All across Ulster, there is one game that reigns supreme. As hurling defines Munster and much of south Leinster, Gaelic football is the lifeblood of the northern province. In towns and villages from Fermanagh to Antrim, it is more than a sport; it is a ritual. In every parish across the province, the local GAA…
Category: Feature
The laity as the people of God
In Week 6 of his Lumen gentium catechesis, Pope Leo XIV sheds light on the innate dignity of the laity and their role in the mission of the Church Brothers and sisters, good morning! Let us continue on our path of reflection on the Church as she is presented to us in the Conciliar…
A European novitiate on Irish soil
On January 31 three young women: Paulina, Amelia and Anne-Sophie, took their religious vows and dedicated their life to God and to his mission. They were among a group of five novices who came to Dublin, to Raheny, in September 2024 for their novitiate programme. We are missionaries, so to go abroad is something normal…
The modern GAA and the disappearance of the dual star
There have always been giants in the GAA. Across generations, in both hurling and Gaelic football, certain names rise above the rest: men who delivered iconic points in dying seconds, who bent games to their will, and who etched themselves into folklore on sun-scorched Sundays in Croke Park or under the towering stands of Semple…
Dublin diocese under siege of bullets and flames during the Rising
The Dublin diocesan archives offer a fascinating insight into the Easter Rising, writes Noelle Dowling Msgr Michael Curran, secretary to Dublin’s Archbishop William Walsh, notes in several places that the archbishop’s health began to fail in the spring of 1916, and this left him incapacitated for long periods of time. On Easter Sunday, April 24,…
Footnotes and tea leaves: Pope Leo and Amoris Laetitia
On March 19, Pope Leo XIV announced a meeting for this coming October to discuss one of his immediate predecessor’s most controversial documents: Amoris Laetitia. Officially a post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation released in May of 2016 after two major synod assemblies on various aspects of family life in the 21st century, the 256-page Amoris Laetitia presented…
Keeping Easter traditions alive away from home
Ukrainians in Ireland are preparing for the greatest feast of the liturgical year—Easter—to celebrate the Resurrection of Christ, when Life conquers death and light overcomes darkness. Far from their native homes, driven from their homeland by war, Ukrainians do not lose hope and faith in the victory of their country. “We prepare for Easter through…
‘Spiritual warfare is happening constantly, you like it or not’
Drogheda conference helps people fight the Devil’s influence “Spiritual warfare is not only about possession… it is also about temptation,” said Fr Jeffrey Quintela, Chief Exorcist in the Diocese of Antipolo, Philippines and main speaker at the Spiritual Warfare Conference & Pilgrimage, which takes place in Drogheda next month. All people are tempted, the priest…
Patrickswell: A parish in transition
The people of Limerick have lived through a golden age since the Treaty men first stormed Jones’ Road in 2018 and lifted the Liam McCarthy Cup for the first time in 45 years. That young side in emerald green did more than end a famine; they altered the rhythm of the modern game. Their short-passing,…
A celebration of intertwining mission and culture at Whitefriar Street
A large congregation gathered to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Irish Carmelite Order’s missionary presence in Zimbabwe on Sunday, March 22 at Whitefriar Street Church in Dublin. The Mass was celebrated by Archbishop of Dublin Dermot Farrell, and music from the Zimbabwean Catholic musicians present expressed the energy, joy and faith that the community…








Renata Steffens
