Personal Profile This has been a busy year for Fr Ger Jones of Ennis parish. Firstly, he celebrated 10 years as a priest this and now, following the elevation of Fr Ger Nash to be Bishop of Ferns, Fr Jones is stepping up to fill his shoes as diocesan secretary for Killaloe. “Fr Ger Nash…
As Fine Gael and the Green Party are locked in disagreement over rural housing policy, Fr Harry Bohan said it’s important to give people the opportunity to live in villages. Fine Gael’s Junior Housing Minister Peter Burke said recently he expects one-off rural houses to make up 25% of new builds. However, the Green Party…
The people of the Caribbean nation are barely hanging on, having suffered “one thing after the next” in the last decade, said a Haiti-based aid worker. Makayla Palazzo, an aid-worker for Concern US, told The Irish Catholic that the people are in “shock and disbelief” after the 7.2 magnitude earthquake, which killed over 2,200 people,…
Calls for help with school costs are up 10% compared to previous years, the charity reported, as they are receiving almost 300 calls a day from worried parents. The Society of St Vincent de Paul called on the Government to “to prioritise investment in measures to address educational disadvantage” in a statement August 26. Marcella…
Catholic business Eternum Columbarium wants to provide a dedicated space for cremated remains, Ruadhán Jones hears The number of people opting for cremation instead of burials has risen steadily in Ireland and Northern Ireland over the last 20 years. In 2019, the figure sat at just under a quarter (22%) of deaths ending with cremation…
Personal Profile Fr Brendan O’Donoghue celebrated 65 years of priesthood this year, and though officially retired, he continues to work in the parish of Shannon, Co. Clare. Looking back on his ministry, especially his involvement in the social work of the Church, he recalls the ways the Lord led him on paths he didn’t expect.…
Redemption is the work of God, not of human beings, so be careful and do not listen to “fundamentalists” who claim holiness comes through following certain laws, Pope Francis said during his weekly general audience
Catholic schools have rigorous protocols in place to remain open after they return next week, despite concerns about Covid-19, parents have been assured. “We’ve been here before, we’re used to dealing with this particular situation,” Seamus Mulconry of the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association (CPSMA) told The Irish Catholic this week. He said that “cautious confidence…
After a report on workplace deaths from 2011-2020 showed that 40% took place on farms, Fr Paddy Byrne urged farmers to be “cautious and careful” during the harvest season. Fr Byrne, who leads an annual prayer service to commemorate farm deaths, said that deaths on farms are “unfortunately much too frequent in Ireland”. “There is…
The bishop of Limerick congratulated the hurling team on their win, adding that there are many lessons outside of sport to be gleaned from their achievements. In a statement, Bishop Brendan Leahy praised the “profound” message coming from the squad and the backroom staff – that together “we can climb mountains”. “For me, there was…