BBC: With the number of seminary entrants rising yearly, has the problem of the Roman Catholic Church's ageing priest population been solved?
This weekend is a significant one in the Catholic calendar. It marks Vocation Sunday, an annual day of prayer for vocations into the priesthood and other forms of religious life.
This year, the church has distributed 4,000 posters and other publicity materials to parishes, schools and university chaplaincies across the UK.
Such determination to raise awareness of the possibility of a religious life may seem surprising given recent increases in the number of young men entering the priesthood.
Over the past five years, the number of would-be priests beginning formation, or training, has almost doubled - from an all-time low of 24 in 2003 to 44 in 2007.
"The death of Pope John Paul II and ascension of Benedict XVI were an important time for us", says Father Paul Embery, director of the National Office for Vocation.
"People became more encouraged to make an enquiry into joining the priesthood.
"We're also beginning to recognise a lot of people who have become priests, monks or nuns because they have been asked to do so. Sometimes, just being asked can be a crystallising moment.
"We're regaining the confidence to be able to ask young men to enter the priesthood." Receiving a Personal Call from God >>> By Amy Blackburn, BBC News | April 12, 2008
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)
