Two Catholic churches in Co. Westmeath were targeted in suspected arson attacks in the early hours of Friday, March 6. The first incident occurred shortly before 2am at St James’ Church in Kilbeggan, where cloths soaked in diesel were placed across the front door and set alight. Parish priest Fr Brendan Corrigan responded after a…
As Ireland prepares to celebrate St Patrick’s Day, Nigerian priests serving in Irish parishes say the country’s patron saint remains an important figure in the story of the Church in Nigeria. For many Nigerian Catholics, the link between St Patrick and their own faith comes through the work of Irish missionaries who helped establish the…
When Fr Gary Chamberland CSC arrived in Dublin to take up the role of rector at Newman University Church just off of St Stephen’s Green, it was not the beginning anyone could have expected. “It was the middle of the Covid shutdown about 100 years ago,” Fr Chamberland recalled with a laugh. The Massachusetts-born priest…
More than 300 students have applied for places at a proposed study-abroad programme at Mount Melleray Abbey, signalling growing momentum behind plans that supporters say could bring new life to the historic Cistercian Monastery. The initiative, led by Florida-based Catholic institution Ave Maria University, would see up to 100 students per semester study at the…
The Evangelium young adult apologetics conference will take place in Cork on Saturday, March 21, marking the first time the annual gathering has been held outside the Dublin area. The event will bring together young adults aged 18–40 for a day of Mass, talks and discussion aimed at deepening understanding of the Catholic faith. Public…
Thousands gathered at the RDS this past weekend for the 35th Divine Mercy Conference, as pilgrims and faithful from across Ireland and abroad came together for prayer, worship and reflection on this year’s theme – ‘This is my Body… this is my Blood, given up for you’. The annual gathering brought together families, young people…
Thousands gathered at the RDS in Dublin this weekend for the 35th Divine Mercy Conference, joining in prayer, worship and reflection under this year’s theme, ‘This is my Body… this is my Blood, given up for you’. Attendees travelled from across Ireland and abroad for a programme of Mass, Eucharistic adoration, music and talks centred…
It was lashing across the Knockmealdown Mountains as we drove up the winding road to Mount Melleray. But as the car pulled into the gravel courtyard, the sky began to clear. The grey lifted, and there before us stood the great church against the wide Waterford landscape. For nearly two centuries, the monastery had been…
The Cistercian Community of Our Lady of Silence has announced it will establish its long-term home at Mellifont Abbey, Co. Louth, following what it described as a “prayerful process of discernment”. The community, formed from the former abbeys of Mount Melleray, Mount St Joseph and Mellifont, gathered at Mount St Joseph Abbey in Roscrea in…
Humanitarian action must move beyond simply saving lives in war and disaster and begin protecting the ecological conditions that sustain them, according to Dr Hugo Slim ahead of this year’s Annual Trócaire Lent Lecture. Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Dr Slim, Director of the Las Casas Institute for Social Justice at Blackfriars Hall, Oxford, said…