As 2024 progresses and we encounter the different elements of the liturgical year as we move forward, we need to remind ourselves also of things that we have been asked to keep in our prayers — one in particular is the continuation of the Year of Prayer for Vocations to the Priesthood in Ireland which began on Vocations Sunday last year. It can be very easy to let it slip out of the mind as other things come to the fore. The continuing fall in active numbers of priests in the country highlights the need to pray and ask that those whom the Lord is calling will hear him through the noise of the world around us. We hope that the year will bear fruit and if it does over time instead of experiencing the number of active priests falling, we may see them begin to rise again. Will that happen? Will the world we live in arrive at a point where the faith will begin to take root again in the hearts, minds and souls of people who have let the faith slip away.
Roman Catholic Diocese of Cloyne, County Cork, Ireland.
