Mission Sunday Fr Hugh MacMahon SSC has travelled the world for his missionary work, including assignments in China and Korea. However, it was a location here in Ireland that inspired his recent book, Voices from the Desert. During a visit to the Skellig Islands, he pondered why individuals would choose such an isolated and difficult…
Nearly 20% fewer candidates for the Catholic priesthood have enrolled in Poland’s seminaries this year, when compared to 2020. Fr Piotr Kot, chairman of the Conference of Rectors of Major Seminaries, revealed that 356 seminarians began their studies in 2021. Last year, he said, there were 441 candidates, meaning that “the number is lower by approximately…
Anne Yeats: The Everyday Fantastic National Gallery of Ireland; Exhibition runs until 9 October 2022, Room 11 Admission free (book a free general admission ticket in advance) Anne Yeats was the niece of Jack Butler Yeats, and those who have seen the tremendous show of his painting in the NGI should be sure not to miss…
Pope to meet 500 poor from across Europe in Assisi Pope Francis will visit Assisi, Italy on November 12, where he will spend time with a group of 500 poor people from across Europe, the Vatican announced Friday. The encounter will take place as part of the Catholic Church’s celebration of the 5th annual World…
Dear Editor, thank you for your considered and may I say temperate response to the cringy attention-seeking comparison by Fr Roy Donovan of the Church to the Taliban (The Irish Catholic, October 14, 2021). In Jason Osborne’s article, Fr Donovan is at least clear in admitting that he used the extreme language precisely in order…
US archbishop: Covid vaccines morally permissible, but troops may conscientiously object The archbishop of the US military archdiocese believes that vaccine should not be mandatorily imposed on service members. Archbishop Broglio, of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, underlined in a statement ‘Coronavirus Vaccines and the Sanctity of Conscience’, that “no one should be forced…
Jason Osborne and Chai Brady Prominent Catholic laywomen have described comments from a priest comparing the Church’s treatment of women to the extremists of the Taliban as “very offensive”. Fr Roy Donovan, one of the clerics leading the Association of Catholic Priests, defended his comments this week admitting that it was an “extreme” comparison but…
The HSE confirmed that over €3 million was paid out to General Practitioners in 2020 for providing abortion, in response to a question from Laois-Offaly TD Carol Nolan. Meanwhile, just over €17,000 was spent on post-abortion care for women. Commenting on the answer she received from the HSE, Deputy Nolan said the response makes it…
Pro-life leaders in Texas responded to a federal judge blocking Texas’ pro-life “heartbeat” law, just more than one month after the law went into effect. In a ruling on Wednesday, October 6, Judge Robert Pitman of the Western District of Texas ceased enforcement of the law by the state. The Texas Heartbeat Act limits most…
“Behold, I am doing a new thing- Isaiah 43:19” was the theme chosen for the opening Mass in Loreto College Swords on September 16. In former years the whole school community walked to the parish church, St Finian’s River Valley, to celebrate the occasion but due to Covid restrictions only sixth and first year students…