Lots of people feel down in January. ‘Blue Monday’, or the third Monday in January, is often called the most depressing day of the year. However, Blue Monday was an invention of someone called Cliff Arnall, who created it as a publicity stunt for a travel agency. In the way of the internet, which manages…
Cork-born Bishop of Los Angeles David O’Connell was one of the 20 Catholic missionaries killed in 2023, according to the annual report from Vatican agency Fides. Those killed while in the service of the Church include one bishop, eight priests, two men religious, one seminarian, one novice and seven laypeople. Known as ‘the Peacemaker’, Bishop…
Dublin City Council (DCC) has admitted to blocking a journalist from The Irish Catholic from its X (Twitter) page in error, following an innocuous post about its ‘Winter Lights’ event. Multimedia journalist Jason Osborne was blocked from the council’s page after saying: “I appreciate the honesty of ‘Winter Lights’. In no realistic sense are the…
Whatever its critics may say, the Church in Ireland has embraced Pope Francis’ call to reach to the peripheries and Ireland is better for it. For instance, the Church is a constant voice for migrants and the homeless, with Archbishop Dermot Farrell recently offering a stirring defence of the right of asylum seekers and refugees…
Knock Shrine welcomed north of one million visitors this year in a return to pre-Covid numbers, even as the nearby Ireland West airport revealed that it had enjoyed its busiest year on record in 2023. The Co. Mayo airport said that passenger numbers increased by 13% to 818,000 for the first time in the airport’s…
The true story of Tuam children’s home may never be known, writes David Quinn Soon enough, the Tuam children’s home will be back in the news again. Exhumation of the bodies buried there will begin and a committee to advise on the process will convene very shortly. It is now 10 years since news of…
The Archdioceses of Armagh and Dublin have issued their respective response to the Vatican document, Fiducia Supplicans, with Archbishop of Dublin Dermot Farrell describing the document as a tool which will “help us minister to our brothers and sisters who long for the closeness and compassion of God”. Announced on December 18 of last year,…
Officials seem intent on mercy being the guiding principle, but that virtue was in short supply during pandemic writes Michael Kelly “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy” is one of the best-known of the Beatitudes taught by Jesus. It’s a good mantra to live by, and even people who mightn’t describe themselves…
The liturgical calendar is a spiritually transformative tool of the Church, writes Chene Heady The liturgical calendar is omnipresent in Catholic life. Many parish bulletins list the liturgical days of the week and corresponding Scripture readings. In December, tables in the narthex may be piled high with free calendars that identify the principal feasts of…
The number of unaccompanied minors in ‘Special Emergency Accommodation’ has more than doubled in the past four months, according to statistics released by Tusla to the Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín TD. Previous replies to parliamentary questions from the Meath West TD showed a steady increase in the number of unaccompanied children seeking international protection who are ending…
Breda O'Brien
Ruadhán Jones
Chai Brady
David Quinn
Brandon Scott
Michael Kelly