A drop of over 43% of priests in active ministry since 1995 – no crisis

Attached are links to a short radio discussion on Newstalk about the dramatic drop in the number of priests in active ministry in Ireland since 1995, just some 20 years.
Fr. Bill Birmingham, parish priest in Cork, and Dr. Brian Conway, Department of Sociology Maynooth University, were the contributors.
The Newstalk website picked an interesting photo of our AGM, or rather of the hall before the AGM, as centrepiece of their article. It is in contrast to our own photo of the actual AGM from much the same angle!  Half an hour can make a big difference!
AGM 1
Newstalk website article;
http://www.newstalk.com/Priests-decline-Catholic-Ireland-dioceses-active-ministry-Newstalk-Lunchtime-Fr-Bill-Bermingham
Below is the full broadcast on the Newstalk player. The relevant piece can be found around 13:14 
http://www.newstalk.com/listen_back/7/23291/27th_November_2015_-_Lunchtime_Part_1/
 
 
 
 
 
 

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This article by the late Sean Fagan appeared in ‘Doctrine and Life’ in March 2001.
Sincere thanks to Bernard Treacy OP, Director, Dominican Publications, 42 Parnell Square, Dublin 1 for permission to publish this article by the late Sean Fagan. www.dominicanpublications.com

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