Last week, two of the Study Groups set up by Pope Francis following the 2023 General Assembly of the Synod on Synodality issued their final reports. One of these, Study Group 4, had been entrusted with considering the matter of priestly formation. The Church’s synodal journey has made one thing unmistakably clear: formation in general…
All I know is I once was blind but now I see! As the gospel is very long, it is more practical to read it from your own Bible. Initial observations This story is found only in the Fourth Gospel, although the other Gospels do tell of blind men (never women!) recovering their sight. Our…
A powerful escape – five Iranian female footballers used their stay in Australia to apply for asylum there. As it has now emerged, they received active support from the highest levels. The Australian authorities have apparently helped five Iranian women’s footballers to flee the country. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) shielded the players as they…
More than 300 students have applied for places at a proposed study-abroad programme at Mount Melleray Abbey, signalling growing momentum behind plans that supporters say could bring new life to the historic Cistercian Monastery. The initiative, led by Florida-based Catholic institution Ave Maria University, would see up to 100 students per semester study at the…
The New Ross Carmelite Sisters invited youth to the Avila Carmelite Centre on Saturday, February 28 for a day of education on the Carmelite way of life. “We decided to invite men and women…26 came and they traveled from Kerry, Cork, Sligo, Longford and Belfast to be with us,” said Sr Gwen, speaking to The…
“Experimentation feels like trying to make the Church more palatable to a secular audience,” said Trinity student Story Pennock to The Irish Catholic, in response to recent remarks by Bishop of Raphoe Niall Coll about young Catholics’ search for solidity rather than adaptability in the face of increasing discussions around reform. Ms Pennock, a member…
“Who here wants to be happy?” Bishop Fintan Gavin asked as over 500 young people “lit up” the stage in Cork City Hall with a concert for Maranatha 2026 on February 26. The bishop addressed the students there to present, as well as the hundreds gathered to watch the show, inviting them to reflect on…
Northern Ireland is, by a very long distance, the most religiously affiliating region of the United Kingdom, with just 24% with no religion, a newly released research report has stated. The equivalent rate for the Republic is 32% identifying with no religion over the same period examined by the researchers, who add: “Meanwhile, a third…
The Evangelium young adult apologetics conference will take place in Cork on Saturday, March 21, marking the first time the annual gathering has been held outside the Dublin area. The event will bring together young adults aged 18–40 for a day of Mass, talks and discussion aimed at deepening understanding of the Catholic faith. Public…
As Ireland becomes some kind of strange hybrid Catholic/post-Catholic/secular/New Age society which none of us fully understands, the Church finds itself affected in all sorts of ways, not least what happens at big events like baptisms, First Holy Communion, Confirmation, weddings, and funerals. It is at these events that lots of post-Catholics, cultural Catholics, ‘bouncy…
Renata Steffens
David Quinn