Following in the footsteps of St Patrick is an ideal way to find peace and solace, writes Martina Purdy When I left the convent after five years, I left behind a life rich in silence, and was warned by a friend to be careful in a world that had become extremely busy. “It’s the age…
Author and political commentator Douglas Murray said he’s been “struck” by the conversion to Catholicism of some of his friends recently. “I’ve been very interested in recent years watching contemporaries of mine who have seen through, looked at, stared at some of the same problems that I have and have come to conclusions of their…
More churches across Canada have been destroyed or damaged by fires that police are describing as suspicious or suspected arson. Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Morinville, Alberta, investigated a fire at St Jean Baptiste Church, a 100-year-old building that went up in flames early June 30. The fire in Morinville, about 20 miles north of…
It was a busy weekend on the Reek, Fr Charlie McDonnell of Westport Parish said, as Masses and Confessions were available for pilgrims for the first time in two years. Fr McDonnell said it was “heartening” to be able to provide religious facilities for people doing the pilgrimage. “Normally we’d only have one day to…
The numbers of women from the North choosing to terminate their pregnancies has dramatically increased since the procedure was made legal last year. As of June 11, the Department of Health had received 1,624 notifications of abortions, despite the lack of a full and formal commissioning of the procedure in the region. A further 371…
Irishman Bishop Joseph Shanahan’s impact in Nigeria continues 100 years on, Sr Chinyeaka Ezeani MSHR tells Ruadhán Jones Bishop Joseph Shanahan is not a household name in Ireland. But in parts of Nigeria, it’s hard to move without seeing his name: schools, colleges, hospitals and halls all bare the name of “Nigeria’s St Patrick”, Sr…
Across Ireland there were up to 55 local ‘Rallies for Life’ on July 3, in which pro-lifers urged the public and TDs to rethink abortion legislation in view of the impact of abortion. The local rallies took place in lieu of the national pro-life march due to the pandemic. Organisers have said that the events are important…
The View Strange things have happened in the Catholic Church during recent years. Once the hierarchy of the Church and her clergy seemed, to so many of us, to be in some way superhuman, immune to normal temptations, strongly united through the graces of ordination in defence of the Church and her people against the powers…
Catholic campaigners have demanded action to curb growing online pornography and child abuse in the European Union, as the bloc’s Catholic bishops welcomed new legislative proposals but also urged tighter controls. “Internet access and digitisation have greatly increased during the coronavirus pandemic, and we’re deeply concerned about the effects on children of harassment, abuse and…
In their annual reports, chaplains in Ireland’s 12 prisons have called for new recruitments, as services are squeezed due to the “intense needs” and the often “challenging” nature of the work. While the appointment of a head prison chaplain has been a “great boost”, the 2020 chaplains’ reports highlighted ratios as high as one chaplain…
Ruadhán Jones
Nuala O’Loan