The Archbishop of Cardiff-Menevia has appealed to all unmarried men in the archdiocese to explore whether God is calling them to the priesthood. “Without the priesthood there is no Mass, no sacraments,” wrote Archbishop Mark O’Toole in a pastoral letter last weekend, marking Good Shepherd Sunday. He added: “Priestly vocations are everybody’s business”.
Only one man is currently training for the priesthood in the Welsh archdiocese. Meanwhile, the Bishop of Nottingham Patrick McKinney launched a campaign inviting every Catholic to “honour” a young man aged 18 or over whom “you believe could be a great priest” by submitting their name to him.
The names of those submitted – “a son, brother, friend, colleague, or face in the pew” – will receive a personal letter from Bishop McKinney, an invitation to meet him, and accompaniment from the diocesan vocations director. “There is no pressure, no expectation. Just the gift of being noticed,” the diocese explains on a webpage for the “Called by Name” initiative where people may also upload names of suggested candidates for the priesthood.
A spokesperson for the diocese said Nottingham had two seminarians. “Two others will start in September,” she added. No seminarians are being ordained this year for dioceses including Arundel & Brighton, Clifton, Hexham & Newcastle, Nottingham, Middlesbrough, Plymouth, Southwark, Salford, Westminster and Wrexham. A spokesman for Southwark archdiocese said the “gap” in ordinations was “a direct consequence of the Covid-19 Pandemic, which had “disrupted the discernment process here – and of course, around the world.”
Southwark archdiocese has the highest number of seminarians in 12 years, he added: nine men are in formation, two more have entered training this year. A further eight are being considered for starting formation next year.
Three new priests will be ordained for Birmingham archdiocese this summer, two for Shrewsbury diocese, one for Portsmouth diocese, one for Northampton diocese, and three for East Anglia diocese.
Other dioceses have also reported a surge in numbers of seminarians: 20 men are in priestly formation for Westminster diocese according to a diocesan spokesman. Archbishop of Westminster Richard Moth has requested parishioners hold a weekly Holy Hour until Pentecost to pray for vocations.
There are 12 seminarians for Shrewsbury diocese whose Bishop Mark Davies spoke in a recent pastoral letter of the “constant stream of men coming forward to engage in our discernment programme” and “regularly attending our vocations group to first consider their calling.” He ascribed the “flourishing” of “these initiatives” to the prayer of parishioners including “dedicated prayer every day” at the diocesan shrine of Eucharistic Adoration at Saint Joseph’s, Stockport.
Eleven men are training for the priesthood in Portsmouth diocese. Eight men are in training for Birmingham archdiocese, five for Plymouth diocese, five are in seminary for Plymouth, five for Clifton and three for Hexham and Newcastle, with another man entering formation in September. By September, five men will be in formation for Arundel & Brighton diocese. Two men were ordained priests for Arundel & Brighton last year and also in Salford diocese which currently has two seminarians. Two more men are due to enter formation for Salford this autumn. One man is in priestly training for Middlesbrough Diocese, and two for Northampton diocese.
Two of the Venerable English College’s 18 seminarians will be ordained priests this summer according to the rector, Fr Stephen Wang. Canon Michael Dolman, the rector of St Mary’s College, Oscott which has 23 seminarians in formation, told The Tablet: “We are looking forward to the celebration of six ordinations to the priesthood this summer, although these are not yet all confirmed.”
Fifty-nine men are in priestly formation at Allen Hall Seminary in London. That number includes members of religious communities who are non-resident and attend lectures at Allen Hall for part of their formation.
The rector, Canon John O’Leary told The Tablet: “Not all of our diocesan seminarians are full-time resident at Allen Hall either: for example, one year is currently in full-time parish placements as part of their Year of Pastoral Theology. Then, there are also the seminarians who are members of the Neocatechumenal Way. They reside at the Redemptoris Mater House of Formation in Marylebone, which is, nonetheless, part of Allen Hall seminary.”
Canon O’Leary added: “Sadly, we only have one ordination to the priesthood from amongst the diocesan seminarians for Aberdeen.”
He added: “I cannot be sure, since they have returned to their home provinces…but I think there should be two Salesians who were in formation here being ordained priests.”
Canon Marcus Holden, rector of the Beda College in Rome told The Tablet: “We’ve had 30 in formation here 2025-2026. There are 10 deacons on the pathway to priestly ordination from this summer onwards (depending on their bishops).”
He added: “ Next year numbers are increasing but we’re still waiting for final confirmation of new men. We are anticipating a new cohort of between 13-15. So things are looking good for the future.”