While many priests and religious are in the frontline comforting and consoling those suffering from coronavirus and their loved ones, an Irish Dominican friar who is a trained doctor is back treating patients with Covid-19. Bro. Chris Gault OP, who has been studying for the priesthood with the Dominicans, has returned to his native Belfast…
The founding fathers of the Catholic Faith in Australia were honoured by the Sydney Archdiocese via live-stream Mass last weekend. The Mass took place on Sunday, May 3 at Saint Mary’s Cathedral and marked the 200th anniversary of the arrival of the country’s first sanctioned priests – Irish-born Fr John Joseph Therry and Fr Philip…
Priests in Mexico have been threatened with death by phone calls from alleged members of the Jalisco Nueva Generacion Cartel (CJNG), according to local media reports. The diocese of San Cristobal de las Casas informed authorities last week that Fr Marcelo Perez, his family and members of the Parochial Council of San Antonio of Padua…
All public Church activities, including Marian pilgrimages, have been suspended in China until the end of May. The Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA) and its bishops’ forum, the Bishops’ Conference of the Catholic Church in China, jointly announced the delay last week. This measure “aims to avoid gatherings as part of measures to check the…
Anton de Wit The Netherlands recently announced a gradual relaxation of the ‘intelligent lockdown’. Elementary schools will be open again soon and outdoor sports are also allowed under certain conditions. Meanwhile, the Dutch Catholic community wonders: when will we be able to go to Mass again? In an opinion poll of the Dutch Catholic weekly…
Living Laudato Si’ My hope today is that you and your family are all safe and well. Many people are commenting on how they can hear the birdsong more clearly these days, how everything is so quiet, how there are more bees around this year, how they are planting in their gardens or noticing…
Pope Francis phones Amazon Archbishop in solidarity Pope Francis has made a telephone call to Archbishop Leonardo Steiner of Manaus in the Brazilian Amazon region to express his concern and closeness to those affected by the coronavirus. During their conversation last week, the Pope expressed solidarity, closeness and concern to inhabitants of the Amazonian city…
An international school-feeding charity is planning to provide meals to more than one million children at home as part of the Covid-19 response. Despite school closures due to the pandemic, Mary’s Meals will continue to deliver food to children in Malawi and Zambia by inviting their parents to collect rations to cook at home. Patricia…
Dear Editor, Surely there is no better time than the present to review our diocesan development planning process. If our current lockdown is to be seen as part of God’s plan for our Church, we need to be listening and learning from our very real present experiences. Diocesan development plans need to be working documents…
The Sunday Gospel Fr Silvester O’Flynn OFM Cap. Many of us are disappointed that very few of the restrictions on our movements have been lifted. Return to any normality will take time. Long term worries remain about unemployment, closure of businesses, national and personal finances. Can we draw any hope from the Gospel for…