The greatest benefit of a newly-introduced qualification for teachers is an increased sense of confidence to self-identify as Catholic in the classroom and in the staffroom, according to its first graduates. It comes at a time when many Catholic teachers have been voicing concern that it is becoming difficult to express one’s faith and exercise leadership rooted…
Pope’s new book calls for spiritual rebirth The global ecological crisis is just one of the effects of a distorted and diseased view people have of the world, themselves and each other, Pope Francis has said in a new book. In fact, addressing a global crisis demands a global approach, which must start with “a…
Counsellor sues Catholic school over same-sex marriage policy An Indiana guidance counsellor has filed a lawsuit against an Indianapolis Catholic school which placed her on administrative leave after she contracted a same-sex marriage, and did not renew her contract when it expired. Shelly Fitzgerald, who worked at Roncalli High School for 15 years, filed suit…
It’s story time in Kerry Our lives revolve around stories – we listen to the news, read books and regale our children about times gone past. To celebrate all things story, the Sneem International Storytelling & Folklore Festival will present artists of all ages to delight and enthral. Taking place in Kerry’s Sneem Hotel…
Education Conference A key address at last week’s The Irish Catholic Education Conference held in Dublin Much of the debate in relation to faith in our schools has resembled a cry for the return of Cromwell and the policy of the dissolution of the monasteries, says Bishop Tom Deenihan The purpose of a…
Paula McKeown On Saturday, October 19, Fr Conor McGrath, Missions Delegate for the Diocese of Down and Connor welcomed a group of people passionate about the contribution of Irish missionaries to St Mary’s University College in Belfast for a one-day conference. The conference, organised for the Extraordinary Month of Mission, gave those gathered a rich…
Dear Editor, In response to Mary Kenny’s article ‘Students of sociology – here’s a suggestion’ (17/10/19), may I introduce you to something way more empowering for women: not going back down the road of enslaving women to contraception. Instead let’s educate women with the knowledge about how their cycle works. Let’s also ask the men…
Scholars of St John Henry Newman have criticised Taoiseach Leo Varadkar for misunderstanding the new saint’s teaching on conscience. Speaking in the Dáil last week, Mr Varadkar rejected Archbishop Eamon Martin’s recent comments that Catholic politicians are obliged to support laws that uphold the dignity of every person from conception to death. The Taoiseach said…
The Mexican bishops’ conference has called for calm and reflection after well-armed members of a drug cartel descended on the city of Culiacan and forced Mexican security forces to release the son of convicted cartel kingpin Joaquin Guzman Loera, known as ‘El Chapo’. In a statement, a day after the violence in Culiacan, capital of…
Humanitarian concerns are growing as people caught in the crosshairs of the Turkish incursion into northeastern Syria try to flee for safety, and groups are scrambling to aid them. “There are big concerns about what is going on in northeastern Syria with the Turkish military aerial assaults and ground operations,” Fr Emanuel Youkhana said by…