💾 Archived View for eir.mooo.com › nuacht › lui16959168572.gmi captured on 2023-09-28 at 16:12:19. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Nick Rabbitts, 28 Sep
THE Diocese of Killaloe has kicked off a year-long scheme to encourage
men to consider joining the priesthood.
[INS: :INS]
Senior members of the diocese will visit local parishes including in
Limerick, next weekend, with Castleconnell to also to get a visit next
month.
Currently, only half of the parishes in the diocese are served by a
resident priest.
But in the last 12 months, three people have decided to consider
joining the priesthood.
That's according to vocations director, Fr Iggy McCormack, who said:
“Geographically, we are the third largest diocese in the country and it
has become increasingly difficult to maintain full cover across the
five counties due to retirements and a lower number of vocations.”
He said the idea of young men taking up a vocation has arguably become
“more counter-cultural” in recent years.
[IMG_7437-1695651453979_1695651477.jpg--in_pictures__limerick_community
_celebrates__mega__weekend.jpg?1695651477189]
In Pictures: Limerick community celebrates 'mega' weekend
“We are very hopeful that we can build on recent progress whereby three
men from the diocese will enter the seminary at Maynooth over the next
12 months.”
Fr McCormack hopes the vocations initiative will encourage people to
discover more about vocations on the diocesan website while the parish
church visits are aimed at kick starting conversations within family
groups, with local priests and in communities across the diocese on the
vocation of priesthood.
“Most newly ordained priests will comment on how the encouragement and
counsel they received from their local priest greatly assisted in
commencing their journey to priestly ministry,” he said.
Former Clare councillor Mark Nestor is one of the three men who has
left day-to-day life for the priesthood over the past 12 months.
“Answering yes to my vocation to the priesthood has resulted in a great
sense of contentment in my life,” he said.