Men Who Turned Their Back on Life of Riches; despite Falling Church Attendances, the Number of Roman Catholic Priest S Being Ordained Is Increasing. Today We Speak to Four Men Who Have Turned Thei R Backs on Worldly Riches for Six Years of Training at Oscott College in Sutton Coldfield. Once Priests, Each Will Get Accommodation and Food Bills Paid - and about Pounds 40 a Week to Spend. MAUREEN MESSENT Reports

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KEVIN CONMEE'S STORY

KEVIN Conmee reckons he could be on pounds 100,000 if he'd stuck to his ambition to be an actuary - a high-powered statistics and probability expert.

But instead of jetting off round the world for Easter, or chartering a yacht, he'll be helping the priest at St John's RC Church in Balsall Heath where he worshipped as a boy, bored to tears by gabbled prayers and what he saw as religion by rote.

He reckons he got an overdose of religion as a child when attendance at Mass and other services was taken for granted. He grew up in Balsall Heath, the son of a labourer - and is the only child of the large family to pass his 11-plus or get to university .

"I did everything expected of me," he says. "I was an altar boy, I was always at the church. And I was so bored that I'd count the words on the Mass sheet, anything to while away the time so I could get out.

"When I left St Philip's Grammar School in Edgbaston, I chucked it all up. I'd had enough of God and empty words, I thought. I wanted money, lots of money - my father had always told me that the secret of life was money, a good woman and a good pint.

"I had the chance to make a lot of cash too. The Norwich Union took me on with a view to sending me to university to be an actuary. I went along with it for a while.

"Then, the day my cheque arrived from the Norwich to pay my university fees, I had a rather weird experience which, being a bit of a rationalist, didn't convince me 100 per cent.

"I …