Fr Philip Mulryne was ordained in Dublin over the weekend. He will be assigned to the Dominican Priory to join the chaplaincy team at Newbridge College, Co Kildare.
In October last year, he had been ordained as a deacon in the Catholic Church.
Belfast born Philip Mulryne made five appearances for Manchester United (nicknamed the 'Red Devils') back in the late 1990s after graduating from the club's academy. He also won 27 caps for Northern Ireland, scoring 3 goals. He played 160 matches for Norwich over 6 years. After short spells at Cardiff City and Leyton Orient, Mulryne officially retired from football in 2009.
He has taken a vow of poverty, even though the one time Premier League footballer - who may have earned around £600,000 a year at one point - devoted himself to religious life.
Archbishop Joseph Augustine Di Noia visited the Republic of Ireland from Rome to conduct the ceremony.
During the ceremony, Archbishop Di Noia said: "After mature deliberation, dear Brother Philip, you have shown your readiness to embrace the service to which you have been called.
"In a real sense, your experience as an athlete has helped to prepare you for this moment: you have known the meaning of working hard to attain a goal, and now the goal is Christ."