ONLY three Northern Ireland students have enrolled for the priesthood this year - one of the lowest figures on record.
And only one priest from the province was ordained this year, prompting fears that the dwindling number of priests on both sides of the border could result in church closures.
In all, 17 men from Northern Ireland and the Republic registered for the new academic year at the island's seminaries, including St Patrick's College in Maynooth and St Malachy's College in Belfast.
The same number enrolled last year, marking a new low in figures charting a steady decline in young men choosing to enter the priesthood.
The figures show a drop of 32% from 1997, when a total of 53 were accepted into the seminaries.
Seventeen men were ordained as priests this year, including one from the Armagh diocese.
This figure is less than half the total number of ordinations which took place in 1999 when 39 men were ordained.
Catholic Church records show that in 2001 there were 2,949 diocesan priests in Ireland, one of the lowest figures in 50 years.
The continuing decline is attributed to a number of factors, including publicity surrounding paedophile priests, the Vatican's refusal to allow priests to marry, and the bar on women priests.
There are fears that the drop could result in church closures like that in Drumholme, Co Donegal, last July when parishioners were told Mass could no longer celebrated due to the lack of priests.
National Co-ordinator for Diocesan Vocations, Fr Kevin Doran, described the decline as a "challenge".
He said: "The challenge for us as a Church is to look at ways to counteract what I think is a cultural change in society in general. There is a decline in the spiritual and a decline in people's readiness to make any sort of long-term commitment.
"The expectations parents have for their children have also changed - the emphasis is now more on material success.
"This decline is a crisis for the Church, but in the sense that it is a challenge we must meet," he added.
Representatives from dioceses are due to gather next month for a conference on the issue.