We should also mention the phenomenon of priestly vocations arising among people of adult age after some years of experience of lay life and professional involvement. This phenomenon, while not new in the Church's history, at present appears with some novel features and with a certain frequency.
Quod in Ecclesiae historia inde ab antiquis temporibus semper evenit, hoc, et notis quibusdam confortantis novitatis adiunctis et frequentius quoque hac nostra aetate evenire pergit: insigne scilicet illarum sacerdotalium vocationum donum, quae, adulta iam aetate, post plus minusve productam laicalis vitae vel professionalis officii experientiam, ad maturitatem perveniunt.vatican.va vatican.va