Number of clergy in Ireland down 17% in 5 years

68Murph68

So was just looking as some stuff on the CSO website in relation to the Census and between 2006 and 2011 the number of clergy in Ireland decreased by 260.

This might not sound like all that much but the total number of clergy in 2011 was 3672 which was down from 3902 in 2006, so its a decrease of almost 17% (16.97% to be exact)

Also I would be very surprised if the average age of the remaining 3672 clergy isn't a fair bit higher than the age of the 3902.

The die-off continues.

On a related note what do people expect the minimum clergy number to be and when do people expect this to be reached?

Its on pages 48 and 49 of the report below.

http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/documents/census2011profile3/Profile3_at_work_entire_doc.pdf

Zillah

To borrow an Americanism: So long, don't let the door hit your butt on the way out.

aidan24326

Most priests in Ireland are 50+. Many are 60+. Most nuns are in the 60-80 range.

Many rural parishes don't even have a parish priest any more, with priests forced to spread themselves across more than one parish. My local church where I'm originally from (in County Galway) only has mass every second weekend now, because of a lack of priests. On alternate weekends you'd have to go to a neighbouring parish for mass.

That situation is only going to worse as priest numbers dwindle year by year. I used to think that changing the celibacy rule would change things but I'm not so sure now. I think it's gone beyond that. I think something like 9 priests were ordained last year in Ireland. Remove the celibacy rule and you might get a few more but not enough to make much of a difference. In 10 years time the devoted will be making a 30km drive to go to mass in some centralised location. 10 years beyond that there won't be many that even care anymore.

Dades

Priests can always be imported from overseas where Catholicism isn't fading away.

grizzly

"That situation is only going to worse better as priest numbers dwindle year by year."

mikhail

Dades wrote: »

Priests can always be imported from overseas where Catholicism isn't fading away.

This. I don't know why anyone thinks the age profile of the priesthood here means the end of the church. I'm just going to have to enjoy hearing from my elderly, staunchly religious and racist parents how the new parish priest is a nignog.

krudler

Dades wrote: »

Priests can always be imported from overseas where Catholicism isn't fading away.

Wonder will there be ads on tv in Africa asking to pledge 2 Ugandan dollars a month so Ireland can adopt a priest. Eva Cassidy playing in the background, sombre shots of massless communities, fly ridden communion wafers, undrunk church wine slowly spoiling in the church.

Nodin

mikhail wrote: »

This. I don't know why anyone thinks the age profile of the priesthood here means the end of the church. I'm just going to have to enjoy hearing from my elderly, staunchly religious and racist parents how the new parish priest is a nignog.

I'd turn up for the first mass or two after hes done a bit of redecoration with a camera, just to record the faces as they come in the door....

Cossax

Dades wrote: »

Priests can always be imported from overseas where Catholicism isn't fading away.

It hasn't happened much/widely as of yet despite there are single priests covering multiple parishes though so it's hardly that likely now, is it?

Tar.Aldarion

Cossax wrote: »

It hasn't happened much/widely as of yet despite there are single priests covering multiple parishes though so it's hardly that likely now, is it?

Well it does happen, as the parish I am from have had an imported priest for years. It will happen as needs be.

Dades wrote: »

Priests can always be imported from overseas where Catholicism isn't fading away.

I imagine in time it will be mostly non-Irish priests in Ireland, a generation or less.

Dades

Hey Tar, it's been a while!

Cossax wrote: »

It hasn't happened much/widely as of yet despite there are single priests covering multiple parishes though so it's hardly that likely now, is it?

It's not likely - it's inevitable. There's already a bunch of non-native priests popping up. The old guard of Irish priests can only cover multiple parishes for so long without being refreshed.

nozzferrahhtoo

Dades wrote: »

Priests can always be imported from overseas where Catholicism isn't fading away.

They seem to be doing that here already where I live in a little town in Bavaria. We went to a local Town Festival and the priest attended. From what I over heard him saying.... in his mix of English and German as he himself spoke neither well yet..... he was the imported priest for not just ours... but other local parishes.

So a shortage of priests does seem to be forcing people to import them. A shortage of money means they are importing them into multiple parishes too. Long may this rot continue I hope.

