Senator Ronan Mullen has raised concerns that a Council of Europe (CoE) report on banning so-called ‘conversion practices’ is being used to advance contested gender-affirmation policies across healthcare, education and religious settings. Writing in The Irish Catholic, Senator Mullen criticised the report ‘Towards a Ban on Conversion Practices’, authored by British Labour MP Kate Osborne, which…
St Mary’s Church, Knockmoyle, in Cappagh Parish, Co. Tyrone, has held its last Sunday Mass, after the parish suspended Sunday morning Mass amid growing pressure on clergy and a shortage of priests. The decision has been met with sadness locally, with parishioners describing it as heartbreaking for those with a deep attachment to the church…
Across Irish dioceses, parish life, and national initiatives, those working closest to youth ministry describe something more complex than a simple narrative of decline. In some places, uneven engagement, yes – but also growth in participation, post-Covid rebuilding, and in some places a surprising hunger for prayer, community, and formation. In the Diocese of Killaloe,…
Church leaders from across traditions gathered in Newry this month for a major care for creation conference, as the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (18–25 January) begins with an ecumenical call for Christians to live as “one body and one spirit”. Marking the unity week, Archbishop Eamon Martin, Catholic Archbishop of Armagh, and Archbishop…
Faughart Shrine in Dundalk, widely regarded as St Brigid’s birthplace and described as the “second national shrine of St Brigid in Ireland, is the focus of a new fundraising push ahead of St Brigid’s Day. “Faughart Shrine is the birthplace of St Brigid,” organiser Kathleen Maddy told The Irish Catholic. “Kildare was where the abbeys…
“The increase over the past year has been particularly steep,” said Ms Sophie Johnston, spokesperson for Cork Simon Community. The latest Department of Housing data shows 736 adults were living in emergency accommodation in Cork in November, up from 589 in 2024 and 545 the year before. Yet, Ms Johnston said, “behind every figure is…
Irish Franciscans have welcomed the announcement of the jubilee year of St Francis a chance to renew a Gospel based life and share Francis’ message of peace and mercy. Fr Eugene Barrett OFM, in Rossnowlagh, Co. Donegal, said the community was “delighted” and “pleasantly surprised” by the news, coming so soon after the Jubilee of…
As the Jubilee Year of Hope draws to a close, priests at Ireland’s major pilgrimage sites say conversations are already under way about what might come next, following a year in which Knock, Lough Derg and Croagh Patrick were linked through a shared pilgrim passport and commemorative pin that encouraged cooperation and renewed interest in…
The permanent diaconate in Ireland is steadily growing, with new ordinations, expanding formation programmes and increasing confidence about the role deacons play in the life of the Church. Fr Eddie McGee, national director of the permanent diaconate, said that 26 men were ordained this year alone, bringing the total number of ordained deacons in Ireland…
Bishop Fintan Gavin has said a year-long process of prayer, listening and discernment across the Diocese of Cork and Ross is now providing a clear pastoral direction for the year ahead. Speaking to The Irish Catholic, the bishop said the initiative, which began in September with the feast of St Finbarr at Gougane Barra, was…