Courtney McGrailStaff reporter Bishop Donal McKeown of Derry has said that the early division of school children through testing “damages educational outcomes of our society”. Speaking last week as he blessed the new extension at All Saints Primary School in Tattysallagh in Co. Tyrone, Bishop McKeown stressed the long-term value of non-selective education for all students,…
Month: November 2016
Death is a sad reality that Christians face with hope
Michael Kelly“Death is part of life, an entry to life eternal”, writes Michael Kelly
Capturing the moment
Bishop Fintan Monahan of Killaloe takes the opportunity to snap proceedings at Mount St Joseph Abbey, Roscrea, to mark the close of the Jubilee Year of Mercy last Sunday, November 20. Photo: Sean Curtin True Media.
Hats off to new theology graduates
Students at St Patrick’s College, Maynooth, celebrate with Armagh’s Archbishop Eamon Martin after the conferral of over 265 students with qualifications in theology and philosophy.
Bishop urges Govt to address ‘impoverished rural Ireland’
Paul KeenanBishop Fintan Monahan of Killaloe has appealed to Government and others in positions of leadership to “maintain rural life”. Speaking to The Irish Catholic this week as An Post signalled that a major wave of post office closures is possible, Bishop Monahan said the “impoverishment of rural Ireland” remains a big issue of concern for…
Remembering the dead this November
Finola Kennedy November is the month of the Holy Souls. It is a time when we pray for the dead, and many visit the graves of their loved ones. But cemeteries attract visitors for other reasons too. A cemetery might seem an unlikely tourist attraction but Glasnevin has been drawing increasing numbers especially following Aoife…
Miriam’s ‘Mad Hair Day’
RTÉ broadcaster Miriam O’Callaghan was on hand to encourage children everywhere to have a ‘Mad Hair Day’ this December 16 for a good cause. A fundraising initiative of the Society of Missionary Children, the event calls for children to adopt zany hairstyles as they collect money for poverty stricken children across the world. This year…
Ability to absolve for abortion is ‘an important step’ – Canon lawyer
The Pope’s extension of the special permission for priests to grant absolution to those who have procured an abortion has been welcomed as an “important step” by a prominent canon laywer. Reacting to the Pope’s announcement in his latest Apostolic letter of an indefinite extension of a faculty granted to priests during the Year of…
Church leaders reject claim of priests’ pension time bomb
Greg DalyIrish bishops have rejected claims that clergy are facing into a retirement black hole due to falling parish collections. Fr Gerry O’Connor of the Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) told The Irish Catholic that “Dioceses which are experiencing a decline in revenue from collections are saying to elderly priests: ‘we may not be able to…
Archbishop Martin prays for ‘continuing mercy’ as Jubilee Year ends
Staff Reporter Archbishop Eamon Martin has expressed his hope that the impact of Year of Mercy will continue to be felt by all. In his homily at St Patrick’s Cathedral Armagh during events to celebrate the conclusion of the year, the Primate of All Ireland said: “I pray that the graces of this special year…