A staple of Irish Masses is under pressure, writes Chai Brady Trouble is brewing for the prolific missalette, a staple in many parishes across the country, as Ireland’s national liturgical group, academics, priests and laity lambaste it for a plethora of reasons. Millions of missalettes are printed every year by a variety of publishers,…
Disposable missalettes distract congregations and limit priests in their choices for Sunday Mass, liturgy experts have warned, urging parishes to get rid of the weekly missalettes. “Commercially produced missalettes that include the texts of the readings and the full text of the Eucharistic Prayer are not true aids to the Sunday celebration,” Fr Danny Murphy…
Amidst renewed uncertainty around Brexit and an attempt by Westminster to impose abortion on the North, Archbishop Eamon Martin has announced plans to lead prayers at the Papal cross near Drogheda to mark the 40th anniversary of the visit of St John Paul II to Ireland. Speaking at Mass in Newry, Co. Down at the…
Irish missionaries based in turbulent Hong Kong are split on whether the military will take to the streets once more as fears of intervention from mainland China grow. Hong Kong has been wracked by increasingly violent mass protests for several months, with millions taking part. Irish Columban Fr Michael Cuddigan SSC told The Irish Catholic:…
A large group of devotees of Little Nellie of Holy God have been refused access to her grave in Cork by a security firm engaged by new owners of the land. A tense stand-off between security guards and pilgrims occured over the weekend, resulting in gardaí being called to the scene. About 100 people attended…
Chai Brady discusses Hong Kong’s mass protests and fears of military intervention Large-scale protests have caused massive disruption in Hong Kong with the unpredictable situation continuing to draw the gaze of international communities. Speculation that an imminent military intervention from Beijing continues to grow. Protestors have used several forms of civil disobedience to highlight…
Personal Profile Working in South Africa for almost 50 years, a Franciscan friar has been teaching and shepherding despite many challenges, including Apartheid, in a land that is very much “missionary territory”. He taught in the National Seminary of St John Vianney in Pretoria for 35 years in total, which was difficult in several…
Children’s Corner Refraction is a word that would make many people switch off instantly, it’s not something that regularly comes up in conversation – unless perhaps you were studying physics in school or university. The term is actually profoundly important and explains a natural phenomenon that everyone comes across daily. For kids, and some…
Security guards at Little Nellie of Holy God’s grave in Cork have been stopping devotees from accessing the site for several days The Irish Catholic has learned. Ongoing concerns about visits to the graveyard since the site was sold has made it a contentious issue. Developers told this newspaper a month ago they would allow…
Irish shrines point way forward, says Pope’s adviser Shrines such as Knock and Lough Derg can lead to a rebirth of the Church in Ireland, the Pope’s leading adviser on evangelisation has said. It comes as the number of pilgrims at both Knock and Lough Derg are up on previous years. Archbishop Rino Fisichella…