St Ambrose of Milan, born in the 4th century into a prominent Roman family, is revered as one of the Church’s greatest saints and was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Boniface VIII in 1298. His life exemplifies faith, humility, and an extraordinary legacy of leadership and scholarship. Raised in a household devoted…
The promoter of the Christmas Day Dinner for those in need, Sharon Smurfit, in a recent conversation with The Irish Catholic has highlighted the need for support during winter for those on the streets. “A lot of the homeless unfortunately have drug addictions and we need to have more rehab centres in Ireland. We need…
In an address to the first plenary assembly of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, Pope Francis described desire, fearlessness, and Christian hope as remedies to confront the “shadow of nihilism.” Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Sr Anne Neylon DC, Primary Diocesan Advisor, commented on the Pope’s call, describing the address as “a moment of…
The Knights of St Columbanus have recently held a volunteer training in Ely House, Dublin 2, for the centenary of the biggest and oldest charity meal on Christmas Day in Ireland, which has taken place since 1975 in RDS. “We open the volunteering registration on October 1 every year online and always within a couple…
Almost 500 women gathered in Donegal for the ‘Abide in His love’ conference. The event aimed to celebrate the “beauty and dignity of women in the Church and in the world today,” with guest speakers the Nashville Dominican Sisters, Fr Barry Braum (London), Kathleen Nichols and Celine Kelly (Magdala, Israel), Bishop Kevin Doran of Elphin,…
Catechism of the Catholic Church Christ commanded the apostles to preach the Gospel to communicate the gifts of God to all men. This Gospel was to be the source of all saving truth and moral discipline. The Gospel was handed on in two ways: orally – preaching – and in writing. The bishops are…
Saint of the week The missionary Francis Xavier, born in 1506 in Navarre, Spain, was a man whose life took an extraordinary turn through his encounter with Ignatius of Loyola at the University of Paris in the late 1520s. At the time, Francis was ambitious for worldly success. Yet Ignatius, older and already embracing…
How do we live in a way that shows the Christian values and virtues without seeming exclusive or condescending?” “What scripture passages can offer hope?” “How can we deal with desolation?” These were just some of the questions asked by young adults at the fifth ‘CONNECT’ gathering in Cork, themed ‘In a Troubled World, Dare…
Saint of the week St Columbanus, also known as St Columban, was a prominent figure in early Irish monasticism who later became a missionary to continental Europe during the early Middle Ages. Born in 543 in Leinster, Ireland, Columbanus was well-educated from an early age. Being a handsome man, he was troubled by intense…
Catechism of the Catholic Church Paragraphs 50 – 74 By natural reason we can know God with certainty, based on his works. But there is another order of knowledge, which we cannot possibly arrive at by our own powers: the order of divine Revelation. His plan of loving goodness He reveals His mystery, His plan…