Dear Editor, Bishop Kevin Doran has been roundly criticised for saying that it was a sin to vote for abortion. Many will agree with him, but it’s worth re-stating exactly what the bishop said because it is more nuanced than the headlines suggest. Dr Doran said that if a practicing Catholic “voted ‘Yes’, knowing and…
Lough Derg buses gearing up Bus Éireann this week launched its Lough Derg bus service for this year’s pilgrimage season. Operating for four days a week, the Route 486 service begins on June 1 and ends on August 13. Based on demand, the service will be available from Friday to Monday each week, including the upcoming June Bank Holiday,…
Ethical intervention in economy needed – Pope and Patriarch Pope Francis and ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople called on Christians to work together to build a culture of solidarity in the face of growing economic inequality and a lack of respect for the human dignity of the poor and of migrants. The two leaders met privately on May 26 before addressing an international…
St Colman’s Society for Catholic Liturgy has announced that the Fota IX International Liturgy Conference will be held in Cork, from July 7-9 this year. The subject of the conference is on the divine office entitled ‘Psallite Sapienter: The Liturgy of the Hours’ and will be explored by a panel of experts drawn from the United…
Fr Conor McDonough I’ve been dreading the writing of this column for weeks, and hoping beyond hope that I would be able to write on the basis of a different result. For those convinced that unborn humans deserve legal safeguarding, a group which includes people of all religions and none, the result is a…
Portlaoise festival promises a memorable day Archery, shield making and medieval heritage re-enactment displays will be amongst the highlights of this year’s Old Fort Quarter Festival in Portlaoise, taking place from Friday, June 22 to Sunday, June 24. The festival, now in its third year, will take place across various locations in the town centre…
Catholics groups across Ireland have been invited to attend the annual Cork Eucharistic Procession this Sunday, in a celebration of witnessing to the Faith. The Procession, now in its 93rd year, commenced in 1926 when a group of businessmen in the city approached the then Bishop, Daniel Coholan, with a view to having a Eucharistic…
Elise Harris Pope Francis said today that Confirmation is the sacrament in which Catholics are marked with a seal that solidifies their belonging to Christ through the Holy Spirit, adding that this is God’s invisible gift to each person who receives the sacrament. Referring to how candidates for Confirmation are told to “receive the…
The chaplain where tragic Jastine Valdez [pictured] attended college has said the tightknit community of students is devastated by the news of her death. Sr Bernadette Purcell – who has spoken to Jastine’s mother – said the family is “devastated” by what happened to the 23-year-old but said she believed “their Faith will help them…
Former Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave has left more than €33 million in his will, including €6,000 for Masses to be said for his soul. The Dublin politician, who died last October aged 97, had inherited the property from his father, WT Cosgrave, the first prime minister of the Irish Free State, and refused to sell it…