The number of priests, religious and lay people being persecuted for spreading the Faith will continue to worsen, missionaries across Ireland have said. While Christians should always remain hopeful, Fr Fachtna O’Driscoll SMA, Superior General of the Society of African Missions, told The Irish Catholic that the number of missionaries being killed globally will continue…
Families are “scared” of being intimidated and forced out of their homes by paramilitary groups, a well-known priest and peace campaigner has said. Fr Gary Donegan, who is best known for his peacebuilding work in North Belfast’s Ardoyne area, said that paramilitaries who “are involved in activities that are very questionable” are policing their own…
Unskilled workers are more than three times as likely as professional workers to be divorced or separated, a new survey has revealed. The report is a follow-up to a paper issued by The Iona Institute in 2016 which showed that marriage rates also differ hugely by occupational status and social class. It found that unskilled…
Personal Profile Msgr Liam Kelly is ready to jump into his new role with both feet, writes Colm Fitzpatrick The old phrase ‘one-trick pony’ can be applied to most achievers, but with a background in teaching, farming, woodwork, and football, this equestrian expression could hardly be used of Msgr Liam Kelly. Having been a…
Ireland needs to step up to the plate in raising awareness and fighting against the global persecution of Christians, an Irish human rights organisation has said. Church in Chains, a charity which encourages prayer and action in support of persecuted Christians worldwide, told The Irish Catholic that millions of Christians face persecution yearly and that the Irish…
Seasonal sadness can destroy your Christmas holidays, but there are ways to combat it, writes Colm Fitzpatrick The Christmas holidays are a highlight in almost everybody’s calendar, but the season can be tinged with unexpected feelings of unhappiness and loneliness, with these spilling over or bubbling up in January. The ‘Christmas blues’ or ‘post-holiday…
Europe could die without a civilisation to give it life, writes Colm Fitzpatrick Why do some civilisations collapse to dust, whereas others are able to grow stronger and stronger? A quick glance at history’s fallen cultures like the Sumerian and Babylonian civilisations, as well as the Roman Empire, highlight the unwavering mortality of societies,…
The Primate of All Ireland, Archbishop Eamon Martin, will meet survivors of clerical abuse before the highly anticipated Vatican meeting on the Protection of Minors from February 21-24, 2019. “As a priest and bishop, I have already met many survivors and have always found it a humbling yet important and worthwhile experience,” he told CatholicIreland.net,…
Personal Profile There’s more to our beliefs than meets the eye, writes Colm Fitzpatrick Renowned Doctor of the Church, St Thomas Aquinas once opined: “Beware the man of a single book” – but for Fr Conor McDonough OP, this is a warning that he needs not fear. The 32-year-old Dominican friar who hails from…
A parish community has been left “shocked” after vandals kicked in a nativity crib and smashed a statue of the baby Jesus in an early morning attack on the religious scene, a local parish priest has said. The perpetrators of the attack, which occurred in Newbridge, Co. Kildare earlier this month, were identified on CCTV…