Politicians and homelessness activists tell Ruadhán Jones about the importance of recording homeless deaths In Dublin last year, the number of people dying in homelessness rose by 61%. In 2019, 49 people died in homelessness; in 2018 it was 47; in 2020, the number was 79, according to the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive (DRHE). Given…

Many Catholics know little about the good work of the Knights of St Columbanus. The incoming leader tells Michael Kelly he is keen to redress this When the Order of the Knights of St Columbanus was established in Belfast in 1915, it was a very challenging landscape. Many businesses in areas like Belfast were effectively ‘closed…

Ireland’s ‘next Enya’ tells Ruadhán Jones how her faith and music have always been intertwined “I’m a true believer that God can accelerate our plans quicker than we can possibly imagine through prayer. He has raised my expectation of what he can do through me and my music,” says Victoria Johnston. She is as well…

Amid the rubble and bombed out remains of four churches destroyed by Islamic State militants, Pope Francis paid tribute to Iraqi Christians who endured persecution and even death. But visiting Mosul and Qaraqosh in northern Iraq on Sunday, he also urged the Christians to live up to their faith and honour the sacrifice of those…

The Sunday Gospel Fr Silvester O’Flynn OFM Cap. “Rejoice, Jerusalem, and all who love her. Be joyful, all you who were in mourning; exult and be satisfied at her consoling breast.” The entrance antiphon for today’s Mass is the perfect antidote to any darkness or frustration one might be feeling as the lockdown continues. The…

A giant of Irish intellectual life, Fr Enda McDonagh is warmly remembered by many as a man of great generosity, writes Jason Osborne Tributes have poured in for “towering intellect”, Fr Enda McDonagh, with President Higgins saying he “will be missed by so many for a multitude of good reasons.” Intellectual life Fr McDonagh was…

Welcome plans to scrap the ‘undignified’ direct provision system will be challenging, writes Chai Brady Many priests and religious have been doing their best to help integrate asylum seekers into communities as well as support them through advocacy, particularly by calling for an end to the direct provision system, but with a housing crisis and…

The retired Pontiff is keen to burst conspiracy theories, writes Michael Kelly A little over eight years ago, Benedict XVI stunned the world by announcing that he would resign as Pope. In so doing he became first man to renounce the papacy on his own initiative since Celestine V in 1294. Now, in a new…

Fr Peter Whelan’s compelling story of war-time ministry in the US is worth remembering, writes Chai Brady It takes a brave man to remain a prisoner of war in order to continue ministering to defeated soldiers despite being offered freedom, but that, among many other selfless things, was what Fr Peter Whelan did during the…

The gulf between Joe Biden and the US bishops is a symptom of a divided Church, writes Jason Osborne Plenty has already been said about the fractious state the United States find themselves in; religiously, politically and culturally. It was into this mire that President Joe Biden has waded, himself a flash point in many…