Even those who do not belong to the Church understand that Pope Francis wishes to set in place a real renewal of the Church and they wish him well. What inspires Pope Francis in his desire for renewal? There is a danger that each person would try to impose their own idea which may well…
Pope Francis has a reputation for speaking softly on issues, but when he has a mind to it, he can be very tough and direct as well. As an example of this, when he speaks about the family, he speaks as he always does, about the need for mercy and to meet families where they…
Seriously ill children from rural Ireland could die en route to the proposed new national children’s hospital in the heavily-congested city centre of Dublin, a bishop has warned. Bishop Phonsie Cullinan, the Bishop of Waterford and Lismore, is backing a grassroots campaign to urge the Government to move away from the current proposed site at…
The drumbeat has grown incessant in recent months: religious congregations, we are told time and time again, agreed to pay half the cost of the State’s redress scheme for those who lived in industrial schools and similar institutions, and have not done so. Technically, it is admitted, they only legally agreed to pay €128 million,…
The Pope’s representative Archbishop Charles Brown left Ireland this week to take up his new posting in Albania. Soon, a replacement will be appointed and a new archbishop will come to present his credentials to President Michael D. Higgins and act as a visible sign of unity between the Church in Ireland and the Holy…
The bells of St Brigid’s Church in Ballintrillick, Co. Sligo, rang 108 times to mark the funeral of Ireland’s oldest person last week, with each chime marking a year of her life. Elizabeth Gallagher, who was buried on March 28, became the oldest person in Ireland last December, and was “very proud” of the fact,…
The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart have offered to house a family of refugees at their retreat centre in Cork. Fr Michael Curran MSC, leader of the Myross Wood community, is currently working alongside the Irish Red Cross to put the suggested relief plan into action. Myross Wood House has already been inspected by an…
Pope Francis’ decision to switch Vatican oversight for shrines and sanctuaries to the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelisation has been welcomed by the priests who run Ireland’s principal shrines. Until this weekend, shrines and sanctuaries came under the jurisdiction of the Vatican’s Congregation for Clergy, but on Saturday, April 1, the Pope transferred them…
Young adults aged between 16 and 29 are being asked to take part in a survey to gather information on youth attitudes towards faith and the Church. The ‘Big April Ask’, an online survey open until April 30, is an Irish youth ministry initiative in response to Pope Francis’ announcement that in October 2018 a…
Ireland will see its first Blessed in 17 years with the date set for the beatification of Fr John Sullivan SJ in May. The beatification of Fr Sullivan will take place in St Francis Xavier’s, Gardiner Street, Dublin, on Saturday, May 13. Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregations for the Causes of Saints will…
Greg Daly
David Quinn
Mags Gargan
Michael Kelly