A shift in practice seems to be occurring across the country, reports Cathal Barry Removals have been an integral part of the grieving process for bereaved Irish families down the years. However, it appears than an increasing number of families are opting to shun the practice, preferring instead for their deceased loved ones to be…

The presence of an “ad hoc Door of Mercy” was a huge surprise to the thousands who visited the Divine Mercy Conference in the RDS, Dublin last weekend. Praising Archbishop Diarmuid Martin’s decision to allow the conference a temporary holy door, Don Devaney told The Irish Catholic “the Holy Door had a continuous queue, with…

This year’s 25th anniversary Divine Mercy Conference looks like being Dublin’s busiest ever, according to the chairman of the conference committee. “Tickets are flying out,” Don Devaney told The Irish Catholic, adding “we’re seeing a major upswing in numbers coming from England, Scotland and Wales,” with some people even planning on coming from Germany and…

Renua candidate Terence Flanagan talks faith and politics with Cathal Barry Few politicians have risked their careers for clear consciences. Terence Flanagan is among a small cohort of former Fine Gael TDs who did just that in support of the right to life of the unborn. The Dublin Bay North TD lost the party whip…

Mags Gargan finds the celebration of Holy Week in Spain, has something to offer all the senses Spending Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Andalucia, a region in Southern Spain, is a true feast for all the senses, as communities gather to continue a centuries-old tradition of devotion. From small towns to major cities, the streets…

The parish of Donaghmore, Co. Tyrone took on an ambitious project back in 2014 with the complete stripping out and refurbishment of the 170-year-old St Patrick’s Church. However, the fundraising and hard work has now paid off as they once again celebrate Mass in the breath-taking surrounds of one of the first churches built after…

To visit Europe’s holiest sites is to connect with a living tradition writes Michael Kelly Pope St John Paul II, during a visit to the historic pilgrim city of Santiago de Compostela in 1982, issued a passionate plea for Europeans to rediscover the Christian roots of the continent. “I send to you, age-old Europe, a…

Seán Rogers MLA talks faith, family and politics with Martin O’Brien You are not in the company of Seán Rogers MLA, husband, father, ACCORD facilitator, Eucharistic Minister, Minister of the Word, cancer survivor, before you are touched by the strength of his faith, his steadfast belief in the power of prayer and his conviction that…

With over 5,000 people homeless in Ireland, Greg Daly talks to leading campaigners about the national crisis “It’s very saddening, and a stark reality, that homeless accommodation is still with us 100 years after the establishment of our State,” President Michael D. Higgins said last September when marking the centenary of the Back Lane Hostel…

Sarah Mac Donald Archbishop Richard Clarke tells Sarah Mac Donald about his plans to get the Church of Ireland out of survival mode As the year of centenaries and elections begins to unfold, opinions on party manifestos and commemorative events are reaching a crescendo. Amid the clamouring views, one authoritative voice, with an all-island perspective,…