Church leaders are hopeful that more and more parishioners will step up and preside at funerals to ease the burden on overworked priests, with two dioceses already commissioning laypeople to take charge where there is no priest. More than 70 new lay leaders in Clogher and Down and Connor dioceses are undertaking training to preside…
Brazilian star and world cup winner Ronaldo embraces Catholic Faith
Brazilian soccer star Ronaldo, nicknamed ‘the Phenomenon’, has been baptised at the age of 46, the retired footballer announced on Instagram. “Today is a very special day. I was baptised,” the two-time world champion wrote on social media. “The Christian faith has always been a fundamental part of my life, since I was little, although…
NI Parents want ‘full consultation’ on new sex ed regulations, polls shows
Six in 10 parents in the North want “full consultation” on new sexual education regulations, a new poll shows. Seven in 10 parents also strongly oppose the idea that schools can refer children for an abortion without their consent, according to the poll from the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC). Asked if…
50th anniversary of church at the heart of Dublin community
Members of St Fintan’s parish community, Sutton, Co. Dublin, were joined by Archbishop of Dublin Dermot Farrell as they celebrated the 50th anniversary of the church at the heart of their commuimty. Archbishop Farrell was principal celebrant at Mass on Sunday, September 17, joined by priests who have served in the parish over the past…
Downsizing the future for Irish Franciscans
The order is working to maintain its presence but vocations are dwindling, Fr Aidan McGrath OFM tells Ruadhán Jones Earlier this year, the Irish Franciscans closed two of its houses in Ireland, one in Clonmel, another in Waterford. The order continues to maintain eight houses around the country, but with vocations dwindling and an aging…
Tackle anti-Christian harassment in Jerusalem, Tánaiste tells Israeli PM
Israel has an obligation to tackle the harassment of the tiny Christian minority in Jerusalem, Tánaiste Micheál Martin has warned Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Assembly absence ‘breeding fear’ as sectarian attacks rise
The absence of the North’s Assembly is allowing fear and mistrust to breed, a senior Belfast youth worker has warned, after the PSNI reported a rise in sectarian attacks.
Hundreds of parents protest against NI sex ed imposition
More than a thousand people, mostly parents, took to the streets of Belfast on Saturday to protest against legislation that imposes the teaching of abortion in secondary schools in the North.
Irish priest-scientist honoured in Met Éireann storm names list
The work of an Irish priest-scientist is to be recognised by inclusion on Met Éireann’s list of storm names for the 2023-2024 season.
Synod won’t be based on ‘political chatter’ – Pope
Pope Francis has warned that next month’s synodal gathering in Rome will be a prayerful exercise in dialogue free from ideology, not full of “political chatter” like a television talk show.