I think being a diocesan vocations director could well be one of the hardest jobs for many priests around the western world at the moment. Because of the overall decline in people’s willingness to commit to anything — a cell phone company, a long-term lease, let alone a spouse or a religious vocation — there must be times when good men who are trying to encourage other men to consider the priesthood get discouraged. In some dioceses around the world there has been good news in recent years, with an increase in the number of seminarians, but that’s hardly universal.

I think one of the key attributes of a vocations director, specifically one with the goal of helping young men discern a possibly priestly vocation, is being something of a “everyday guy”. While it is important that the man be a good, holy priest, I think one of those overly “pious” priests — I think we all know one or more of them — can be something of a turn-off for a young man. The seminary, and certainly the priesthood, if he’s ordained, would radically change a man, but I would think he wants to see a priest as someone “like me”.

Now a young man from Northern Ireland — I say young because he’s my age — has just entered the seminary and I think, without knowing much at all about him, he would make a great vocations director should he be ordained.

Why? you ask. Well, he’s a former football (soccer) international who played for Manchester United and a host of other English clubs at different levels and could certainly be described as someone who has lived a little and still found a calling.

The Catholic Herald tells the story of Phil Mulryne:

Mulryne, 34, began his career with the Manchester United youth team in 1994, but despite great talent found it hard to find a first team place in one of the most famous English league sides of all times, with Beckham, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt all playing in similar positions. He joined Norwich in 1999 and eventually had spells with Ipswich Town, Barnsley, Leyton Orient and Polish side Legia Warsaw.

During his time as a footballer Mulryne dated a model, Nicola Chapman, and was once sent home from the Northern Ireland squad in 2005 after breaking a curfew to go drinking. His career was cut short in 2008 by injury, and he decided to return to Ireland.

However since returning home and becoming involved in charity work he turned his life around. Former Norwich teammate Paul McVeigh said he had visited his friend in Rome and was surprised by the change.

Mr McVeigh said: “To my amazement, and most likely to the rest of the footballing fraternity’s, Phil decided to train to become a Catholic priest.

“I was still in contact with him and knew that he had turned his life around and was doing a lot of charitable work and helping the homeless on a weekly basis. Still, it was a complete shock that he felt this was his calling.”

“When I arrived in Rome, I was met by a very contented-looking Phil who took me back to the Irish college where he was to be based for the next four years.”

Now, at the risk of being told (what I already know) that the priesthood is a calling, imagine what the story of a former top-flight footballer becoming a priest could do for vocations. His story would surely be an attractive one to men considering the seminary. If I were a bishop and had a priest in my diocese with a semblance of fame, I’d be using him to supplement the Holy Spirit’s work