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…
Evangelium conference to take place in Cork for first time
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…
Joy and Hope at the Divine Mercy Conference
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…
Faith alive at the Divine Mercy Conference
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…
Inside Ave Maria’s plans for Mount Melleray
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…
Cistercian community to relocate permanently to Mellifont Abbey
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…
Dr Slim urges humanitarian shift as Trócaire warns of climate impact
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…
Ukrainian community in Dublin marks four years of war with evening of memory and prayer
The Ukrainian Catholic community in Dublin gathered on February 21 for an evening of remembrance and prayer, marking the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Clergy, diplomats, veterans and representatives of Ukrainian organisations in Ireland were among those present, alongside members of the wider community. The evening began with a procession, followed by…
The cry of the earth amid the cries of war
Dr Hugo Slim says humanitarian action must protect both people and the world they depend on There is a painting by Francisco Goya entitled ‘Fight with Cudgels’. Two men furiously swing at each other in desperate concentration, locked in combat, yet they are unaware that they are both sinking into the same ground beneath them.…
Ave Maria University in advanced talks for Mount Melleray initiative
Plans for an Irish campus by a US Catholic university at the former Mount Melleray Abbey in Co. Waterford have reached an “advanced stage”, according to the Cistercian Order in Ireland. In a statement, the Cistercian community at Our Lady of Silence Abbey said discussions with Florida-based Ave Maria University on a proposed “educational and…









