Twenty-two priests to be ordained from Maynooth this year

Twenty-two students from St Patrick's College, Maynooth, will be ordained to the Catholic priesthood this year. This represents an increase of eight on last year's figure.

Twenty of the new priests will serve in Irish dioceses. One each will serve in Achonry, Armagh, Ardagh and Clonmacnois, Clonfert, Down and Connor, Ferns, Galway, Kildare and Leighlin, Waterford and Lismore.

Two will be ordained for Cloyne, Killaloe, Limerick, Meath, and three will be ordained for the Donegal diocese of Raphoe. The remaining two will serve in Lancaster and Wrexham in Britain.

One ordination was scheduled for the Dublin archdiocese this year and it took place on June 15th when Father David Brannigan (35) was ordained by Cardinal Connell at Kilmore West.

Figures for this year's ordinations to the priesthood will not be available until September.

In the Church of Ireland 13 ordinations were planned for this year. All have taken place and included four women. Three were ordained for the Dublin archdiocese at Christ Church Cathedral last Sunday.

In total nine priests were ordained in the Church of Ireland last Sunday. As well as the three in Dublin, five were ordained for the Connor diocese and one for Down and Dromore diocese.

Of the 13 to be ordained for the Church of Ireland this year, one was ordained for Cashel and Ossory; three, including one woman, were ordained for Armagh; one for Down and Dromore; three, including one woman, for Dublin; and five for Connor, including two women. Of the four women ordained, two will serve in a part-time capacity.

Meanwhile, the Catholic Church's European Vocations Service hosts its annual conference "Eu Vocatio 2001" at St Patrick's College, Maynooth, this weekend. Delegates from 20 European countries are national co-ordinators for vocations ministry in those countries.

They will share ideas on how a vocational culture can be developed within the church.

Fifty-six delegates will participate, including lay people and priests. Countries represented include Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Hungary, Slovenia, Poland, Switzerland, and all the countries of the European Union.