Former Northern Ireland footballer Philip Mulryne has been ordained as a Roman Catholic priest by Archbishop Joseph Augustine Di Noia, who had travelled from Rome for the ceremony.
Belfast-born Mulryne won 27 caps for Northern Ireland in a career that included spells with Norwich City and Leyton Orient. He made his debut for Manchester United in 1997 after progressing through the youth team.
He officially retired from football in 2009 and began his journey to ordination, entering the Diocesan Seminary of Saint Malachy’s Belfast. He spent two years studying philosophy at Queens University Belfast and at the Maryvale Institute before going to the Pontifical Irish College, Rome, to study theology for one year at the Gregorian University.
