There’s no doubt that the report on the Archdiocese of Dublin showing a dramatic decline in the number of priests and the number of Catholics attending Mass regularly makes for sobering reading. Over the past number of years, The Irish Catholic has published several similar statistical analyses and projections – the findings have all been…
In the winter of 2009 I made a retreat in Craig Lodge, a house of prayer in the Highlands of Scotland. As we journeyed up through the highlands we were listening to a CD I had brought for the journey, Harmony by The Priests. We were listening to the words of the Te Deum and…
At the end of every Roman Catholic liturgy, there is an invitation given to the people to receive a blessing. That invitation is worded this way: “Bow your heads and pray for God’s blessing.” The idea behind that, obviously, is that a blessing can only truly be received in reverence, in humility, with head bowed,…
Church of Ireland Primate Archbishop Richard Clarke has warned politicians that a further liberalisation of abortion laws could pressurise parents of unborn children diagnosed with life-limiting conditions to terminate their pregnancies. Archbishop Clarke told The Irish Catholic he feared that liberalisation could create a “eugenics culture” and “begin a process where if there is any…
Singer Andrea Corr has revealed that she will be turning to prayer to help combat pre-concert nerves ahead of her first tour with The Corrs in over a decade. The 41-year-old experienced songstress admitted she still suffers from anxiety before performing and regularly prays before going on stage, according to a report in The Irish…
The Revenant (16)
The President of the Pioneers Total Abstinence Association has insisted that the ban on the sale of alcohol on Good Friday should remain in place. James Shevlin told The Irish Catholic he would “very much oppose” reversing the ban because “it is an acknowledgment that the country wants to hold onto some of its Christian…
“The Church needs to find a way to help families, often with a limited sense of the Faith, explore whether or not the sacraments are important to them”, writes Editor Michael Kelly There’s no doubt that the report on the Archdiocese of Dublin showing a dramatic decline in the number of priests and the number…
The organiser of the national ploughing championships, the biggest event of its kind in the world, has said that she didn’t know how she would survive without God in her life. In an interview on The Meaning of Life with Gay Byrne, the legendary Anna May McHugh said “God is in my life in a…
A dog reacts as it is blessed outside San Anton Church in Madrid, Spain on Sunday, when hundreds of people brought their pets to be blessed for the feast day of St Anthony, patron saint of animals. Photo: Reuters/Andrea Comas
Cathal Barry
Aubrey Malone
Michael Kelly
Mags Gargan