived in the rural areas before urbanization, but a growing number of young people in cities were being attracted. For example, the number of followers in the diocese of Yulin, Shaanxi province, where Yang still serves as bishop, has almost doubled since the turn of the century, from less than 40,000 in 2000 to almost 70,000 by the end of last year.

"It's an indication that people are constantly seeking a better quality of life, and their efforts are increasingly focused on spirituality. People need support in their spiritual lives because their quest for a better life is no longer focused purely on material needs," he said.

The changes in age and gender have also presented the seminaries with new challenges, especially keeping up with developments in society and with parishioners' changing needs, he said.

Yang said the seminary is mulling new courses, including wider coverage of fields such as psychology, social ethics and services, and management theory to adapt to the needs of younger worshippers.

Despite the challenges, seminarian Meng Dongdong said the clergy's most-important task is the same now as it has always been. "We must help parishioners to solve their puzzles from within, even though our own questions remain unanswered at times," he said.

"For us, it is also a process of making distinctions to see if I am the right person for God and whether I still want to devote myself to the priesthood. So far, for me, the answer is still 'Yes'. "

The Education of a Catholic priest

? First year topics include: History of Chinese and Western philosophy; Sexual Psychology; Sacred Music; Basic Latin; English; Logics; and Spirituality and Epistemology.

? Second Year: Metaphysics; Ethics; Spiritual Life; The History of Foreign Religious Literature; and Ontology.

? Third Year: The Old Testament; Introduction to the New Testament; Introduction to Theology; Medieval Church History; Systematical Theology; the History of Spirituality; and Developmental Psychology.

? Fourth Year: Synoptic Gospels; Biblical Hermeneutics; Abnormal Psychology; and Introduction to the Sacrament.