Michael Kelly is an award-winning writer and broadcaster specialising in religious and social affairs. Born and raised in Northern Ireland, he attended the Pontifical University St Patrick’s College, Maynooth where he obtained degrees in philosophy and theology and the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome where he studieD social institutional communications. From 2002-2005 he was an Editor in the Central Information Service of Vatican Radio. In this role, he travelled with Pope St John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI on overseas trips. In 2005, he returned to Dublin to take up the position of Deputy Editor with The Irish Catholic newspaper, succeeding as Editor in 2012. In 2016, he was appointed Consulting Editor of Columba Books, the Dublin-based publisher of religious and spiritual books. He is a regular contributor to programmes on RTÉ, BBC, UTV, CNN and Al Jazeera. He also have extensive experience offering media training and coaching in the voluntary sector. Mr Kelly is a weekly columnist with Ireland’s largest-selling secular newspaper the Irish Independent and has been published in The Irish Times, the Irish Examiner, The Irish News, The Guardian, Our Sunday Visitor, Catholic World Report, the National Catholic Reporter and the National Catholic Register. He writes from Ireland for Catholic News Service of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. He is co-author with Austen Ivereigh of the best-selling book How to Defend the Faith Without Raising Your Voice. He is a frequent visitor to the Holy Land and is currently working on a new book on the holy places in the Holy Land which is due to be published in Autumn 2019.
I had just turned 18 when the Good Friday Agreement was signed in 1998. I was on retreat for Holy Week at the time and therefore was forbidden to listen to the radio so as not to break the pattern of the retreat. I had the profound sense that something momentous was happening and figured that…
Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh has hailed John Hume as a “paragon of peace” for his key role in bringing an end to the conflict in the North. Mr Hume, 83, died early this morning (Monday), his family said in a statement. As a young man Mr Hume trained for the priesthood in Maynooth, before…
The Irish Spirit – Issue No. 9 In the Hebrew Bible, mountains have always been significant places where the Israelites encountered the Presence of God. Because mountaintops were high above the clouds the Jewish people discerned that this is where God could be experienced par excellence. Mountains were the places where the patriarch and the…
Dublin Diocese has announced that priests are taking a 25% pay cut on already low salaries and that it is looking for one third of its 82 lay staff to take redundancies. Among those asked to consider redundancy are parish pastoral workers (see Page 4). The bishops’ conference in Maynooth is also cutting back on…
Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has said that the Government’s failure to agree a protocol on allowing more than 50 people at Mass means some churches are forced to turn people away, making physical distancing more problematic. State authorities had originally said that public Masses could recommence on June 29. At the time, outgoing Taoiseach…
Priests and parishioners across Ireland have expressed joy at being able to return to Mass after more than 100 days without the sacraments. Many parishes opened early on Monday to welcome back congregations, and other churches will do so this week and next. Bishop of Limerick Brendan Leahy said: “It’s a time to return with…
After 107 days, I was overwhelmed to be able to attend Mass on Monday [pictured]. The joy was palpable after the long Lent and Eucharistic famine we have been living. Coronavirus is still very much with us, and we must continue to approach the Celebration of the Eucharist with caution. I’m also conscious of the…
Bishop of Cork and Ross Dr Fintan Gavin has congratulated Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin on his election as Taoiseach. Meeting in the National Convention Centre in Dublin this morning, the 33rd Dáil elected Mr Martin with 93 voted in favour of his nomination and 63 against. Three deputies abstained. Reacting to the news, Bishop…
Despite an assurance from outgoing Taoiseach Leo Varadkar that churches would be exempted from a ban limiting attendance to 50-people, officials in his department now say the rule must remain in place. A senior bishop told The Irish Catholic tonight (Friday) that Government flip-flops on the issue are causing extreme frustration in parishes that have…
EXCLUSIVE The Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin warned the Government weeks ago that Catholics were increasingly unhappy and felt they were not being listened to about an earlier return to public Masses as churches re-opened in other parts of Europe, The Irish Catholic can exclusively reveal. In a note to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on May…