KANDLE priests say fewer personnel are forcing a rethink of parish life Bishop Denis Nulty has warned that declining priest numbers are forcing Kildare & Leighlin to rethink Mass schedules, workloads and how its 117 churches are served. In a pastoral letter read out at Masses on Sunday, Bishop Nulty said priests being recalled by…
Trócaire CEO Seán Farrell has said he is “still haunted” by what he witnessed during the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone, as the organisation responds to a new outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In a post this week, Mr Farrell said Ebola remained “personal” for him after his experience working in Sierra Leone…
Religion is “going through a great transformation”, according to Fr Laurence Freeman OSB, but the question is not simply whether it will survive. The deeper question, he believes, is what kind of religion will emerge. Speaking to The Irish Catholic about the World Community for Christian Meditation’s (WCCM) online series ‘The Future of Religion’, Fr…
Church leaders say renewal must take root in parish communities A “real spiritual hunger” is emerging in Ireland as some younger Catholics show a new confidence and intentionality about their faith, Church leaders involved in evangelisation have said. Julieann Moran, General Secretary of the Irish Synodal Pathway, told The Irish Catholic there are “certainly young…
Fr Kieran O’Mahony OSA has been remembered as a “fearless ecumenist” who built friendships across Christian traditions and helped bring Christians together through Scripture. Archbishop Michael Jackson described the Augustinian priest as a “staunch friend of the Church of Ireland”, recalling in particular his work on Ecumenical Bible Week. “It has grown to a success…
Sacred music can “bring us closer to God” and deepen people’s experience of prayer, the administrator of St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh, has said. Fr Barry Matthews was speaking after the Charles Wood Singers took part in Sung Mass at the Cathedral as part of this year’s Charles Wood Festival and Summer School, which has particular…
Calls have been made for more public displays of Catholic faith after worshippers braved persistent rain for the third annual Dublin Eucharistic and Marian Procession on Sunday. Organiser Karen Brady said the Croí Íosa team had already been approached by people asking when the next procession would take place, while others told them they would…
Around 300 people gathered for the final Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral on Sunday before the historic Dublin church closed for major restoration works expected to last around two years. Fr Kieran McDermott, Administrator of the Cathedral parish, said the turnout reflected the strong attachment many people still have to St Mary’s. “We estimated that…
Bishop of Clogher Larry Duffy has warned that providing a priest for every parish is becoming increasingly difficult, as more than half of the diocese’s priests are now aged over 70. Announcing diocesan changes for 2026, Bishop Duffy said 53% of priests are over 70, while only 21 are under 65 and nine under 60.“The…
For many people in rural Sierra Leone, nightfall still signals the effective end of the day. “Life largely finishes at six o’clock when it gets dark,” Trócaire CEO Seán Farrell told The Irish Catholic, just days after returning from Kambia in northern Sierra Leone. However, in thousands of homes across the rural district, things are…