Housing is the “biggest obstacle” facing couples preparing for marriage in Ireland, Bishop Denis Nulty has said, as new figures from the CSO show the country’s marriage rate has fallen to its lowest recorded level outside the pandemic years. Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Bishop Nulty, who is head of the Accord Catholic Marriage Care Service, said the…
A Belfast young adult Catholic group has marked the end of its first year with a Mass celebrated by Bishop Alan McGuckian, as one member said young people are increasingly trying to “find their way back to the Church”. Recharge, established in September 2024, brings together young Catholic adults from across Belfast and the Diocese…
Pop star Keith Duffy has said his faith helped him through the “dark and difficult” period following the death of his Boyzone bandmate Stephen Gately. Speaking to the Sunday Independent, the singer said he suffered “horrendous” nightmares after Gately’s death in 2009 and would drink heavily because “when you pass out drunk you don’t dream”. Asked…
Too much focus on who can and cannot be ordained as a priest risks distracting from Vatican II’s call to holiness and mission for all the baptised, the Bishop of Down and Connor, Dr Alan McGuckian has warned. He made the comment during a video conversation with theologian Dr Abigail Favale, after the question of women’s ordination…
Ballyshannon National School marked 150 years of education in the parish with a special Mass attended by pupils, staff, grandparents, and former students on a sunny day of celebration for the whole school community. Bishop Denis Nulty joined Fr Barry Larkin PP of Suncroft parish, Principal Lorraine McGovern, teachers, families, and past pupils for the…
The traditional Three Day Pilgrimage season at Lough Derg opened last week, following an ecumenical gathering on Station Island which brought together nearly 100 people from different Christian traditions. The annual Day of Friendship and Prayer took place on May 20, ahead of the pilgrimage season, with the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh, John…
If you spend any time in Catholic circles online, you may have seen the images: small groups gathered across Ireland, Rosary beads in hand, kneeling in prayer in the public square. The images came from the recent Rosary Rallies organised by the Irish Society for Christian Civilisation and its Ireland Needs Fatima campaign. According to…
More than 1,000 Catholics gathered in Dublin over Pentecost weekend for the Ignite Ireland conference, headlined by US theologian and author Dr Scott Hahn. The Dominican-backed event, held at The Convention Centre Dublin on Saturday, May 23, brought together Catholics from parishes, ministries, movements and religious communities across the country under the theme ‘Turning Embers…
An organiser of hundreds of public Rosary Rallies across Ireland has said the gatherings show Catholics are “rediscovering the value of devotion to Our Lady”. The 586 rallies, organised by the Irish Society for Christian Civilisation and its Ireland Needs Fatima campaign, marked the 109th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima. Speaking…
A case against pro-life campaigner Claire Brennan under Northern Ireland’s abortion safe access zone law has been dismissed, with Ms Brennan saying she is “ecstatic” that the case is over. Ms Brennan, who has been supported by Christian Concern, had been accused of breaching the law outside Causeway Hospital in Coleraine. The dismissal comes amid…