UK has 4 times more trainee priests

More young people will consider vocations if they see the Church "alive in their communities", said the Church’s head of vocations as he responded to figures highlighting the paltry number of trainee priests in this country compared to England and Wales.

According to Fr Willie Purcell, the more the Church is part of a young person’s daily life, the more they will consider the role of faith in their lives and the possibility of a vocation.

A report in the Irish Catholic newspaper highlighted how there are 14 priests in the first year of priest formation in Ireland compared to 57 men in England and Wales.