Marking St Valentine’s Day on February 14, the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Armagh Michael Routers blessed engaged and married couples during a ‘photocall of engaged couples’ arranged by the Catholic marriage care service, Accord NI at St Mary’s Grotto, Belfast. Speaking ahead of the gathering, Deirdre O’Rawe, Regional Director of Accord NI said:…
God has visited his people. He has fulfilled the promise he made to Abraham and his descendants. He acted far beyond all expectation – he has sent his own ‘beloved Son’. We believe and confess that Jesus is the eternal Son of God made man. For ‘the Word became flesh and dwelt among us’, full…
Relentless Ministry – In a new series written by Priests, we will explore what most priests describe as “Relentless Ministry” and the challenges of being a priest in Ireland today Gary O’Sullivan and ‘Fr John’ have both written recently about the relentless pressure on priests and nobody can dispute that as a genuine issue which…
The Friars in Wexford climbed Croagh Patrick on February 19 to raise funds for roof repairs in the friary. The Father Guardian was joined by other friars and the community for the climb and said Mass on top of the mountain. Speaking ahead of the event, Fr Robert Cojoc OFM, Father Guardian said the friary…
During my apprenticeship as a rookie journalist, many decades ago, I was taught some rudimentary rules about the law. The first was an emphasis on the difference between ‘the accused’ and ‘the convicted’. There was a sacrosanct rule in every liberal democracy that everyone has the right to be judged innocent until and unless they…
The custodian priest of St Valentine’s relics in Ireland has warned that the Christian idea of marriage as sacramental and not just romantic emotions is being lost as the “world markets the idea that marriage can come and go”. “The worry I have with St Valentine is that he gets mixed up with Cupid, this…
The Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin is running a two-year diploma in Pastoral Ministry for lay people. Thirty one people started the period of discernment with a gathering on the evening of February 7. This period will end in June and the course starts in September. The programme, announced in October 2024, had a series…
The former Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland has called on the Irish Government to establish its own inquiry into the Omagh bombing to create a clear picture of the tragedy. Baroness Nuala O’Loan investigated the August 15, 1998 incident in which 29 people and two unborn children died, describing it as the “single worst terrorist…
A Benedictine monk based in Glenstal Abbey, Co. Limerick, has recently published a new book, The people’s celebration of the Eucharist. Fr Fintan Lyons explained to The Irish Catholic that the idea to write this book came from a series of questions that some lay people have asked him on the Eucharist. “I was trying…
The 400th anniversary of the birth of the martyred St Oliver Plunkett was celebrated at a service on Wednesday in Drogheda. Fr Eugene Sweeney PP said: “Oliver Plunkett lived at a remarkably difficult and chaotic time. His resilience, courage and constant efforts for peace and justice are truly inspiring, and therefore it is appropriate to…
Renata Steffens
Renata Milán Morales
Mary Kenny
Chai Brady
Nuala O’Loan