The President of Dublin City University, Prof. Daire Keogh, was invested as a Knight of the Order of St Gregory the Great, an award bestowed by Pope Leo XIV, during the Annual Mass of the Association of Papal Orders in Ireland at Newman University Church, Dublin. Archbishop Dermot Farrell conferred the papal honour in the…
Ireland is a country where the old Catholic world is never entirely out of sight. It lingers in holy wells, ruined monasteries, pilgrim paths, roadside shrines, Mass cards, family prayers, sacred caves and the ever-present Breastplate of St Patrick. For many, these are fragments of a culture past its prime rather than signs of something…
A Co. Laois nun remembered for helping generations of young women in Portlaoise find work is to be honoured with a permanent memorial at her former convent. Mother Columba, the late principal of the Presentation Convent in Portlaoise, has been described as “a legend” for her efforts to secure jobs for pupils in the civil…
A new book is shining fresh light on the life of an Irish nun who helped save hundreds of people from the Nazis before surviving imprisonment in Ravensbrück concentration camp. The Nun of Ravensbrück: The Irish Nun Who Defied the Nazis, by historian Cathi Fleming, tells the story of Sr Kate McCarthy, a Franciscan nun…
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…