Month: February 2017

Family gathering attracts hundreds of volunteers

Organisers of the World Meeting of Families in Dublin next year have expressed delight that 900 people have already expressed an interest in volunteering at the event. Fr Tim Bartlett, Secretary General of the World Meeting of Families 2018 (WMOF2018), told The Irish Catholic that while an official call for 2,000 volunteers had not yet…

Harry Connick Jr ‘guided by faith’ in life

The famed American crooner Harry Connick Jr has revealed how his deep Catholic faith has guided his entertainment career and sustained his 27-year marriage. In an interview ahead of the airing of a new talk-show bearing his name, Connick Jr explained how his faith informs the decisions he makes in life. “The decisions I make…

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin greeting Susan Jackson, aged 104, from Cherry Orchard Hospital before the Mass of Healing and Anointing of the Sick in St Gabriel’s Church, Dollymount in Dublin on Sunday to celebrate the 25th World Day of the Sick. Photo: John McElroy

Revolt in the suburbs

Gregory O’Connor Rebellion and Revolution in Dublin: Voices from a Suburb, Rathfarnham, 1913-23 (South Dublin County Council, €15; available also from any South Dublin Library, or online from www.southdublinlibraries.ie/bookstore) This book consists of 13 essays by different authors on various aspects of the momentous events which occurred in the 10 years between the founding of…

Schools welcome plans for imminent action to tackle vetting logjam

Catholic schools have welcomed news that new guidelines to streamline the process for vetting people who work in schools are expected shortly. “We’re absolutely delighted to hear that it’s imminent,” Seamus Mulconry, General Secretary of the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association (CPSMA), told The Irish Catholic. “It will be very welcome by schools and voluntary…

It’s time for Richard Bruton to acknowledge the important role of faith schools in society

In respect of denominational schools, Education Minister, Richard Bruton is following in the path of his two immediate Labour predecessors, Jan O’Sullivan and Ruairi Quinn. That is to say, he is investigating ways of reducing the influence of the Churches over our education system, especially at primary school level. That influence, it should be said…