More than 40% of those who will attend the World Meeting of Families in the RDS will come from overseas, giving the capital a huge injection of visitors. The three-day pastoral congress takes place from August 22-24 and is seen as an opportunity to reflect on the key themes chosen by Pope Francis for the…
WMOF2018 Brenda Drumm A new series of digital animations and a six-part television series has been launched as part of ongoing preparations for the World Meeting of Families 2018 and the visit of Pope Francis. Both of these new resources focus on Amoris Laetitia, the document written by Pope Francis on love in the family.…
Walking through history If you’re looking for a chance to experience traditional Irish culture while having a blast, then check out Irish Heritage Week. A great opportunity to explore your background, it will be held at places all around the nation from August 18 to August 26. Many national and hundreds of local communities participate…
Mary Carson honoured for ‘outstanding’ service Members of the Youghal Catholic Young Mens’ Society gathered in the town on July 20 to honour Mary Carson who was retiring as supervisor of the local Community Employment Scheme. A special evening was held for Mary and her family where huge praise was bestowed on Mary from the Honorary Vice President, Brendan Cooney for…
Dear Editor, I’ve been very interested in the extensive coverage of the 50th anniversary of the promulgation of Humanae Vitae reiterating the Church’s ban on artificial methods of birth control. At the same time, I see that the US-based organisation that styles itself ‘Catholic for Conscience’ carried out a survey in Ireland which found that…
The Primate of All Ireland has expressed his sadness and condolences following the death of Bishop Fiachra Ó Ceallaigh, retired auxiliary Archbishop of Dublin. He died on July 29 in the care of the Blackrock Clinic after a long illness. Archbishop Eamonn Martin said he was “saddened to hear” about the death of the bishop…
Youth Space Luke-Peter Silke We’ve seen a lot of criticism of the Catholic School system in the press in recent weeks. Quite a lot of commentators are making presumptions about what goes on in Catholic schools and how students there feel about the Catholic ethos. I’m fresh out of a Catholic School – Holy Rosary…
Pat O’Kelly Completing his five-year term at the Kilkenny Arts Festival, Eugene Downes steps down as artistic director later this month. His mantle passes to Olga Barry, currently Festival Producer, whom Downes describes as “a gifted and respected arts leader”. Since his appointment in 2013, Dublin-born Downes has revitalised the festival’s ‘classical’ music element…
WMOF 2018 The visit of Pope Francis next month is the largest event in Ireland since John Paul II’s historic trip in 1979, according to Gardaí. Authorities have announced that all public transport in Dublin will be free on Sunday, August 26 when the Pope is due to celebrate Mass before more than 500,000…
The Notebook Fr Bernard Healy Near London’s Marble Arch, at the junction of Bayswater Road and Edgeware Road, there is a triangular traffic island. On the island are planted three oak saplings, and on the ground between them sits a stone plaque that reads ‘The Site of Tyburn Tree’. This marks the spot of…
