Personal Profile Charlotte Gormley’s faith is grounded in her experience of well-run youth retreats. Having been raised in a Catholic family, retreats during her teenage years reinvigorated her faith. Now, having taken on the role of faith formation co-ordinator for the parishes of Banagher and Claudy, she hopes to give back what she has received.…
Archbishop McQuaid and the ‘Macushla martyrs’
A new book on An Garda Síochána reveals how McQuaid’s intervention saved the jobs of sacked Gardaí, writes Ruadhán Jones Archbishop John Charles McQuaid is a bit of a bogeyman of Ireland’s Catholic past. A controversial figure, he is likely to be remembered as much for his political interventions as for his influence on Irish…
New Catholic-run rehab clinic to open in Waterford
Waterford Council has granted permission to the Refuge of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (RIHM) to found a female-only post-detoxification treatment centre in west Waterford. The RIHM is a Dublin-based collective of individuals from several Catholic organisations across the country, while the nuns are members of the Argentine-founded Servants of the Lord and the Virgin…
Coveney’s visit to Iran ‘window dressing’ as persecution of Christians not mentioned
The Minster for Foreign Affairs’ visit to Iran was political “window dressing”, as substantive human rights issues such as the persecution of Christians were not discussed, TD Mattie McGrath has said. Deputy McGrath told The Irish Catholic that its “shameful” that the Government won’t address the issue, calling their actions political “window dressing”. “Christian values…
A man of many callings
Personal Profile Recently ordained as a permanent deacon for service in Clogher diocese, husband and father Paul Flynn is another bridge over the perceived ‘gap’ between the Church and the world. The ordination taking place earlier this month in St Michael’s Church, Enniskillen, it was just the latest, major step on Deacon Flynn’s faith journey…
Elders, grandparents have mission to encourage young people in the Faith – Bishop Nulty
Grandparents and elders have “a mission to encourage young people on their faith journey”, Bishop Denis Nulty said, as he welcomed the Pope’s announcement of the theme for the second World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly
Love the Church despite its sins, Pope says at audience
The same love that gave St Joseph the strength to protect Jesus and Mary must inspire Christians to love the Church, especially when calling out its sins and flaws, Pope Francis said.
El Salvador via Ireland and Rome
Personal Profile Bishop Michael Lenihan OFM’s faith may have started in Ireland, but it’s been shaped by El Salvador, where he’s currently ministering. “I feel like I have been blessed in the time I’ve spent here as a bishop,” he tells The Irish Catholic newspaper. But that’s not where his story begins, a strong rooting…
Pope Francis key to improving Irish-Vatican relations, says expert
Pope Francis’ leadership has been key to improving diplomatic relations between Ireland and the Holy See, an expert in Vatican diplomacy claims. Victor Gaetan told The Irish Catholic that, according to sources in Rome, it was “the Irish Government’s willingness to work with Pope Francis that inspired it to re-open its embassy in 2014”. Mr Gaetan, author…
Papal diplomacy: the Church’s political power
Victor Gaetan tells Ruadhán Jones about the inner-workings of papal diplomacy and evaluates Pope Francis’ contribution The Catholic Church as an institution has a curious structure. Its foot soldier, the parish priest, is visible in almost every community in Ireland. And yet, as Victor Gaetan tells me, “so much good that the Church does around…

Ruadhán Jones









