Former President Mary McAleese has told Catholic school girls that parts of the Church’s teaching is “rancid” and warned that Pope Leo XIV is no reformer — but merely a “stopgap” Pope. Speaking in a podcast interview with pupils from St. Dominic’s Grammar School in Belfast [McAleese’s old school] which was released to mark Catholic Schools Week,…
A year-long formation programme in Rome is now open to Irish applicants aged 18–30, offering young lay people the opportunity to study, pray and live in community at the Irish College in Rome. The initiative, based at the Irish College in Rome, was developed over several years as a semester programme and is now in…
Newly installed Bishop of Raphoe Niall Coll said his first responsibility as bishop is not to outline plans or priorities, but to be a disciple who faithfully follows Christ. Preaching at his Installation Mass in St Eunan’s Cathedral, Letterkenny, on Sunday, January 25, Bishop Coll reflected on Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, explaining that Christ did…
As St Brigid’s Day approaches, medieval historian Dr Catherine Swift says the enduring appeal of Ireland’s best-known woman saint continues to “speak to us” in each generation. “We’ll never get the full picture,” Dr Swift said speaking to The Irish Catholic. “All history is fragmentary. We remember the saints because they speak to us in…
After serving the people of Cork since 1826, the Religious Sisters of Charity (RSC) are concluding their ministry in the city. Speaking to The Irish Catholic, the RSC acknowledged the work of the founding sisters in the 19th century, who established the tradition of visiting the sick, schools, and local factories. “At every stage, the…
Luke Doogue, Neil Patterson, and Stephen Patterson took the Christmastime twelve pubs tradition into their own hands after they found themselves with nothing to do on Sunday mornings. The Co. Wicklow locals are golfers, and when one suggested attending Mass instead of golfing on a rainy Sunday, the men coined the term ‘twelve churches’ instead…
Leading psychotherapist Stella O’Malley has questioned how Irish media have reported on transgender-related issues, arguing that activist guidance has too often been treated as settled fact without sufficient scrutiny. Writing in this edition of The Irish Catholic, Dr O’Malley writes that what came to be presented as a broad social and legal consensus “was not…
The Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP) says it received a record 260,799 requests for assistance in 2025, a 6% increase on 2024, with demand rising sharply in the run-up to Christmas. December requests were 12% higher year-on-year. Food remained the biggest driver of need, with 112,772 food requests in 2025, while requests for…
Bishop of Ferns Ger Nash was appointed as Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Ossory in addition to his role as Bishop of Ferns. The appointment was delivered by the Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland, Archbishop Luis Mariano Montemayor, and took effect on January 25, when Ossory’s former Bishop Niall Coll was installed as the Bishop…
In the middle of the 6th Century, in the green heart of Leinster, a boy was born who would one day leave an enduring mark on Europe. His name was Columban, later Latinised as Columbanus, meaning ‘the white dove’. From an early age, he felt a powerful call to give his life to Christ—a call…
Renata Steffens