Belfast playwright Mick Draine’s short film addresses a pressing issue in NI, writes Ruadhán Jones Suicide is an urgent issue in Northern Ireland. A 2019 report by the mental health charity Samaritans revealed that suicide rates in Northern Ireland are higher than anywhere in the UK or in Ireland. For example, men and women are…
Personal Profile Fr Patrick Cunningham is the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) Co-ordinator for the Columban missionaries in South Korea. The role combines a number of his passions, particularly bettering the lot of the poor and migrants, with his calling as a missionary priest. Their human interest stories made a deep impression on…
Mary, the mother of God, has been present during the Covid-19 pandemic, and she was by the side of all those who died alone, Pope Francis said
Independent senators and TDs launched a campaign yesterday (March 23) calling on the Taoiseach “not to cancel Easter”, as no evidence has been shown to support a ban on Masses
The Aontú representative for East Derry has criticised “the absence of humanity or compassion” in Sinn Féin’s push to increase the number of abortions in Northern Ireland. Gemma Brolly said Sinn Féin are seeking to “bin the Human Right to life of the weakest among us” by pushing to increase abortion services. Sinn Féin have…
Two Laois students have raised €1,800 in a virtual ‘Walk to Lourdes’ challenge for a homelessness charity. Sadhbh Dunne and Cara Phelan encouraged their community to collectively walk 1,965km – the distance from their Portlaoise school and Lourdes, France – as part of their St John Paul II award. So far they have raised €1,790…
While the pandemic restricts pastoral outreach, it can lead to greater creativity in families, Cardinal Tagle tells Ruadhán Jones The Irish Bishops recently released a statement criticising the Government for their inaction over a return to public worship. It was another reminder of the challenges the Church in Ireland has faced as a result of…
Personal Profile The family of Fr John Joe Duffy, parish priest in Creeslough/Dunfanaghy Co. Donegal, have been fishermen for generations. His father, his grandfather, his uncles – all were involved in the fishing industry in one way or another. But the priesthood was always Fr Duffy’s calling and today he combines his life and calling…
The Primate of All Ireland said that St Patrick’s day under lockdown is a chance to “rescue the real St Patrick from the legends and distractions surrounding him”
An amendment to outlaw abortions on those with non-fatal disabilities has passed the second stage in the Northern Irish assembly by 48 votes to 12. Pro-life groups called the vote for the Severe Fetal Abortion (Amendment) Bill “a wake-up call to the radical nature” of the North’s abortion law, saying that it gives hope that…