The Catholic Church has launched a Year for Vocations as it battles a huge drop in the numbers of men going to seminaries.
Where once every large family in the country expected one son to join the priesthood, the scandals that have rocked the Church in the last two decades has meant the numbers being ordained have crashed.
But now the drive to recruit more priests has been rebooted to take into account new ways of contacting those who might have a vocation – including the use of digital and social media.
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The awareness campaign began yesterday – which in the Church was Vocations/Good Shepherd Sunday.
While there is a worldwide shortage of priests the new awareness campaign around the year of vocations is specific to Ireland.
The Irish Catholic Church is challenged by the dwindling number of priests nationwide and the increased workload on those in the vocation.
Many priests are reaching retirement age while the numbers finding they have a vocation has dwindled in the last few decades.
In the last year just 10 seminarians began their studies in Maynooth – one more than in 2021.
It brought to 56 the total number of men studying for the priesthood in Irish dioceses in 2022.
But in the 1960s there would have been hundreds of young men going into the priesthood each year.
The vocations campaign began on the 60th anniversary of the initiation of the annual World Day of Prayer for Vocations, instituted by Saint Pope Paul VI in 1963 during the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council.
In recent days Pope Francis said the Spirit which leads to a vocation often comes in “completely unexpected ways” as it did for him.
The pontiff said: “On 21 September 1953, as I was on my way to an annual school celebration, I was led to stop by a church and go to confession.
“That day changed my life and left a mark that has endured to the present day.” Vocations Ireland, which is part of the Association of Leaders of Missionaries and Religious of Ireland, will hold events throughout the coming year aimed at highlighting the various vocations in the Church.
One of the leaders of the initiative, Waterford Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan said: “A key objective of this Year of Vocations is to start conversations within families, with priests and in parish communities on the beauty of the vocation of priesthood.
“Feedback from newly ordained priests indicates a strong correlation between their calling and encouragement received from a priest about their ministry, in other words taking the risk for Christ.”
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