I spent ten very happy years in Murragh & Templemartin parish in mid Cork. Like many rural parishes, it has two churches, a big one in Newcestown (the parish church) and a much smaller, much older one in Farnivane. And, as is the case in many rural parishes, preserving the second church and assuring its…
Senator says crisis is driven by doors that ‘should have stayed open’ The co-founder of one of Ireland’s best known homeless charities, Tiglin, has backed the bishops’ verdict that Ireland’s homelessness crisis is “a failure of Government and public policies at all levels”. Senator Aubrey McCarthy, who has worked with homeless people for almost 20…
Ten possible configurations for diocesan mergers across Munster have been circulated for consultation, with the option of retaining the current diocesan structures reportedly ruled out. A document attributed to the bishops of the Cashel province outlines possible mergers involving all seven dioceses, including combinations of Cashel and Emly, Limerick, Killaloe, Cloyne, Cork and Ross, Kerry,…
Priests of the future must be prepared to work alongside other clergy and lay ministers rather than ministering alone, according to Fr Declan Hurley, who is set to take up a new formation role in Rome in January. Fr Hurley, currently Parish Administrator of Navan and Vicar General of the Diocese of Meath, has been…
Young Catholics returning to the Church risk feeling “at sea” without fellow believers, a Dublin priest has said ahead of an upcoming conference. Fr Francis Gavin, of the Dublin Oratory in Formation at St Kevin’s Church, Harrington Street, and interim spiritual director of Evangelium Ireland, said its November 7 conference comes amid what he sees…
The Archdiocese of Armagh has outlined a six-year plan to strengthen parish life, including proposals for new regional youth and family hubs, changes to sacramental preparation and initiatives to encourage young people to remain involved with the Church after Confirmation. The proposals, covering 2026 – 2032, build upon the Archdiocese’s Congress on Youth, Family and…
A Sister of the Poor Servants of the Mother of God preparing for her Final Profession has sent a message of encouragement to women and girls called to religious life. Sr Patricia MacAulay will proclaim her Final Vows at a ceremony on November 7 in Raheny Parish Church, Dublin 5. Speaking about the decision to…
The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC) in Cork are expecting packed pews for their annual Light Up a Memory Mass on November 7 at the Sacred Heart Church in Cork. Speaking to The Irish Catholic about the Mass, MSC Communications Executive Karen Moloney said the annual event is about “passing the flame of remembrance…
Many books, articles and TV documentaries and discussions have made the point that the Catholic Church in Ireland was, in its time, too puritanical, and repressive about sexual matters. From sociologists like Tom Inglis, who wrote Moral Monopoly, to T.P. O’Mahony, who recently published Forbidden Ireland, the takeaway message has been the same. There was…
There has been no response from Glasnevin Cemetery or Dublin City Council in regards to a formal application submitted by The Roger Casement Commemoration and Re-interment Association (RCC&RA) to grant an exhumation license, honouring Casement’s wish to be buried in Co. Antrim. Before his execution on August 3, 1916, the 1916 Rising leader wrote in…
Renata Steffens
Mary Kenny