Experts have dismissed inaccurate media reports that the Vatican has issued a new ban on gluten-free Communion hosts, reassuring coeliacs that they can continue to receive the Eucharist. Over the weekend numerous news organisations across the world announced that the Vatican had banned the use of gluten-free bread in hosts, following the publication of a…
New procedures are being put in place for Reek Sunday this year so that people can continue to enjoy the annual pilgrimage while keeping safety as a priority. The traditional Reek Sunday pilgrimage up Croagh Patrick on July 30 is expected to attract tens of thousands of pilgrims once again this year, with many making…
The Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference has called for special collections at all Masses next weekend (July 22-23) to fund life-saving aid for people affected by the devastating hunger crisis in east-Africa. The money raised will be donated to Trócaire, the overseas development agency of the Irish Church, which is delivering emergency food, water and health…
The Bishop of Kildare & Leighlin is hosting what is believed to be the first Irish diocesan picnic next month, in an effort to reach out to all the families of the diocese and gather them together as a community. “The idea is that families from all over the 56 parishes would go to the…
If there is one thing we’re not short of in Ireland, it’s water. As well as having over 4,600 miles of coastline, Ireland boasts of numerous lakes and rivers. Over the past few decades watersports have taken off in Ireland. The invention of the wetsuit made much of this possible in our cold climate. It…
A bishop has warned people not to mistakenly buy sympathy cards under the impression that they are purchasing pre-signed Mass cards. Sympathy cards, which look very similar to Mass cards and can even have a chalice on the front cover, offer to have the “repose of the soul” of someone remembered in a priest’s daily…
The Primate of All Ireland has described the extent of Christian persecution worldwide as “shocking”, while calling on Irish Catholics not to be afraid to witness to the Faith in an “aggressively secular culture”. Speaking at the annual festival of St Oliver Plunkett in Drogheda, Archbishop Eamon Martin said the persecution of Christians “remains widespread…
Concerns have been expressed that a deal which will see the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) back the Tory minority government in Britain will not benefit both sides of the community in the North. The deal, announced on Monday, two weeks after the UK election resulted in a hung parliament, will see the 10 DUP MPs…
Pope Francis is a well-known soccer fan. His favourite team is San Lorenzo de Almagro, one of the most important teams in Argentina, and the Pontiff still keeps his membership card for the team. However, thanks to the efforts of an Irish priest, Pope Francis may find a new love for the GAA, with the…
Bishop Denis Nulty has laid out his blueprint for the future of the Diocese of Kildare & Leighlin in the face of the growing shortage of priests. “The present situation of the shortage of vocations, the age profile of the priests and the stress associated with such realities needs serious reflection,” Bishop Nulty said at…