Good question. I'm sure there are figures somewhere about vocations nationally, but if it's Ampleforth-specific it may well have been Hume's influence.

I've been wondering about where, other than school, Patrick has attended the new Mass. If the Merricks have been having Mass said in their chapel all along and just ignored all or some of the changes, I can see that the sort of school Mass Patrick then starts attending could be a real shock (English, facing the people, guitars and holy pop all at once, though possibly not liturgical dance).