The fall of nearly 50% in Down Syndrome births between 2011-2015 is “horrifying”, but not a surprise, the Life Institute and the Pro-life Campaign say. They also criticised the “complete cloak of concealment and silence around abortion in Ireland”, which means we do not know how many children with disabilities are being aborted. Their statements…
Some priests might find the prospect of getting married attractive, but what about their would-be spouses asks Ruadhán Jones In 2018, when the World Meeting of Families came to Ireland, it gave me a chance to reconnect with a priest-friend from Romania. He holds the unique spot in my life as the only married priest…
Personal Profile The lockdown has hit everyone hard, some more than others. For Fearghal O’Muineachain, the virus has cut into a pastime that is something of a passion – visiting churches. Since the age of 15, Fearghal has visited more than 1,100 Catholic churches, cathedrals and Abbey’s in Ireland, as well as a handful of…
Church leaders and religious orders have apologised for the “long-lasting hurt and emotional distress” survivors and all affected by the Mother and Baby homes have experienced. The Primate of Ireland, Archbishop Eamon Martin, welcomed the report and said in a statement we must continue “reaching out to those whose personal testimonies are central to this…
While Irish cuisine can seem simple or plain, it is nothing if not hearty. Colcannon, Irish stew, chowder and potatoes of all kinds – they’re hearty, filling and rely on a limited selection of ingredients. I read recently the account a nun gave of her childhood in the West of Ireland in the early 1900s.…
Michael Kinsella of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) said Ireland should highlight the “very pressing and urgent issues surrounding Christian persecution” now that they are on the UN Security Council. Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín has also spoken up about the need to tackle religious persecution “whenever and wherever it happens”. Their comments come…
In times of doubt and suffering, Christians must not focus on their problems, but instead lift up their eyes to God in hope, Pope Francis said on the feast of the Epiphany
Long nights and isolation leave many of us distressed, writes Ruadhán Jones For many Christmas is an oasis of festive feeling, warmth and celebration in the depths of winter. This may feel especially the case this year when on top of long nights and miserable weather we have a pandemic to cope with! The constant…
The gratitude that comes from encountering Christ’s love and mercy is enough to bring joy and hope to a troubled world, Pope Francis said. “If we are bearers of gratitude, the world itself will become better, even if only a little bit, but that is enough to transmit a bit of hope,” the Pope said…
Despite a hard life in which she lost two husbands and three children, 100-year-old Anna-Mae Treacy carries on enjoying life with faith and trust in God. Sharp as a whistle Anna-Mae turned 100 on December 7 and is still “sharp as a whistle” according to her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren! Speaking to…