Q: If someone were in an abusive marriage,if they divorced would they still lose their right to Communion? A: The short answer is no, the simple fact of being divorced does not in any way hinder or cut off a Catholic’s access to the sacraments. For some background, we as Catholics do believe that on a…
Month: February 2025
Secular Ireland will ‘pay a price’ for forgetting God
Priest calls on Christians to unite A well-known Irish priest has warned of “stormy seas” ahead and that Christians must face the “common enemy” of secularism and godlessness together. Vincentian priest Fr Pat Collins CM, who is an expert in deliverance ministry and is due to speak at the Divine Mercy National Conference in the…
Discussions on the practical aspects of marriage
Last Friday being St Valentine’s Day it wasn’t surprising that love, romance, sex and marriage figured in media discussions. Our Divine Sparks (RTÉ Radio 1, Friday) featured some historical background about the saint. Apparently, 3rd-century Roman Emperor Claudius II banned marriage because married men don’t make for good soldiers! So, Valentine performed secret marriages and…
Sr Raffaella Petrini appointed president of Vatican governorate
Pope Francis has appointed Sr Raffaella Petrini, FSE, as president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and president of the Governorate of Vatican City State, the Vatican announced Saturday. According to the February 15 bulletin from the Holy See Press Office, Sr Petrini will assume her new roles on March 1. She succeeds…
We have come to worship Him
There is a strong urge to believe in the shallow myths of success and power. It is dangerous to accept the fleeting ideas of the sacred which present God in the form of cosmic energy, or in any other manner that is inconsistent with Catholic teaching. My dear young people do not yield to false illusions and passing…
A prodigal son who became a Carmelite brother
All my certainties were gone. That love I experienced brought meaning to my life, says Bro. Jander María de Jesus Sharing something about yourself is always challenging, because we do need to figure out what would be relevant to the people who are going to read it but also because we tend to share just…
Catholic history in God’s own country, Kerala
Each time I meet someone new there are two things that shock them. One being that there are Catholics in India and the second being Christianity reached the shores of India before it reached Europe. History shows that St Thomas, one of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ reached Muziris (Modern day Kodungallur in Kerala)…
How the social media giants engaged in censorship
There is a fellow by the name of Marc Andreessen you have almost certainly never heard of. I hadn’t until recently. He is one of those tech wizards who are present basically at the founding of the internet when he was only in his twenties. He helped to set up one of the first big…
Primate of All Ireland prays for sick Pope
The Primate of All Ireland Archbishop Eamon Martin has offered prayers for Pope Francis as he struggled with a respiratory tract infection. The 88-year-old Pope was hospitalised on February 14 in Rome’s Gemelli hospital. Archbishop Martin said on social media: “Our Lady of Lourdes; St Bernadette; intercede for Pope Francis – that he may find…
Eternally grateful to my teachers
Dear Editor, I wish to associate myself with Liam Lally’s Comment [The Irish Catholic – January 30, 2025]. Educated, free, for 12 years by the Sisters of Mercy in Cobh, Co. Cork, I am eternally grateful to my teachers. Wise women who gave their all during those informative years. I know I often put them to the…



Chai Brady
Brendan O’Regan




David Quinn

