A visit to Ireland by one of the Church’s most powerful and senior prelates has been cancelled over coronavirus (Covid-19) fears. Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle – who many believe could be Pope Francis’ successor – was set to fly over from the Vatican to be the…
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem has issued special guidelines after several people in Bethlehem tested positive for the coronavirus last week. The directive comes after a decision by the Palestinian Ministry of Health to close all schools, places of worship and holy sites in Bethlehem and Jericho for two weeks. Pastoral region In a letter…
The Bishops of Mexico have voiced their support for a 24-hour “National Women’s Strike” aimed at bringing attention to violence committed against women in the country. The landmark event took place in Mexico City on March 9 and saw women stay away from offices, schools, restaurants, shops and public transport for the whole day. Mexican…
On Sunday, I had the rare privilege of being denounced in the opinion pages of no less an organ of official Irish conventional wisdom than the Sunday Times. “Politics,” announced Justine McCarthy, “needs more Kate O’Connell’s to defend us from the John McGuirk’s”. Last week, by happy coincidence, I celebrated my 36th birthday. That is, it turns…
When you join a religious order there are lots of things you expect: a timetable, common prayer, study, a habit and so on. But there’s one aspect of Dominican life that was quite unknown to me when I received the habit 10 years ago: regular contact with men and women on the margins of society,…
The O’Donnells of Tyrconnell: A Hidden Legacy by Francis M. O’Donnell (Academica Press / Maunsel Irish Research Series, $US95.99/€89.99) There has been a burgeoning increase in the interest in genealogy in recent years. This has been driven by the access to information on families on the internet and such popular programmes on TV, such…
During the visit of Pope Francis in 2018 the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar gave a first-rate speech to the Pontiff in Dublin Castle. In contrast, Francis’ input was weak and he was let down by his speechwriters on such an important topic as Church-State relations in contemporary Ireland. Mr Varadkar’s speech was something of a lap…
With an amazing array of compositions, New Music Dublin invaded the National Concert Hall (NCH) over the four days from February 27 to March 1. Festival director John Harris and his team are to be congratulated on their efforts to introduce so much in such a concentrated period. I’m not sure how many, if any,…
Birney has always loved painting. Since she was young, she recalls feeling excited in the art section of a shop and asking for paints for Christmas. “Every Christmas my Santa letters would have been paints and brushes and art stuff,” she tells The Irish Catholic. Just recently Brigid’s work was beamed up onto the front…
So, do many people celebrate St Patrick’s day in Northern Ireland?” I asked the cabbie on the drive into town from Belfast Airport. “It depends,” he answered carefully. “It depends on what sections of the community you’re talking about, so it does.” It’s usually a mistake to get into a conversation with a taxi-driver on…
Chai Brady
Michael Kelly
Mary Kenny