When St Oliver Plunkett returned to Ireland as Archbishop of Armagh in 1670, he found the church in dire need of help. The Ireland he came back to had two million Catholics spread
over 34 dioceses, most of which had no bishop. There were as few as 1,000 diocesan clergy and 600 religious in the country – a tiny proportion of what we have today.

In a recent homily on the challenges faced by the 17th century saint, Meath priest Fr Brendan Ludlow pointed out a few surprising similarities between the Ireland of 1670 and the Ireland of 2008. “Scandal, persecution, many not receiving the sacraments, few priests, education in faith which is stunted somewhere during the primary school years if present at all, crisis in religious life, and difficulties with church leadership. This (the situation which existed in 1670) could be a summary of how we perceive the church today,” he suggests.

Last month saw the start of the church’s Year of Vocation, which runs until May 2009. Its aim is to set aside a ‘time’ to promote vocations to the priesthood and religious life. The organisers are hopeful that the year will also have an impact on those currently in ministry, as well as encourage those who wish to become more involved in the church. “In these changing times this project is an opportunity to...focus on the call to fullness of life, love, commitment and relationship, and service,” they say. The Year of Vocation comes amid much ado about a ‘vocations crisis’ in the Irish church. The two words so oft en go hand in hand. Of course, there are many ways of approaching it. Are we facing a catastrophe or should we be grasping the opportunity to rethink things? Is the current situation a sign of a doomed church or just another chapter in the history of a church which has survived through the centuries in the face of despair and persecution? Above all, the year offers a chance to reflect on the road ahead. What is the challenge for of us have to play?

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY VOCATION?
When we hear the word ‘vocation’ we tend to think of the religious life. The term is seldom used without the connotation of someone ‘having a vocation’ to become a priest, nun, or brother. Oft en there is little sense of vocation as something relevant to every Christian.

However, vocation has a much wider interpretation in the church. All Christians are incorporated into the church by baptism and are called to participate in the life of the church. In this sense we all have a ‘vocation.’ The second Vatican Council spoke of the special vocation of lay people. A particular calling of the laity is to make Christ known through a life of faith, hope, and charity. Welcoming 25 new seminarians to the national seminary at St Patrick’s College Maynooth last September, college president Father Hugh Connolly spoke of the ‘call to holiness’ that is at the core of every person. “To be created is to be called by God. The mystery of vocation, or call, is part of God’s love for all of us,” said Fr Connolly. “It is a call to holiness, to becoming a living response to God’s love. In this sense ministry is not just for a chosen few but is mandated to everyone by baptism. Every ministry, lay or ordained, involves service.”

Scandal, persecution, many not receiving the sacraments, few priests, education in faith which is stunted somewhere during the primary school years if present at all, crisis in religious life, and difficulties with church leadership

Recent years have seen a decline both in committed laity and in priests and religious. It is clear that these are two sides of the same coin. If there is a crisis, it is a vocations crisis in the wider sense of vocation. A church that is leaking committed members across the board is bound to lose out when it seeks applicants to the priesthood and religious life.

TO BE CREATED IS TO BE CALLED BY GOD. THE MYSTERY OF VOCATION, OR CALL, IS PART OF GOD’S LOVE FOR ALL OF US Fr Hugh Connolly, St Patrick’s College Maynooth

THE CURRENT SITUATION
A recent cover story in The Irish Catholic highlighted the extent of the drop in vocations. It revealed that while as many as 200 priests have died in the last year in Ireland, only nine men were ordained. Two nuns took final vows, while 228 died. If these trends continue, the article points out, by the year 2028 the number of priests will have dropped from the current 4,752 to a mere 1,500. It is a “vocations catastrophe of quite stunning proportions,” according to the paper’s editor, Garry O’Sullivan.

These statistics appear to have brought the Irish situation into sharp focus. Commentator David Quinn was prompted to describe Ireland as a “vocations black spot.” “The real problem is that the demographic has finally caught up and priests are retiring and dying at a rate of knots,” says Quinn. “There used to be three priests for every parish but it’s becoming common for two priests to share three parishes. In the near future there will be just one priest for every five parishes.”

In addition, the average age of priests in Ireland is now 61, a figure that has been rising for some time. According to the Irish Bishops’ Conference’s most recent report on vocations, three percent of priests were aged between 25 and 29 in 2001, while a mere 0.9 percent of priests were in this age group in 2006.

