Long before he was the successor of St Peter, Pope Leo XIV had a different name to the faithful of St Joseph the Worker Parish in Chulucanas. “We called him Fr Robertito, because we were very close to him,” Elena Lozada Seminario told the National Catholic Reporter inside the church where a then-30-year-old Fr Robert…
What’s rather fun about an ancient personal story like Confessions is how reading it feels like travelling to a distant place in the past. Because it is so far away and rather mysterious, I find I am all the more curious and intrigued to read it. We have already discussed how relatable Augustine’s experiences and…
On this New Year’s Day and on this ‘World Day of Peace’, I join with my fellow columnists in The Irish Catholic by wishing you all a very happy New Year. I hope and pray that 2026 may be a year of peace for everyone and for our troubled world. On this day, we again dare to…
When Pope St Paul VI reformed the Church’s calendar, he restored the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, to January 1 — the ancient day on which the Church honoured her motherhood. Placing this feast on the eighth day of Christmas highlights that we cannot properly celebrate Jesus’ birth without also giving thanks for the…
Revelations on the state of Ireland from the State Files Peter Costello and Helen Litton Peter Costello is the Books Editor of The Irish Catholic and the author of many books about Irish culture. Helen Litton is a historian who has written two biographies and a popular series of books on Irish history. The role…
We saw his glory, as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:2 He was in the beginning with God. John 1:3 All things came to be through him, and without him…
Peter Costello