Dublin priest numbers will fall 70 per cent in next 20 years or sooner

[Michie]

Priest numbers in the Dublin archdiocese are expected to decline by 70 per cent in the next 20 years, but there are fears such a decline may happen even sooner, a recent report published in The Irish Times has claimed.

The report also mentions fears, highlighted in the latest diocesan financial statement, that reserves at one of its charities, the Diocesan Support Services, will run out within 16 years.

Only two priests have been ordained for the diocese of Dublin since 2020, a far cry from the days when the city was home to two major diocesan seminaries (Clonliffe and All Hallows), in addition to the national seminary, which still operates at Maynooth.

Continued below.

Dublin priest numbers will fall 70 per cent in next 20 years or sooner - Catholic Herald

Priest numbers in the Dublin archdiocese are expected to decline by 70 per cent in the next 20 years, but there are fears such a decline may happen even sooner, a recent report published in The Irish Times has claimed. The report also mentions fears, highlighted in the latest diocesan financial...

catholicherald.co.uk

 

[RileyG]

So very sad. St. Patrick, pray for your beloved Ireland.