Evangelisation may counter falling numbers of vocations
Archbishop of Tuam Michael Neary
Nine new seminarians have begun their priestly formation for Irish dioceses. They will undertake a propaedeutic programme at a seminary either in Ireland or in Spain. A total of 64 men are studying for the priesthood at the national seminary in Maynooth.
He said the pandemic had allowed priests to take stock and reassess the way in which they live their priestly vocation. “We discovered a new approach to sacraments,” he said and noted how the Sacrament of Confirmation had been held without Mass and without the archbishop. There had also been smaller, more dignified celebrations Communions and marriage ceremonies, he said.
In a talk to 19 priest-directors for vocations from around Ireland last week, Fr Stephen Langridge of Southwark diocese said the Covid pandemic had “accelerated the changes which were already occurring under the surface”. In his presentation, Fr Langridge said the starting point for promoting vocations must be the rediscovery of the primacy of evangelisation.
He said anyone hoping to encourage a candidate for priesthood must work on three essentials: the building of a real relationship with Christ, a real growth in virtue and to be mission-minded and with a heart which seeks to reach out to others.
