Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical offers the Irish Church both challenge and hope, pointing it away from nostalgia for former certainties and away from a merely reactive accommodation to contemporary trends, according to theologian Prof. Eamonn Conway. In an analysis of Magnifica Humanitas sent to this paper, Prof. Conway (who was a Synod Expert at the…
Archbishop of Dublin Dermot Farrell has called on Catholics across the archdiocese to embrace an accelerating process of parish restructuring the format for which was published alongside a pastoral letter for Pentecost. The Archbishop urges Dubliners: “If we have the courage to face up to the reality of our local Church today, we will clearly…
The closure of Carlow College, Ireland’s oldest Catholic college, founded in 1782, “marks another significant moment in the life of the Irish Church”, Bishop Paul Dempsey told The Irish Catholic. Bishop Dempsey is a past pupil of the college and explained that St Patrick’s College (Carlow College) “served as a seminary, educating and forming priests…
Relics of St Oliver Plunkett will be available for veneration at the Conaty Chapel of the Kilmore Diocesan Pastoral Centre in Cavan on Wednesday, June 3, with the visit made possible through the support of the local Knights of St Columbanus. Speaking ahead of the visit, Pastoral Centre Director Seán Coll said the centre is…
More than 1,000 Catholics gathered in Dublin over Pentecost weekend for the Ignite Ireland conference, headlined by US theologian and author Dr Scott Hahn. The Dominican-backed event, held at The Convention Centre Dublin on Saturday, May 23, brought together Catholics from parishes, ministries, movements and religious communities across the country under the theme ‘Turning Embers…
There is something very admirable about the Irish Synodal Pathway. The people involved — and this newspaper has spent considerable time examining who they are and what they do — are genuine in their commitment to the Church and to the reform they believe it needs. They are not cynics. They are not time-servers. Many…
Youth directors from across the Irish dioceses gathered for a few days of recovery and dialogue, reflecting on the theme ‘Come away and rest a while’ (Mk 6:31), at their annual retreat in Co. Laois earlier this month. Hosted by the Irish Bishops’ Conference’s Sub-Council for Evangelisation and Youth Ministry, the 27 youth directors who…
Introducing the people in the Irish Synodal Pathway Working Groups and their roles and backgrounds. The Synodal Pathway refused to release this information for unknown reasons so we compiled it in the interest of a transparent Church culture which clearly has some way to go before it is realised. BELONGING Bishop Paul Dempsey Auxiliary Bishop…
Taoiseach Micheál Martin met with Pope Leo on May 22 in the Papal Library to discuss both nurturing peace at home and in wars in the Middle East and Sudan and the topic of clerical abuse. Following the 45 minute meeting, Mr Martin told reporters he sensed the pontiff’s “genuine desire for an end to…
An organiser of hundreds of public Rosary Rallies across Ireland has said the gatherings show Catholics are “rediscovering the value of devotion to Our Lady”. The 586 rallies, organised by the Irish Society for Christian Civilisation and its Ireland Needs Fatima campaign, marked the 109th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima. Speaking…
Renata Steffens