Lighting up Christmas To celebrate community, creativity and Christmas, check out the Festival of Light in Kilkenny’s Castlecomer which is sure to be a hit with whole family. Beginning on November 30 and running straight up to December 24, you and your kids will get to make your own lanterns, participate in The Parade of…
Dear Editor, The Open Adoption Bill 2014 was sponsored by Anne Ferris and initiated on March 11, 2014. That Bill never progressed past stage two and has since lapsed. The Adoption (Identity and Information) Bill 2014 was sponsored by Fidelma Healy Eames, Jillian van Turnhout and Averil Power. It was initiated some four years ago…
Fr Vincent Sherlock It was one of those celebrity interviews. The interviewee was speaking about social media, his own use of it and value it has for him. He spoke too about the fears he has in maybe mistakenly using it and sending out a message that might be stupid, insensitive, mis-judged or hurtful.…
Young prisoners not forgotten in World Youth Day plans Encounters with young people in prison and living with HIV will feature in Pope Francis’ itinerary when he visits Panama for World Youth Day, the Vatican has announced. The January 23-27 visit will be the Pope’s 26th trip outside Italy, and will see the Pontiff celebrating two Masses and a penitential liturgy as well…
Irish eyes were certainly smiling in Dublin at the weekend as Ireland secured an historic win over the All Blacks, but star player Jacob Stockdale takes it all in his stride putting his rugby career firmly in the hands of God. The Ulster player – who electrified the Aviva Stadium with his winning try over…
The View Martin Mansergh Commemoration of the ending of the First World War on Sunday, November 11, both here in Ireland and at the international ceremony in France where world leaders gathered, was conducted with great dignity and solemnity. The sacrifices of those who fought were acknowledged, but with the message that such…
A priest was attacked by a Hindu mob in northern India, and then arrested by police after Hindus accused him of causing the disturbance. Fr Vineet Vincent Pereira was conducting a prayer service in Ghohana town in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh when right-wing Hindus attacked him. The priest lives in a house with…
Catholic leaders applauded a presidential order requiring education ministry officials to return to churches all of the schools that religious denominations surrendered to the government five decades ago. President Uhuru Kenyatta said he had given government officials one week for the restoration of the schools’ ownership to churches, to return the land they occupy and…
Scotland’s last Catholic queen is hotly tipped to be the role that sees Ireland’s Saoirse Ronan [pictured] win her first Academy Award. Although criticised by historians, Josie Rourke’s film Mary Queen of Scots is already winning rave reviews for Ms Ronan and Margot Robbie’s performances as the Catholic queen and her English nemesis, Elizabeth I.…
New guidelines on the question of clerical sexual abuse were discussed and presented during the general assembly of Italy’s bishops, with the creation of a National Advisory Centre to aid bishops and the promises to make a “more radical evangelical choice” in terms of prevention. “Woe to whoever touches children,” said Italian Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti,…