The death has taken place of Fr Conleth (Joseph) O’Hara, CP, the last surviving member of a well-known Bangor, Co. Down family of 10 of whom all eight brothers were ordained priests. Fr Conleth, aged 86, died at St Joseph’s  Retreat, Highgate London on July 18 and a Memorial Mass was celebrated there on Monday…

The group Faith in Marriage Equality (FIME), which campaigned for a ‘yes’ vote in the same-sex marriage referendum,  has described a recent meeting with Archbishop Eamon Martin as a “positive step to open dialogue with the Catholic Church”. Dr Richard O’Leary of FIME said the group was “positively received” by the archbishop at his residence…

Social media site Twitter exploded over the weekend with users posting about what it was like growing up as a Catholic. The hashtag #growingupcatholic was trending in Ireland for a time over the weekend, while tweeters posted fond memories of their youth. Most people tweeted about their experiences at Mass, the sacraments and religion class…

An un-named Jesuit priest was the top bidder in a fiercely-contested auction of stained glass church windows made by the renowned Harry Clarke Studios. The Dublin-based priest paid €31,000 – 10 times the estimate — for a single stained glass panel depicting ‘Saint Francis Xavier preaching in the Orient’. The priest was also the successful…

The Administrator of Navan parish in Co. Meath had to step in to end a brawl between a large group of men that erupted outside St Mary’s Church after Mass on Sunday afternoon. The Irish Examiner reported that Peadar Tóibín, Sinn Féin TD for Meath West said as Mass concluded he “could hear raised voices…

A woman reunited with her lost wedding ring has put her luck down to prayer and her faith in Our Lady. Cora Maguire issued a public appeal over the radio after she lost the ring recently ago in Dunnes Stores, on Dublin’s Henry Street, and thought all hope was lost until it was found. “I’ve…

A Benedictine monk from Kerala in India who was visiting Portlaoise was injured in an attack on Saturday July 18.  Bro. Dominic Savio answered a call at the front door at about 11:30 at night, only to be pushed inside by two attackers bearing knives. A knife was held to his throat, and he was…

The Pro Life Campaign (PLC) has called on the Government “urgently” to address the homeless crisis in Dublin in light of a recent report that at least 17 pregnant women are homeless in the city at present. Claiming that senior politicians “have known about this shameful reality for quite some time”, Sinead Slattery of the…

Members of Young Fine Gael have rejected a motion calling on RTÉ to extend rather than discontinue the Angelus programme broadcast daily at noon and 6pm on radio and television. As well as calling on RTÉ to continue to broadcast the Angelus, the proposed motion wanted the programme to be extended to two minutes. Delegates…

Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh has praised the “witness” of the Pioneers at a time when “excessive drinking and other addictions continue to cause so much hurt and destruction in many Irish homes and families”.  In his homily to mark the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association’s annual pilgrimage to Knock, Archbishop Eamon said he wanted to…