The Catholic Church in Ireland has launched a Year for Vocations as it battles a huge drop in the number 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 have meant the Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Priestly vocations’
Record intake at Sydney seminary
Monday, February 27th, 2023
The Seminary of the Good Shepherd in Sydney has broken a record, with 17 men joining this year’s intake, the largest number in the history of the Homebush seminary. The last time so many men entered a seminary in Sydney was 40 years ago when 17 entered Good Shepherd’s predecessor seminary, St Patrick’s College at Read more
South Korean Church records decline in priestly vocation
Thursday, February 23rd, 2023Church officials in South Korea have asked for research and education plans as Catholics in the country experience a drop in priestly ordinations amid decreasing birth rate and religiosity. The number of newly ordained priests dropped to 87 in 2023 from 131 in 2011, a decrease of 35 percent, according to the Statistics of the Read more
Dutch cardinal defends plan to end Sunday celebrations without priests
Monday, February 20th, 2023A Dutch cardinal has said that he is pressing ahead with a plan to phase out Sunday Word and Communion services in the absence of a priest within his territory. Cardinal Willem Eijk, the Archbishop of Utrecht, said in a Feb 14 letter that he was committed to eliminating the priestless Sunday celebrations over the Read more
Parishes to share mobile priests
Thursday, August 4th, 2022
Parishes and priests will have to be more flexible as change is inevitable, says the Bishop of Cork and Ross Fitan Gavin (pictured). He says there will have to be changes in how priests minister to parishes with more lay people taking on great responsibilities. Priests will share parishes, he says. Right now the Catholic Read more
A film director and a soccer player to be ordained by Pope
Thursday, April 22nd, 2021Pope Francis will ordain nine deacons to the priesthood at St. Peter’s Basilica on Sunday, 25 April. Among those who are to be ordained are Samuel Piermarini, who gave up a promising football career and Riccardo Cendamo, a former film director. Read more
Hong Kong Catholic Church recruits married men
Monday, December 11th, 2017The Hong Kong Catholic Church will recruit more married men to reach out to the needy. The church is also encouraging more young people to join the priesthood. Read more
Six ordinations in 12 months signals positive new energy
Monday, July 31st, 2017
Six ordinations in a twelve-month period signals a positive new energy and life for the Catholic community of Westland, Canterbury and the Chatham Islands says the vocations director of the Christchurch diocese. On his website Food For Faith Fr John O’Connor was commenting on a feature in the Press about the recent ordinations in Christchurch. But Read more
God kept nagging me says NZ’s youngest priest
Monday, July 31st, 2017
Alister Castillo, 27, who is thought to be the youngest priest in New Zealand says God is a “nagger”. “It’s that very annoying nagging that’s kind of like when your parents are telling you to do the dishes, ” he told Stuff.co.nz Castello, who describes himself as “a born and bred Cantabrian”, completed his secondary Read more
Traditional Catholicism is winning
Monday, April 16th, 2012In his Holy Thursday homily at St. Peter’s Basilica on April 5, Pope Benedict XVI denounced calls from some Catholics for optional celibacy among priests and for women’s ordination. The pope said that “true renewal” comes only through the “joy of faith” and “radicalism of obedience.” And renewal is coming. After the 2002 scandal about Read more