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…
A centenary recreation of Waterford’s historic March of the Black Friars is an opportunity to “re-engage” with the city’s Catholic history rather than simply look back nostalgically, a local historian has said. The procession on August 16 will recall the 1926 march which drew around 5,000 people to mark 700 years since the arrival of…
Knock Shrine is preparing to expand its role as a centre for retreats and faith formation as religious-run retreat houses continue to close across Ireland, its rector has said. Fr Richard Gibbons PP said the shrine is planning decades ahead as it considers how its facilities can respond to the changing needs of the Irish…
A group of young Irish Catholics became the first fully English-speaking group to take part in the Franciscan pilgrimage to the Pardon of Assisi in its 44-year history. Around 20 pilgrims, accompanied by Bro. Ronan Sharpley OFM and another Franciscan friar, walked for three days towards Assisi, covering up to 30km a day in temperatures…
Knock was always part of Fr Richard Gibbons’s life, even before it became his work. Growing up in Mayo, his family came each year – mum, dad, six children and, sometimes, his grandfather – everyone piling into a small minibus. This was the 1970s, when the Basilica itself was newly built. “My memory of it,…
The near-collapse and subsequent recovery of the Irish Dominican Province was not a matter of inevitable cycles but the work of both the miraculous and determined individuals, according to Fr Terence Crotty OP, who has written a history of the Order. Reflecting on the Province’s fortunes, Fr Crotty rejected the idea that decline and revival…
Thousands expected for annual pilgrimage to holy site Not every pilgrim who comes to Knock seeking healing will find it — but that does not mean they leave empty-handed, according to the shrine’s rector. Fr Richard Gibbons PP said that even when the miracle sought is not granted, Knock offers pilgrims something else: the certainty…