Ever since Vatican II, and maybe even before that, we have been enjoined to be ecumenical towards all Christians, and indeed to people of other faiths as well. And quite right too. Respect for other believers, and building bridges of communication and peace are of the essence. But when do such well-meaning intentions spill over…
Cars began lining both sides of the road long before Mount Melleray came into view. By the time visitors reached the abbey itself, almost anywhere which might hold a car had become a parking space. The grass was covered, while emergency personnel and volunteers waited outside as people continued toward the church. The Mass had…
It the end of a distressing day, Fr Brendan McGee washed the blood from his knees, the blood of a murdered parishioner. It is one of the most striking episodes chronicled in a new book on the history of my parish, which this weekend marks its Golden Jubilee. St Michael’s Parish was created in 1976,…
During his Installation Mass on Saturday, September 20, new Bishop of Derry Michael Router remarked on the Church’s presence in Derry, suggesting that it is “experienced as a network of relationships rather than simply an institution.” “This suggests that one of the diocese’s greatest assets is the mutual affection and trust that still exists between…
Last week I met a man who was sentenced to death twice and subjected to multiple beatings and torture. He did 18 years hard labour in a mine in brutal, often freezing conditions, and then another ten years clearing sewage from canals. That man was Cardinal Ernest Simoni, an Albanian priest who turns 98 next…
T The Pro Life Campaign (PLC) hosted its annual fundraising dinner, ‘Ceiliúradh Cois Life’, in Dublin on Saturday, September 19. The event, which celebrated its tenth year, welcomed 630 supporters for an evening of solidarity and friendship. In a speech, PLC CEO Eilís Mulroy paid tribute to former British MP and government minister Ann Widdecombe,…
Every time I visit Holycross Abbey, Ballycahill, Co. Tipperary, it lifts my heart. The parish priest, Fr Celsus Tierney, is a wonderful host. Founded as a Cistercian Abbey in 1182 AD by Dónal Mór Ó Briain, King of Thomond, it became an important medieval pilgrimage site because it housed a relic of the True Cross.…
The Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) has been criticised for failing to consult its membership about the organisation’s support for ending the three-day waiting period for abortion. During the ICGP’s appearance before the Oireachtas Health Committee on September 16, the Aontú leader Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked ICGP witnesses what consultation had taken place with…
Newry Cathedral is preparing to welcome people from across the Diocese and beyond for a special nine-day Solemn Novena to St Carlo Acutis, taking place from Sunday October 4 to Monday October 12, 2026. Under the theme “Growing in Faith”, the Novena will provide an opportunity for people to come together in prayer and to…
Catholics around the world are taking part in a nine-day novena praying for the protection of human life and an end to what organisers describe as the “culture of death”. The Worldwide Novena to Fight the Culture of Death began on September 20 and continues until September 28, the eve of the feast of the…
Mary Kenny
Martina Purdy
David Quinn
Breda O'Brien