Young parishioners in Co. Wexford will be given a unique Christmas gift at Masses on Sunday December 15 in Glynn and Barntown. Each child will receive an olive wood Christmas decoration for their Christmas tree at home – a decoration from Bethlehem, the birthplace of Christ which was blessed at the original manger in early…
Most Americans support life imprisonment over the death penalty, according to a Gallup poll, revealing a shift in the majority opinion on this issue for the first time in 34 years. The poll, based on results from telephone interviews conducted in October with a random sample of 1,526 adults in the US, showed 60% prefer…
Two Catholic priests have been convicted of sexually abusing students at an institute that cared for deaf children. The priests have been sentenced to more than 40 years in an Argentine prison. Their victims say one abuser should have been stopped seven years before his arrest, when he was accused of abusing children at a school…
Human rights groups have voiced concern over the arrest of a Coptic Christian activist in Egypt, on terrorism-related charges. Critics argue the arrest is an attempt to silence those who disagree with the government. Ramy Kamel, founder of the human rights organisation Maspero Youth Union, was arrested on Saturday by seven police officers. He faced…
RTÉ has “unreservedly” apologised to writer and broadcaster Kevin Myers after the station wrongly accused him of being a Holocaust denier. The false claim was aired in 2017 after Mr Myers was dismissed as a columnist with the Sunday Times newspaper after an online campaign accusing him of anti-Semitism – despite the fact that he…
Gathering together to share ideas, recharge and build creativity is invaluable writes Paula McKeown On Saturday Nov-ember 16, more than 40 young adults actively involved in Catholic Youth Ministry gathered in Sacred Heart Parish in North Belfast, in the Diocese of Down and Connor, for the Fifth Encounter Network Conference. Encounter is a grassroots Catholic…
A pro-life group have launched the ‘Repeal Section 9’ Campaign, which urges people in Northern Ireland to vote only for pro-life candidates in the upcoming Westminster Election. Precious Life launched their campaign this week, which aims to put pressure on political representatives in Northern Ireland to state their commitment to repealing the Westminster-imposed abortion law…
Pope advances sainthood cause of Canadian bishop Pope Francis has advanced the sainthood cause of Bishop Ovide Charlebois – a Canadian Missionary Oblate of Mary Immaculate who ministered to First Nations peoples and migrant workers scattered throughout the vast, lake-covered province of Manitoba. The Pope recognized the Quebec native, who lived from 1862 to 1933,…
Sr Consilio Fitzgerald, the founder of Cuan Mhuire, was this week presented with the Oireachtas Human Dignity Award at a ceremony in Leinster House. It comes 53 years after she began work from a small room in the Convent of Mercy in Athy, Co. Kildare with people experiencing addiction. Today, there are five treatment centres…
Robin Hood Panto He steals from the rich and gives to the poor – the famous story of Robin Hood will be performed this December in Liberty Hall Theatre Dublin. The whole family will get to watch the legendary outlaw, along with Maid Marion, Nursie Nellie Nu Nu and the Merry Men as they try…