Hopes have been raised that some of the nine new post-primary schools opening next year and in 2018 will be entrusted to Catholic patrons. Le Chéile’s Education Officer Eilis Humphreys told The Irish Catholic the trust was “considering” tendering for one or more of the schools but insisted that “no decision” had been made yet.…
Cathal Barry
The celebration of Holy Orders
The Church teaches that Christ himself chose the apostles and gave them a share in his mission and authority, writes Cathal Barry
Govt urged to tackle funding inequalities facing religious schools
The next Government must urgently address the “glaring inequalities” that exist when it comes to the funding of faith schools, a senior education chief has warned. John Curtis, General Secretary of the Joint Managerial Body (JMB), which represents over 400 voluntary schools across the State, told The Irish Catholic that governments in the past had…
Presentation school choir wow Britain’s Got Talent judges
The principal of the Kilkenny based Presentation secondary school whose choir wowed the judges on Britain’s Got Talent has described the “roller-coaster” experience as “amazing”. Shane Hallahan told The Irish Catholic that he was “delighted with the reception the choir received”. “I was over at the filming, along with the school’s deputy principal, Mary Ryan.…
‘Catholic education is something to be proud of’
Cathal Barry speaks to JMB General Secretary John Curtis about the challenges facing Catholic schools The JMBAMCSS is quite the mouthful. Better known as the JMB, the Joint Managerial Body Secretariat of Secondary Schools represents the interests of all voluntary secondary schools in the country. “The JMB provides services and advice to schools on a…
Agenda-driven media accused of damaging public opinion of Church
A prominent priest-sociologist has warned that a number of anti-Catholic media commentators are damaging the public’s opinion of the Church. Jesuit Fr Micheál Mac Gréil told The Irish Catholic that he was “very worried about the atheistic proselytisation going on in Irish society today”. “I believe that proselytising is now not on the side of…
Holy Orders
The Church teaches that priests share in the mission that Christ entrusted to the apostles, writes Cathal Barry The Second Vatican Council teaches that the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders is conferred by episcopal consecration, that fullness namely which, both in the liturgical tradition of the Church and the language of the Fathers…
Priest criticises ‘high risk’ combat sport
Former Tipperary hurler and manager Fr Tom Fogarty has said he fails to see how fans could “justify” being entertained by Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) following the shocking death of one of the sport’s rising stars. Joao Carvalho, a 28-year-old Portuguese MMA fighter, died in Dublin where he suffered head injuries competing at the Total…
Confirmation programmes ‘opportunity’ to tackle violence – ex-gangster
The Church has been called to harness Confirmation programmes to tackle the problem of crime and violence among young people in disadvantaged communities. Former gangster John Pridmore told The Irish Catholic that Confirmation programmes are an “opportunity” to show children “how they can use their gifts to help others rather than hurt people”. “There are…
Priest numbers slide by 500 in just a decade
The number of diocesan priests in Ireland has plummeted by more than 500 in just 10 years, according to the latest official statistics. The most significant fall off was between the years 2013 and 2014, when the number of priests dropped by 120 in the 12-month period. Vatican figures show that while there were 3,141…