Paisley’s bishop hopes others will follow in his footsteps to ‘Priest School’

A senior Catholic cleric is hoping a milestone film about training as a priest will encourage new vocations.

Bishop John Keenan, leader of the Diocese of Paisley, said he would like the milestone broadcast of a documentary about life as a seminarian in the Scots College in Rome, to inspire others to consider joining the priesthood.

He said:“The documentary Priest School, which was shown on BBC Scotland, offers a fascinating insight into the life of a seminarian training in Rome to become a priest in Scotland.

“I really hope that the programme will act as a catalyst for vocations to the priesthood by allowing viewers to see exactly what the life of a student looks like.”

Bishop Keenan, who is president of the vocations promotion agency Priests for Scotland, added:“As a former Roman student, who loved his time in Rome, I do remember feeling a sense of trepidation and nerves at the thought of moving to another country and a completely new environment.

“Being able to visualise seminary life through a documentary in advance would have settled many of my fears!

“Every year, the church runs a Vocations Awareness Week, because of the severe restrictions we face this year, the normal work of promoting vocations will be much harder. But in many ways, this programme can fill a void by offering information, insight and detail about the daily lives of Scottish seminarians in Rome.

“I sincerely hope it causes some of those who watch to consider what it is God wants of them and how they can respond by considering a vocation to the priesthood or religious life.”

 Catch up on Priest School on BBC iPlayer