Statue of St. Patrick in County Mayo, Ireland / Adobe Stock
The Catholic Church in Ireland is reporting a slight uptick in seminarians as the new seminary formation year begins, but there is still an urgent need for efforts to promote priestly vocations, according to a recent statement from the chair of the Bishops’ Council for Vocations.
The fact that 13 more men have begun seminary this year “is really heartening,” and they bring the total number of seminarians in Ireland to 77, chair Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan said in a Sept. 25 statement. “We thank God for each of them.”
“In recent years, there has been a small but steady number of men beginning their studies for priesthood for Irish dioceses,” he continued. “While this is encouraging, in no way should this trend make us complacent.”
The Church in Ireland needs more priests, he said, and there is a need for continuous efforts in the home and in parishes to promote priestly vocations. These efforts, however, must be carried out in a particular and intentional way, according to the bishop.
“Firstly, we must believe in the utter need for priests to continue the sanctifying work of Jesus Christ,” Bishop Cullinan said. “Without the priest there is no Eucharist, and without the Eucharist there is no Church. We need to pray, but not only to offer a few quick prayers of the faithful, rather to beg the Lord of the Harvest to send us more priests.”
The Church in Ireland must then give young men discipleship opportunities to pray about and consider their vocation, he said, adding, “They need formation and companionship – a nurturing place where they can belong and grow.”
“From discipleship particular vocations will emerge,” he continued. “We also need to put resources in place to continually get the message out about the attractiveness of priesthood.”
The bishop thanked the vocations directors and the Knights of Columbus for their efforts in providing these resources.
“I have no doubt that the numbers going forward will grow,” Bishop Cullinan said, “and I am optimistic for the future of priesthood in Ireland.”
Last November, the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference promoted a “come and see” weekend retreat for young men discerning a priestly vocation, as CatholicVote previously reported. Attendees would have the opportunity to pray with current seminarians, learn more about the seminary formation program, and meet other men considering a vocation to the priesthood.
Father Willie Purcell, the National Diocesan vocations coordinator, also welcomed the 13 new seminarians in a Sept. 25 statement.
“The thirteen men who are beginning their vocational journey by entering the propaedeutic year demonstrates to the world that God never ceases to call men to diocesan priesthood,” he said. “I pray that vocations to the priesthood will continue in the coming years. The Church and the faithful need priests. I wish to especially thank all the vocations directors across the country for their work in accompanying those who are discerning a vocation to diocesan priesthood.”
