Only 6 trainee priests to attend St. Patrick’s college in Maynooth

The college now has its lowest number of trainees since the forming of the college in 1795

The number of trainee priests attending St. Patrick’s college in Maynooth has hit its lowest numbers since the forming of the college in 1795. According to statistics from the Irish Catholic Church, there are 15 men  currently undergoing preparatory work in order to become seminarians in autumn of next year.

The college, which was at one point the largest seminary in the world, has a capacity for 500 trainees has experienced a nose-dive in numbers in recent years, with only 80 undergoing studies to become members of the clergy last year and even fewer this year.

One of the reasons attributed to this sharp decline is the revelations that several seminarians were found to be using Grindr whilst attending the college. Archbishop of Dublin Dr. Diarmuid Martin ordered the three seminarians to leave St. Patrick’s and resume their studies at the seminary at the Irish college in Rome. The decision was said to be potentially damaging to the college amid the decline.

The decline in those entering the priesthood is so severe that the diocese of Kerry has recently announced that Funeral masses will no longer be performed on a Sunday due to the lack of priests. Archbishop of kerry Dr. Ray Browne has warned that, in the near future, most churches will be unable to offer a Sunday mass service.

Vocations are expected to rise in the near future due to the recent ordination of former Manchester United footballer Philip Mulryne .