Catholics worldwide are getting ready to celebrate Mission Month this month. But October has an extra special meaning for Brazilian Catholics: it is the month to celebrate their National Patroness, Our Lady of Aparecida, on October 12. Over 300 years ago, early in the morning of October 12, 1717, three men, Domingos Garcia, Filipe Pedroso,…
Marking the 800th anniversary of the death of St Francis, faithful gathered in Dublin to celebrate with a Triduum organised by the Capuchin Community on Church Street. The first evening, on October 1, took place in St Mary of the Angels Church Street with ‘The Canticle of the Creatures’. On the first evening, Orazio Schillaci,…
On a sunny day in September, the town of Kells, Co. Meath welcomed a new health clinic, providing life-affirming fertility care and female health education for young women. Present at the official opening were local priests, representatives from Catholic Mothers Ireland, Health Professionals for Life, local GPs and pharmacists, and family and friends. Co-owner of…
On the coldest, darkest nights of winter, a horde of cars from all corners of Ireland pulls into Slashers GAA Club outside Longford town. To the passer-by, there is little to distinguish them from any other gathering at a local GAA pitch, save for the ratio of S-registered number plates and the subtle, flat intonation…
On Friday October 2 and Saturday October 3, a special event will be taking place at De Montfort House and the Morning Star Hostel in Dublin’s north inner city. The relics of the St Thérèse of Lisieux and her canonised parents St Louis and St Zélie Martin will be visiting the facilities to mark the…
There is something very strange about standing beside the bones of someone who died 800 years ago. And yet, as I stood beside the remains of St Francis of Assisi earlier this year, I found myself speaking to him as though he were alive. Perhaps that was because, for me, this was never simply a…
Dublin footballers have dominated the Irish sporting psyche for the better part of the past two decades, cementing their place as arguably the greatest team in GAA history. Their unprecedented six All-Ireland titles in a row remains a feat yet to be matched in the hurling world. It can be easy to forget just how…
For my fortieth anniversary of priesthood I made a little bucket list of things I hoped to do during the year. Many were decidedly pleasurable, but I wanted a few challenges as well. One was making the traditional Three Day Pilgrimage to Lough Derg. Lough Derg — St Patrick’s Purgatory on Station Island in Co.…
As the Presentation Sisters mark the 250th anniversary of their founding, their story, rooted in the life, vision, and courage of Nano Nagle, feels strikingly contemporary. For the congregation worldwide, this anniversary is not only a milestone but an opportunity to honour and commemorate the past and to reflect on the remarkable evolution of a…
Cars began lining both sides of the road long before Mount Melleray came into view. By the time visitors reached the abbey itself, almost anywhere which might hold a car had become a parking space. The grass was covered, while emergency personnel and volunteers waited outside as people continued toward the church. The Mass had…
Renata Steffens