Posted online: Aug 23rd, 2010

By Sinéad Flanagan
Editor

WELCOMING 16 new ‘recruits’ into the seminary, President of St Patrick’s College, Maynooth, Monsignor Hugh Connolly remarked at the entrance ceremony on Sunday, that it had been a “tough year”.
“In some respects the fact that you are here at all today is remarkable and is a tribute to your courage and generosity of spirit,” Mgs said.
“Ironically, despite the difficult backdrop of the past year and the sombre mood that has ensued, the last two years in the life of the national seminary have been very positive ones. A considerable number of men drawn from all walks of life have had the generosity, the faith and the enthusiasm to come to seminary to explore and discern a vocation to priesthood together.
“I hope you like they will flourish here and make new friendships and form bonds of solidarity and shared values which will serve you well for the rest of your lives. It is precisely during challenging times such as the present that people wish to express their profound appreciation for the extraordinary work that today’s priests do,” he added.
Though numbers are down on last year when 36 entered, the Catholic Communications Office remarked that there may be several reasons for this.
The number brings to 66 in total the number of seminarians in Maynooth College.