When figures are compared with bygone years, the tendency is to highlight the contrast between now and the 1940s to 1960s, when the number of men ordained ran into several hundred every year. However, the numbers of priests and religious at that time were
significantly higher than at other periods in the Irish church’s history; in fact, the number of diocesan priests in Ireland is about the same now as it was 100 years ago. And the current number of priests is significantly higher than in the 17th century, or indeed the 18th and 19th centuries.

IRELAND IS A “VOCATIONS BLACK SPOT” David Quinn, Religious commentator

The downward trend has become noteworthy only in the last 20 years or so. “It is a disaster no matter which way you look at it,” says Garry O’Sullivan, outlining some of the consequences of the drop in priests. Parishes are being clustered and have to share priests. Mass times are curtailed and in some cases daily Mass is no longer available. Priests are retiring later. Many are finding it hard to cope with the funerals, sick visits, confessions, and the many other demands placed on their time. On the other side of the coin are the worldwide figures, which reveal that the numbers joining the priesthood and religious life continue to rise. Since 1978, vocations to the priesthood worldwide have gone up by more than 65 percent. When the late Pope John Paul II took office in 1978, there were 63,882 seminarians worldwide. By the time he died in 2005, that figure had increased to 114,439.

REASONS FOR THE DECLINE
Recently, some friends and I were talking about whether we knew any young Maynooth, I knew no one my own age who had ‘answered the call.’ Nor had any one else in the group any experience of peers who had become priests, nuns, or brothers. I thought back to a discussion during a religion class at school. What would we do if a friend was considering a vocation, our teacher asked. “I’d try to talk them out of it,” replied one girl. “It’s too hard a life.”

Encounters like these do not strike me as unusual. The attitudes are not negative as such; they simply come from people for whom priesthood or religious life is not seen as an option. Among the reasons offered for the lack of vocations have been the rise of secularism, the attitude of the media particularly in light of recent scandals in the Irish church, problems with long term commitment, and problems with church structures.

But Fr Gerry O’Connor, former vocations director of the Irish Redemptorists, believes the reasons run deeper. Some families do not support the idea of a religious vocation, he says. “Vocations are born within families. I have come across mothers who would positively discourage their sons away from a vocation. Some felt it was too big a sacrifice not to have the possibility of a relationship or family. Others hear what people are saying about priests. One mother told me, ‘If the church won’t take my daughter they won’t have my son.’”

What is oft en described as a problem with long term commitment has its roots in a wider trend, according to Fr O’Connor. “I’ve met some smashing young people who are honestly discerning, but couldn’t say that priesthood or the religious life is something they would do for the rest of their lives. No one sees themselves staying in the one thing for good. Many young couples getting married also admit to anxiety regarding lifelong commitment.”

This view is backed up by young Kerry priest, Fr Niall Howard. “I think there are issues of commitment in a time of great ease in moving jobs,” he says. “In employment law, permanent contracts (you’re in the job for life) are now called ‘contracts of indefinite duration’ (the job is there for as long as you want it).”

Fr O’Conner is convinced many people are looking for meaning, but have genuine difficulty considering a vocation to priesthood or religious life. “I have met many generous young people who are searching, but few who would commit to a vocation. These are people who if they had been born in another generation would certainly have joined.”

Church attitudes towards young people and women are a factor too. “The Redemptorists have a reasonable number of young members, and I think this is due to their commitment to youth ministry,” says Fr O’Connor. “The church is not adequately investing in young people. The female question is also significant. Women are taking leadership in so many sectors but are still excluded from decision making in the church. What organisation that cuts off 50 percent of the population can flourish?”

I’VE MET SOME SMASHING YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE HONESTLY DISCERNING, BUT COULDN’T SAY THAT PRIESTHOOD OR THE RELIGIOUS LIFE IS SOMETHING THEY WOULD DO FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES. NO ONE SEES THEMSELVES STAYING IN THE ONE THING FOR GOOD Fr Gerry O’Connor, Redemptorist

THE CHALLENGE
Vocations workers are under no illusions about the challenges they face. Sr Phyllis Moynihan is vocations director with the South Central province of the Mercy Sisters. She believes her task is to make the Mercy story known. “We need to stop and ask: are there people who are looking for more in life but don’t know what to do with that search? The challenge is to provide an opportunity for these people, and to put religious life back on the agenda,” she says.

