Holy Ireland: Getting Renewed with a Vengeance

Earlier today, [July 9, 2006] at the Dublin Pro, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin ordained three men to the priesthood. The men -- one of whom served 25 years as a Christian Brother -- were the first ordinands for the Republic's capital in two years. . . .

. . .As recently as the 1970s, 90 percent of the Irish identified themselves as Catholic and almost the same number went to mass at least once a week; now the figure for mass attendance is closer to 25 percent, according to church officials in Dublin.

Rocco has more here.