Christina Malone Many families all over Ireland have been packing their bags for a staycation. I am one of those and I can’t wait. I finally get to see my family again. One thing that amazed me most when I first came to Ireland (nearly 14 years ago) was the fact that many parish events…
Philippine weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz lifted not only weights, but her entire country following her gold medal success at the Tokyo Olympics. Ms Diaz’s victory came in the women’s 55-kilogram weightlifting event July 26, which saw her set an Olympic record after lifting a combined weight of 224 kg. Following her final lift, Ms Diaz, 30,…
The North’s Housing Executive has had to rehome 256 individuals or families forced to flee their home in the last 12 months because of intimidation. Of those, almost all (230) were threatened by paramilitary organisations. At the weekend police confirmed they are investigating an incident in which a Catholic family were forced to flee from their…
Fr Silvester O’Flynn This is the third successive Sunday when our Gospel is taken from John Chapter 6, all about bread. John likes to start with something familiar like water, light or bread and to rise up step by step to divine life. Two weeks ago, we read about the multiplication of the loaves and…
Boko Haram sympathisers and others who support Nigeria being an Islamic State are stalling the fight against militants in the West African country, a local priest has said. According to Fr George Ehusani, a priest of the Diocese of Lokoja and executive director of the Lux Terra Leadership Foundation, many of those secretly backing the…
Botanic gardens offer free family tours The National Botanic Gardens is offering free tours, specially designed to engage children as well as grown-ups. While the glasshouses remain closed to the public, the gardens in the 19.5 hectare estate are open to visit. The tour promises visitors will “discover some rare and fascinating plants and hear…
Following contact by a parishioner based in Cavan, Bishop Martin Hayes of Kilmore diocese confirmed he would meet with pro-life groups to discuss future collaborations. Local Catholic Liam DePaor shared the response he received from the diocesan secretary with The Irish Catholic. It read: “Bishop Martin wishes to acknowledge your email and to say that…
A new report claims that most major social media platforms fail to remove more than 80% of anti-Semitic posts from their sites. The Center for Countering Digital Hatred (CCDH) said it collected and reported 714 posts containing anti-Jewish hatred, which had collectively been viewed at least 7.3 million times. The research covered Facebook, Instagram, TikTok,…
One of the country’s most senior Churchmen has warned that elements of mainstream media “managed” to deprive people of the ability to think critically about faith and society. Reshape Archbishop of Tuam Michael Neary warned that: “Forces are endeavouring to reshape our values, fears and dreams in ways that are quite literally opposed to the…
The Stormont Executive has decided that it will no longer be mandatory to wear masks in places of worship, however some parishes are expected to keep the rule for now. Ministers announced this week that it would no longer be obligatory to wear masks during Mass and other liturgies, but would instead be guidance. The…