priest wannabes stay away in droves

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The Roman Catholic Diocese of Elphin in Ireland encompasses 1,021 square miles. According to Wikipedia, there are 108 priests "ministering to a population of approximately 70,000, of whom 97% (68,000) are Roman Catholic." The diocese reaches into four of Ireland's counties -- Roscommon, Sligo, Westmeath and Galway.

It was in these realms that the diocese recently initiated a campaign to recruit new priests. Newspaper and newsletter ads went out. Posters went up.

Ireland as a whole has an unemployment rate hovering at 14% or about 400,000 people.  3.8 million of Ireland's 6.4 million people described themselves as Roman Catholics in 2011.

Given a large Catholic population and with unemployment rampant, not one person, either within the Diocese of Elphin or outside of it, applied for consideration as a priest.

Young Swiss priests play football/soccer.

“We had information on posters, newsletters and local newspapers. It’s worrying and slightly discouraging,” organizer Father Jim Murray confessed. It has been four years since the last ordination in the diocese, and two priest sexual-abuse reports have sent shock waves through the country.

“It is certainly worrying," Murray said, "but you have to think the hand of God is at work. Some people are being called but they’re not hearing the call because of the stress of modern life. Certainly, the abuse scandals have had an impact.”

Murray also said he did not think that celibacy was a determining factor: “The issue of celibacy has not arisen,” said Murray. “The hard thing is getting good people who are thinking about the priesthood but are not ready to make the leap.”
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