Irish peacekeepers who have been prevented from entering the United States after serving with the United Nations in the Middle East say they are being “punished” for their work with vulnerable communities overseas. A priest serving as a chaplain with the Irish Defence Forces is amongst the latest to be refused permission to enter America…
An Irish Dominican priest has said he regularly gets mistaken for a Halloween reveller in costume when walking the streets this time of year. Dublin-based Fr Conor McDonough OP said that he gets a lot of compliments for his very authentic ‘costume’ but the interactions can be good opportunities for evangelisation. Taking to social media…
The parish priest of Castlerea, Co. Roscommon, said there was “huge excitement” when boxer Aoife O’Rourke returned to the town following her gold medal win. The middleweight European champion was warmly welcomed by hundreds of people back to her hometown following her success over the weekend. Fr John McManus told The Irish Catholic “there’s a…
New Government grants aimed at harvesting the sun may not be enough of a push for parishes, writes Chai Brady Rapidly increasing energy costs are on everyone’s mind in Europe as Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine continues to rage, driving up the price of gas. It’s somewhat of a perfect storm for consumers since fuel…
Children’s Corner A very popular experiment which always delivers quite spectacular results is the Diet Coke and Mentos geyser. It’s a lot of fun and sure to amaze your friends and family (assuming you do it outside rather than inside your house). Apparatus: Large bottle of Diet Coke About half a pack of Mentos Geyser tube…
The Government has confirmed that parishes who use a building for what is described as a ‘community service’ such as meals-on-wheels or an active retirement club can start to apply for funding to defray rising energy bills from next month. The Department of Rural and Community Development confirmed to The Irish Catholic this week that…
There is no legal reason the State can’t support religious groups this winter to cover extortionate heating costs, according to an expert on constitutional law. Prof. Gerry Whyte of Trinity College Dublin told The Irish Catholic that the State would face no obstacles in the Constitution if they were to support churches to warm their…
Mission Sunday Supplement Engaging with people’s faith is crucial to any development work overseas, Chai Brady hears Waiting in a small village in Peru as the threat of execution by a terrorist group increases is not a scenario many people find themselves. That was the situation in which Sr Josephine (Jo) McCarthy found herself many…
The Government’s announcement that a time-limited eviction ban, running from November until March, is the “least-worst option”, according to Threshold. The measure means tenants can’t be issued an eviction notice unless they do not pay rent or damage the property. The Chief Executive of the priest-founded housing charity John-Mark McCafferty warned they are seeing a…
A case on whether or not Catholics are entitled to have the record of their baptism destroyed has been adjourned until December. Dublin-based Martin Meany has launched High Court proceedings over what he claims is the Data Protection Commission’s failure to complete an investigation of a complaint he made over the Church’s refusal to destroy…