The Franciscan order in Ireland has turned to advertising on the Internet in an effort to attract new members.
Under the scheme the order has begun advertising for new members on Irishjobs.ie, an online jobs advertiser. It is the first time a religious order in Ireland has advertised vocations through a professional third party.
The move affords the Franciscans "a wealth of opportunities", according to the order's spokesman Fr Adrian Peelo, who said the idea for an online recruitment drive stemmed from a similar practice among Franciscan orders in the United States.
"We believe we have something to offer young men, and it's just a method of getting our message out there. If your not in you can't win," he said.
"We have to market our product, and we now have the potential to reach 250,000 young people a month. That's why we've taken the step to advertise online," he added.
The move is designed to offset falling numbers within the organisation, whose members currently total 200. In recent years the order has been forced to withdraw from the towns of Ballinasloe, Co Galway, and Drogheda, Co Louth, due to this drop in vocations.