That said I have been finding myself tempted to enroll. The one thing Atheist Ireland do not have in their membership is a priest. I wouldn't mind ditching the real world of work and heading back to study. Though I would be upfront about it the whole way were I ever to do it.... I'd hate to act like those creationists in the US who get Biology PhDs only to turn around and say it is all crap in the end while using their PhD to lend weight to their words.

Beruthiel

Nodin wrote: »

Oooh, hot jebus!
And already tied up in a 50 shades of blah type of way....

Penn

Beruthiel wrote: »

Oooh, hot jebus!
And already tied up in a 50 shades of blah type of way....

Christian Black

Nodin

Beruthiel wrote: »

Oooh, hot jebus!
And already tied up in a 50 shades of blah type of way....

my favourite would be you keep all the Jesus paraphenilia, but make him look like a man resident of the region
Realistic Jesus

Cossax

Most likely look for that Yeshua ben Yosef guy was done up by the BBC.

magicbastarder

are you allowed clone a priest?

Hotblack Desiato

krudler wrote: »

Wonder will there be ads on tv in Africa asking to pledge 2 Ugandan dollars a month so Ireland can adopt a priest. Eva Cassidy playing in the background, sombre shots of massless communities, fly ridden communion wafers, undrunk church wine slowly spoiling in the church.

Penny for the white babies?

Solair

They're working on a new fleet of Robo-Priests as we speak.
They're due out in 2014.

It could be based on this prototype which is already doing weddings in Japan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uguH2dN2uvE

ardmacha

Sure didn't we send a priest out to Kenya to train a load of world champions. It would only be decent for them to send some priests with similar abilities back in return.

wonderfulname

aidan24326 wrote: »

I think something like 9 priests were ordained last year in Ireland.

I find myself wondering where the hell they found nine whole people with a vocation, I didn't think Irish society was conducive to the production of priests at all anymore, one I could understand, but nine?

joseph brand

wonderfulname wrote: »

I find myself wondering where the hell they found nine whole people with a vocation, I didn't think Irish society was conducive to the production of priests at all anymore, one I could understand, but nine?

They're all from Leitrim and apparently they 'didn't get out much'. :pac:

Sierra 117

ardmacha wrote: »

Sure didn't we send a priest out to Kenya to train a load of world champions. It would only be decent for them to send some priests with similar abilities back in return.

I'd go to mass every week if the priest said it while running the 100 meters.

Run_to_da_hills

In my fathers time it would have been a great privilege to have a priest or bishop in a family, now days it would be considered an embarrassment.

Cossax wrote: »

Most likely look for that Yeshua ben Yosef guy was done up by the BBC.

That would be about right.

A Long haired Jesus would not have been approved in scripture. .

"Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?" 1Co 11:14

Chazz Michael Michaels

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

In my fathers time it would have been a great privilege to have a priest or bishop in a family, now days it would be considered an embarrassment.



That would be about right.

A Long haired Jesus would not have been approved in scripture. .

"Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?" 1Co 11:14

Amazing how something as powerful and all knowing as God would give a flying **** about hair length. It's almost as if he thinks like a bronze-age Near Eastern man...

Mr. CooL ICE

Dades wrote: »

Priests can always be imported from overseas where Catholicism isn't fading away.

Completely off topic, but it reminded me of this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79ULVD91Vrw

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwOq8zB-ido

Kivaro

Dades wrote: »

Priests can always be imported from overseas where Catholicism isn't fading away.

When they get here:
They tuk our catolics ......

ShooterSF

I have a friend studying to become a priest and he tells me that there are pictures up of each graduating year and it's getting smaller and smaller. I think the current first year group is something like a maximun of 4 if they all stick it out (7 years)!

recedite

magicbastarder wrote: »

are you allowed clone a priest?

Could be embarrassing if the clone grew up to be an atheist.

Solair wrote: »

They're working on a new fleet of Robo-Priests as we speak.
They're due out in 2014.

It could be based on this prototype which is already doing weddings in Japan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uguH2dN2uvE

I see this model has its name stamped on its chest; the "i-Fairy."
Might also be a good solution to the whole gay marriage controversy within the church.