With World Youth Day behind us nowadays, the question obviously is “what’s next?” The Catholic youth festival is clearly an extraordinarily enthusing time, loaded with spiritual, catechetical, evangelising and social content, but most realistic Catholics recognise that if our youth ministry is directed solely towards such marquee events without looking beyond them, then the seeds…
“The excitement of discovering the intellectual wealth of the Faith has been replaced by a frustration with Catholicism”, writes Maolsheachlann Ó Ceallaigh
About 230 cyclists took part in a 60km cycle from Clonmel to Tramore on Sunday, August 6, to commemorate a much-loved local priest and raise money for charity. The Fr Colm O’Brien Memorial Cycle, now in its seventh year, began at St Peter and Paul’s Church in Clonmel and concluded at Tramore GAA club, where…
The National Traditional Pilgrimage to Knock Shrine will take place on Saturday September 3. The day’s pilgrimage will commence with a Missa Cantata at 2 p.m., followed by Stations of the Cross and Benediction. All events take place in the parish church of Knock. The episcopally-appointed spiritual director and leader of the pilgrimage is Fr…
Staff reporter A biography of Daniel Mannix, the Irish-born Archbishop of Melbourne, has scooped a major literary award in Australia. Penned by 85-year-old Brenda Niall, who knew Dr Mannix during his tenure in Melbourne, Mannix has won the National Biography Prize, worth Aus$25,000. It beat off competition from six other biographies shortlisted by the State Library…
Martin O’Brien meets onetime BBC political correspondent Martina Purdy, now Belfast’s Sr Martina of the Blessed Sacrament
Is there a deeper question about the nature of priesthood at the heart of the debate around Maynooth, asks Fr Martin Delaney
Dear Editor, Some weeks ago in an item entitled ‘Back to the future?’ (IC 14/07/2016) you touched on the subject of a growing desire on the part of some Catholics for a return to the Tridentine Mass. It seems to me that this ‘restorationist’ movement in the Church is based primarily on the belief that…
Dear Editor, Professor Patricia Casey often speaks wisely on many subjects. However, I have to challenge her on her views regarding the ghettoisation of ethnic minorities (IC 27/7/2016) with special mention of the Polish Community in St Audoen’s church. When I first came to Ireland in 1963 there were about 50 Polish people in the…
Dear Editor, I thoroughly agree with the sentiments expressed by Donal O’Driscoll in his letter ‘Clarify meaning of Eighth Amendment’ (IC 28/07/2016). I have listened to many of the abortion debates, and have felt totally frustrated by the ‘niceness’ and ‘politeness’ of the pro-life people. This is used and seized upon with great effect by…
Peter Costello
Greg Daly
Martin O'Brien