Church enjoys upsurge in vocations interest from disparate quarters

An accountant from Connemara, a qualified chef, a primary school teacher and a number of graduates are among those who are now seeking a vocation in the priesthood.

It has emerged that there is an unprecedented level of interest in joining the priesthood in the Archdiocese of Tuam which covers the whole of Mayo and most of County Galway.

There are currently eight expressions of interest in joining the clergy which is unusually high given the fact that there might have been just two a year over the past decade.

Vocations Director with the Tuam Archdiocese, Fr. Fintan Monahan said that the current level of interest was very encouraging. “But we don’t want to count our chickens before they are hatched,” he warned.

However, he said that he was very impressed by the exceptional calibre of those interested in becoming priests and hoped that it would lead to ordinations in the future.

Two years ago, the Archdiocese had a couple of ordinations which was well received by the church. Last year there were none and there is one planned for the middle of this year in Castlebar.

But on the down side, six priests in the Archdiocese of Tuam passed away over the last year as the average age of those currently in ministry has again increased.

At the moment there are three others studying for the priesthood including Gerard Quirke from Parkview Drive in Tuam and Tyler Haas who is a Wisconsin native who has expressed an interest in joining the priesthood for the Tuam Archdiocese.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune