Renata is a Brazilian journalist who holds a Master’s degree in Journalism with first-class honours, completed in 2023. She joined The Irish Catholic in April 2024 as a multimedia journalist, where she brings a fresh, international perspective to storytelling through a range of digital platforms.
The Season of Creation, the annual Church period for environmental discussions starts next month. Fr Sean McDonagh, Columban priest and ecologist said priests should have more biology and ecology teaching during their studies in Seminary. This period in the Church calendar is dedicated to renew the relationship between humanity and the Creator. It will start…
Saint Bernadette Special Many miracles are attributed to St Bernadette and the Shrine in Lourdes. People travel to Lourdes from all around the world to be cured from all sorts of illnesses. Ireland has a long connection with the French town, dating back to the 1880s, when the first English-speaking pilgrimage was organised. Terry Clarke,…
The Franciscans in Killarney heard the first professions of five Brothers on August 15. They lived in Ireland for a year volunteering and helping the community, and now are back to their countries. One of the five brothers, Bro. Vincent McDonnell talked to The Irish Catholic about his experience in Ireland, his background, his faith…
Five Franciscan Brothers professed their First Vows on August 15 during the Eucharistic Celebration on the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, at Killarney Franciscan Friary. The five young members of the Order came from different countries, but spent the last year in Killarney Town completing their novitiate year. Bro Christophe Samois is from Belgium, Bro…
The Benedictine nuns of the Kylemore Abbey located in Connemara, Co. Galway celebrated the opening of a new monastery on August 17. The official blessing ceremony of the new purpose-built home for the fifteen nuns, was led by Archbishop of Tuam Francis Duffy. The building was originally planned to be completed by December 2020, as part…
It is not a surprise the number of active priests has been dropping drastically in the past decades. This issue can be seen in every diocese throughout the country, and a five-minute talk with any bishop or priest about the matter would leave you astonished. The August 15 issue of The Irish Catholic mentioned the…
The Diocese of Kilmore is having to rearrange and redistribute priests due to the declining number of available priests in the diocese. “There are simply not enough ordinations in Kilmore Diocese to keep pace with the current and projected number of retirements in accord with the current organisation of our parishes,” the Bishop of Kilmore…
Last Saturday, Derry saw another conflict between nationalist youths and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), leaving ten officers injured. The violence following a peaceful Apprentice Boys’ Relief of Derry parade lasted a few hours. The Bishop of Derry Donal McKeown told The Irish Catholic, “there tends to be an annual build up to…
The Bishop of Clogher Larry Duffy has paid tribute to the late Canon Joe Mullin, who died on August 8 aged 81. Canon Mullin, former PP of Lisnaskea-Maguiresbridge (Aghalurcher Parish) and from Fintona, Co. Tyrone, was also director of the Clogher Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes for many years. Bishop Duffy said the canon “reached out…
The Catholic Church has apologised for its treatment of a priest who was sexually abused as a young adult in the 1980s by a fellow member of the clergy. Fr Paddy McCafferty gave evidence in the trial of former priest James Martin Donaghy, who was jailed in 2012 for 10 years. In a statement, the Bishop…