The dissident bishop Michael Cox, who ordained singer Sinead O'Connor almost a fortnight ago, has been approached by several women who also wish to be ordained, he has told The Irish Times.
The first candidate would be interviewed this week, he said. He would not say which part of the country she was from, though he indicated that all the women were from the Republic and were in their late 30s to early 40s.
"I will discuss all the issues with the women individually from the basics - their knowledge of the 10 Commandments, their knowledge of all the sacraments and their knowledge of the Holy Bible.
"Then I will find out what they know about the Mass and make sure they have been baptised and confirmed as Catholics."
He said there would be a series of conversations with each woman before he decided whether the person had a "true vocation".
"It is not up to me to discriminate against any woman who contacts me. I will meet with anyone who says she has a sincere vocation."
He said he would train them himself "as was the procedure in the early church", adding that it would make no difference whether they were single, married or divorced.
He claimed the women contacted him following the ordination of Ms O'Connor in Lourdes almost a fortnight ago.
She has changed her name to Mother Bernadette Maria.
Before Ms O'Connor's ordination, one other Catholic woman had been ordained in the State. In September, Mother Francis Meigh was ordained by dissident Bishop Pat Buckley at a ceremony in Omeath, Co Louth. Bishop Michael Cox attended that ceremony. He had ordained Father Buckley as a bishop five months earlier.
The Roman Catholic Church regards such ordinations as invalid, though theologians have described them as "valid but unlawful" in Canon Law.
Commenting on the contacts he has had from women interested in becoming priests, Bishop Cox said they were the "future" of the church.
"The church is dying. Seminaries are closing down and they are in dire need of priests."
Following the ordination of Mother Bernadette Maria "people are coming back to the church.
"I have had very many calls from people saying: `If Sinead O'Connor can come back to the church, so can I.' She was so disillusioned with the church and if she can find a way back, so can anyone. She is an inspiration to people," he said.
Bishop Cox has almost completed an autobiography which he hopes will be published before January.
He said it was being written under a working title, Mother and Father, and a US publishing house was interested in it.
Bishop Cox has headed his own religious order since 1982. He uses the title of the bishop superior of the Irish Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church.
His ministry is based at a former Protestant church, St Coleman's, at Cree, near Birr, Co Offaly.
