Ordinations of eight Maynooth students in 2006

09 Jun 2006

PRESS RELEASE

9 JUNE 2006

ORDINATIONS OF EIGHT MAYNOOTH STUDENTS IN 2006

A total of eight students from St Patrick’s College, Maynooth, are being ordained
to the priesthood in 2006. The ordinations will take place in dioceses beginning
4th June 2006.

Commenting on this year’s ordinations Monsignor Dermot Farrell, President of St
Patrick’s College Maynooth, said: “The ordination to the priesthood of eight students
from Maynooth College is a source of joy for the staff and students of the College.

“Our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI, preaching recently at a ceremony of ordination
to the priesthood said: ‘In our hearts we must live the relationship with Christ and,
through him, with the Father; only then can we truly understand people, only in the
light of God can the depths of man be understood. Then those who are listening to us
realize that we are not speaking of ourselves or of some thing, but of the true
Shepherd.’”

Monsignor Farrell concluded: “We offer prayers and thanksgiving for the priests who
will be ordained this year as they will bring the joy of Christ to the people of God
and continue the mission of the Lord in Ireland today. These ordinations are a sign
of hope to those already ministering as priests and should also serve to encourage
others who may be considering the possibility of following Christ in the priesthood.
As the ‘harvest is rich but the labourers are few’ the Church needs dedicated and
spiritual priests to serve God and his people”. Monsignor Farrell asked “those who
feel they have a vocation to the priesthood to respond generously to God’s call”.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS
* St Patrick’s College Maynooth is the National Seminary for Ireland and has been
forming men for the priesthood since 1795.
* The seminary currently has 67 men studying for the priesthood.
* Recent ordinations from St Patrick’s College Maynooth: nine for 2003, eight for
2004 and seven in 2005.
* Further information on vocations can be found at: www.vocations.ie and on St
Patrick’s College Maynooth at www.maynoothcollege.ie.
* In Ireland in 2005 there were 2412 diocesan priests and 2689 clerical religious
order priests. (Source: Bishops’ Council for Research & Development).
* The following is a diocesan breakdown of this year’s ordinations:

Patrick Burke (Tuam)

Robert Colclough (Dublin)

Michael Connolly (Galway)

James Doyle (Ferns)

Joseph McDonald (Dublin)

Declan Mulligan (Down & Connor)

Anthony O’Mahony (Cork & Ross)

Padraig O’Sullivan (Dublin)

Further information:

Martin Long Director of Communications (086 172 7678)
Brenda Drumm Communications Officer (087 233 7797)