Ireland in the European Eye edited by Gisela Holfter and Bettina Migge (Royal Irish Academy, €25.00) Joe Carroll This large book (515 pages) is billed as “a comprehensive survey of Ireland’s place in Europe, providing a detailed narrative of a cultural relationship that began with Irish missionaries bringing Christianity and learning to the continent”. The…
The spiritual directors have been confirmed for the annual Christian Solidarity Pilgrimages to the Holy Land organised by The Irish Catholic in autumn 2020. This September and October will see two groups of pilgrims depart on the unforgettable trip to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. The first group will depart Dublin on September 29…
The Legacy of the Irish Parliamentary Party in Independent Ireland, 1922-1949 by Martin O’Donoghue (Liverpool University Press, £80.00). Felix M. Larkin Conor Cruise O’Brien, the grandson of a long-time Irish Parliamentary Party (IPP) MP, was once discussing the 1916 Rising and its aftermath with his father-in-law, Seán McEntee, a 1916 veteran and foundation…
Uruguayan priest named the Pope’s new Personal Secretary Fr Gonzalo Aemilius has been elected as Pope Francis’ new Special Secretary, filling the void left by Father Fabian Pedacchio in December. The clergyman from Montevideo, Uruguay has been known to the Pope since 2006 when Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, endorsed him for…
Dear Editor, Regarding the front page of your paper (IC 16/01/2020), I read with alarm the decision made by authorities in Mary Immaculate College in Limerick to disallow the Certificate of Christian Ethics in Healthcare being made available. Hospital chaplains clearly showed ample interest in the development of the programme – which led to it…
The Carmelite sisters in Loughrea, Co. Galway are set to leave the town after a presence of over 300 years. Like many other religious communities, the sisters have struggled to attract new vocations in recent years and the age prpfile of the sisters is older. As a result, their prayerful presence in the community will…
Top award for Catholic medic in Africa A Catholic medical missionary in Africa has been honored with a top international medical award. Dr Tom Catena (55) from New York received the AMH Gerson L’Chaim Prize for ‘outstanding Christian medical missionary service’ last week. The American Surgeon, described as “the world’s most important doctor” on US…
To mark Catholic Schools Week 2020, the Diocese of Down and Connor, recognising and paying tribute to the inspiring work within its schools, has presented eight schools from across the diocese with the ‘Spirit of Catholic Education Award’ held in St Mary’s University College in Belfast. Catholic Schools Week is an annual celebration which commemorates…
Time to welcome spring’s snowdrops With the coming of spring, flowers are beginning to break through the soil and it seems like the whole environment is coming back to vibrant life with a huge variety of colour. What better way to enjoy the season than to take a walk in nature and enjoy one of…
Pope Francis “has our backs” in the pro-life cause, Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, said to applause in his homily at the opening Mass of the National Vigil for Life. During an ad limina meeting with US bishops the week before, Archbishop Naumann [pictured] said Pope Francis had told them: “If we do not…