‘We’re the jack, not the tyre’: priests warn Ireland cannot depend on missionaries

In brief

Missionary priests serving in Ireland say the country cannot rely indefinitely on overseas clergy to compensate for falling local vocations. Fr Jonas Rebamontan, a Filipino priest serving in Boyle, told The Irish Catholic that while missionaries help meet immediate needs, they are not a long-term solution for the Church.

Fr Rebamontan, a former seminary formator, compared the role of missionaries to a passer-by using a jack to lift a stranded motorist's car, noting that the owner must still work to replace the tyre. He stated that missionaries are temporary and that Ireland needs a massive movement to recruit local men for the priesthood.

To ensure the future of the Church, Fr Rebamontan suggested that Irish young people from local communities must sign up for ministry. He called for increased vocation awareness in schools and more opportunities for young people to meet priests to better understand the vocation.