Dear Editor, Mr Ruadhán Jones wrote on the historic (but unminuted) negotiations currently taking place between Mary Immaculate College and the University of Limerick [The Irish Catholic – May 18, 2023]. In that article, concerns were expressed about the Church in Ireland’s ability to prepare teachers for Catholic schools if a Catholic third level presence…
Diocese faces challenge of aging clergy, bishop warns The diocese of Kildare and Leighlin is “challenged” by the aging demographic of its priests, Bishop Denis Nulty has warned. In his 10 years as bishop, Dr Nulty said he has buried 19 priests and ordained just two for the diocese. “Doing the sums, 20 priests dying…
Last week the National Symphony Orchestra and Royal Irish Academy of Music announced a joint venture entitled ‘The NSO Concerto Project’. While that may be a slight misnomer, the idea behind the enterprise is, and hopefully will continue to be, a fruit bearing amalgamation. Under the baton of Gavin Maloney, the inaugural event had four…
Deacon Frank Browne In my local parish we are preparing for the feast of Corpus Christi, when we plan to involve all the children who made their Holy Communion recently. But what does it mean for us when we receive Holy Communion at Mass or venerate the Blessed Sacrament? Perhaps it can mean many things…
Dublin now has the lowest percentage of Catholics in the Republic, according to census data released this week. The Central Statistics Office revealed that just over half – 53% – of Dubliners ticked the ‘Catholic’ box in the 2022 census of population. Overall, the figures reveal that just 69% of Irish people now describe themselves…
The Irish bishops’ conference has released new sexual education resources to help teachers present Catholic teaching on RSE in secondary schools. The move comes after the Minster for Education signed off on a controversial new curriculum for social, personal and health education (SPHE), which includes relationship and sexual education (RSE). A final draft of the…
Award-winning Christian artist Victoria Johnston launched her debut album in Golden Discs, Dundrum, with Minister for State Neale Richmond in attendance. Minister Richmond praised the Grammy-nominated singer at the launch, saying its “super to have such amazing talent in our area” and describing her album as “beautiful”. The album, ‘Where the Lights Glow’, includes Ms…
We need to help teenagers to recognise their own value and that of everyone else, writes Alexander O’Hara We are currently experiencing not only an environmental crisis which threatens the future existence of our species, but an anthropological crisis that threatens to reshape and redefine the very nature of what makes us human. With massive…
We can and we must prevent the worst effects of climate change from happening, writes Pope Francis “Let Justice and Peace Flow” is the theme of this year’s ecumenical Season of Creation, inspired by the words of the prophet Amos: “Let justice flow on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream” (5:24). The evocative image…
A new Catholic school opened in Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s constituency will be a popular choice for families in the area, the Taoiseach said. Mr Varadkar was speaking at the opening ceremony for Edmund Rice College in Castleknock on the site of the former Phoenix Park racecourse. “It was a long time coming, but the day…