She is uncomfortable with the tendency to focus on numbers. “I’m not entirely comfortable with the word ‘crisis’; there is also an opportunity. In the past there were big numbers joining religious life, but now we need a light to shine in the darkness, a small number of people who will give witness. It’s about helping people find the right path.”

I’M NOT ENTIRELY COMFORTABLE WITH THE WORD ‘CRISIS’; THERE IS ALSO AN OPPORTUNITY Sr Phyllis Moynihan, Vocations Director of Mercy Sisters South Central

In recent years four women have made a commitment to the Mercy Sisters, and Sr Phyllis believes the tide is turning. “These women are in their 30s and 40s, professional women who were searching for more. People say, ‘Sure, you’re not getting anyone now’ - but we are. In the last eight years six people have started the journey, whereas for years before that there was no one at all.”

In the lives of many who have joined the priesthood or religious life, the support they received from family and friends, and the inspiration of other Catholics, has been vital. “I was inspired by the faith practice of my parents and grandparents, and by the parish clergy who ministered to us,” says Fr Niall Howard. “I know I couldn’t have been a priest without God’s invitation and support, and the longer I’m ordained, the more I realise that is
true of the present also.”

Bernie O’Grady is preparing to make her final vows with the Mercy Sisters at the end of the summer, and says she has received nothing but support from her family and friends. “I have never experienced any negativity. I’m very happy in what I’m doing, and people see that,” she says. “People are interested and ask questions, particularly around obedience, celibacy, and poverty.”

GOING FORWARD
Fr Gerry O’Conner believes the current situation could be an opportunity to rethink the direction in which the church is going. “We have to be open to the possibility that this is God’s plan for the church in Ireland. I think it will emerge that 20 to 30 percent of the population will practice regularly, and from this will come enough priests to minister to this group. It may help a new style of church to emerge that is less dependent on the clerical priesthood,” he says, adding that in many respects a more positive attitude towards priests is emerging. “If a priest went into a school 10 or 12 years ago, there might be some sniggering. Now there is curiosity, they regard you as a bit quaint. Some have had no contact with priests since their first communion or confirmation. You get a fairer hearing.”

Dr Andrew O’Connell, communications director with the Presentation Brothers, believes a ‘back to basics’ approach is needed. “We need to ask ourselves why the church is unable to deal with this crisis. We in the Presentation Brothers simply did the basics and have had 63 guys requesting information and 17 coming to vocations weekends. Why are young people not answering the call? They are not hearing about it because we are not telling them.”

Dr O’Connell believes the crisis of commitment extends beyond the religious life, and draws attention to figures from the Iona Institute which show a drop in the numbers of young people entering marriage. He believes there is no ‘quick fix’ solution to the problem. “There are some answers given, such as ordaining married men, or ordaining women. The Anglican church does both of these but has its own vocations crisis.”

WHY ARE YOUNG PEOPLE NOT ANSWERING THE CALL? THEY ARE NOT HEARING ABOUT IT BECAUSE WE ARE NOT TELLING THEM Dr Andrew O’Connell, Communications Director, Presentation Brothers

According to O’Connell, what we are experiencing is more than a crisis of vocation – it is a crisis of faith. “We need to get young men and women disposed towards religion in the first place,” he says, giving the example of Malta where there are over 60 seminarians for its population of 400,000. In Ireland we have a similar number for some four million Catholics. Malta’s success is attributed to a vocations programme that begins at primary school. “The church (in Ireland) is afraid of young people,” says O’Connell. “There is a huge amount of goodwill out there. It is not rocket science.” Garry O’Sullivan also suggests some practical steps to deal with the lack of vocations. “We need a National Synod of bishops, priests, and lay people to discuss the crisis affecting the Irish church. The ‘business as usual’ approach just won’t wash anymore.”

We need a National Synod of bishops, priests, and lay people to discuss the crisis affecting the Irish church. The ‘business as usual’ approach just won’t wash anymore Garry O’Sullivan, editor of ‘The Irish Catholic’

Meanwhile, Fr Brendan Ludlow draws attention to the huge numbers of lay people involved in the life and ministry of each parish. “St Oliver Plunkett would tell us to stop feeling sorry for ourselves and looking for the negatives. His hope, faith, and perseverance should give us fresh vision and complete confidence and trust - even in challenging times - in the Lord of the harvest who guides his church to pastures ever green. Vocation is alive and well in Ireland.”

THE FACTS