More than twice as many women died in Ireland’s Magdalene laundries than the McAleese Report revealed, according to a draft report by campaign group Justice For Magdalene Research (JFMR). The Report of the Inter-Departmental Committee to establish the facts of State involvement with the Magdalene Laundries, better known as the McAleese Report, found in February…
Month: January 2015
Pope writes to Wexford boy
Samuel McNally (7) from St Aidan’s parish in Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford proudly displays the Christmas card he received from Pope Francis. Samuel had made his own cards for Christmas and sent one off to Pope Francis. He was delighted when the Apostolic Nunciature in Ireland forwarded him a Christmas card and photo from the Pope…
Irishman is Pope’s new rep in Haiti
The Irishman tapped to be the Pope’s new representative to Haiti has said he will bring a message of hope to the country still struggling to recover from a devastating earthquake. Clare-born Archbishop Eugene Nugent, who is currently Apostolic Nuncio in Madagascar, told The Irish Catholic his mission from the Pontiff is primarily about bringing…
Impossible to reconcile ‘liberty’ with ‘equality’
‘be aware of the contemporary contradictions which surround this whole subject of ‘liberty of speech’, writes Mary Kenny
Anniversary Mass for Tom O’Gorman
A Mass is being held in Dublin next week to mark the first anniversary of the tragic death of Tom O’Gorman, a well-known Catholic activist. His friends have organised an anniversary Mass at 3pm on Saturday, January 24 in Our Lady Mother of the Church, Castleknock, where Tom served for many years as a Minister…
First baptism in the ‘new’ St Mel’s
Fr John Quinn baptising Lucy Drew Quinn, daughter of Jamie and Enda Quinn, Longford who was one of the first children to be baptised in St Mel’s Cathedral since it re-opened in December following a five-year rebuilding project. Photo: Tiernan Dolan
New charity laws to bring increased transparency to parishes
New charity laws here which require dioceses and parishes to publish financial reports will bring greater transparency to the sector, the head of an agency charged with policing the laws here has said. Úna Ní Dhubhghaill, Chief Executive Designate of the Charities Regulatory Authority (CRA) told The Irish Catholic the new laws present a “real…
The reality of the spiritual world
The Evidence for God: The Case for the Existence of the Spiritual Dimension by Keith Ward (Darton, Longman & Todd, £9.99).
Webwatch
Men becoming marginalised in 'a feminised Church' Cardinal Raymond Burke (pictured), newly appointed Patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, has stirred things up again with an interview for The New Emangelization, arguing that “the radical feminism which has assaulted the Church and society since the 1960s has left men very marginalised”. Over at…
The path back to Rome
Sean Ryan This little red book of 132 pages is a gem. While telling the story of Tom Peterson, founder of the Catholics Come Home organisation, it also emphasises the duty of every baptised Catholic to use their talents to spread the Good News. Peterson was a marketing and advertising guru, whose practice of his faith…

Greg Daly
Courtney McGrail
Mary Kenny
Cathal Barry