As the need for Padre Pio ministry in Ireland grows with continued interest in and reverence for the saint, the Irish Capuchin Franciscan Friars have created a new Padre Pio Apostolate Team. Their hope is to continue the work of Fr Bryan Shortall, the former National Director of Padre Pio Ministry in Ireland. A publication…

As September 23 approaches, Catholics across the world prepare to commemorate St Pio of Pietrelcina, known affectionately as Padre Pio, a 20th Century mystic whose reputation for holiness continues to confound sceptics and inspire generations. Most Catholics know Padre Pio’s story: born Francesco Forgione in 1887 in Pietrelcina, Italy, received the stigmata in 1918, died…

When I think about the saints most beloved by modern Catholics, Padre Pio tops the list. His weathered face and brown Capuchin habit are iconic. His remarkable personal story, his strong-willed personality and the intensity of his spiritual life are absolutely captivating. But here’s the thing: I think most people get the reason this saint…

The Mercy Global Action (MGA), the justice arm of Mercy International Association (MIA) celebrated this month the graduation of the Cohort Four and the start of the Cohort Five’s journey of the Mercy Emerging Leaders Fellowship (MELF) Programme. The graduation ceremony took place in the in Mercy International Centre, Baggot Street on September 3, while…

To celebrate the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea is to remember and renew an epochal event that profoundly shaped the history of Christianity. The anticipated announcement of Pope Leo XIV’s visit, soon to be made official by the Holy See, strengthens our faith and invites us to rediscover the treasure handed down to…

In towns, villages, and parishes all across Ireland, the beating pulse of the community is the local GAA club. Whether in the barren rural landscapes of northwest Donegal or the bustling, multicultural centres of Dublin, Cork, and Belfast, the GAA sits at the heart of it all. But in a time of great change across…

The call for reform in the Catholic Church is as old as the Church itself. Across the centuries, theologians and popes have emphasised that while the deposit of faith remains unchanged, the way it is lived and expressed must be renewed in every age. The French Dominican theologian Yves Congar, writing in 1950 in his…

When Matthew Sanders launched Longbeard, the name was a nod to two images. One was slightly more reverent though, tongue and cheek: an homage to the “big man with the white beard” – God. The other was considerably less reverent, more rebellious, a tip of the hat to pirates. That desire to go out on…

As September 5-7 pilgrimage of roughly 2,000 LGBTQ+ Catholics to Rome as part of the ongoing Jubilee Year, which is not formally part of the calendar of official celebrations but which nevertheless has been welcomed by some church officials, culminated with a procession of participants into St Peter’s Square for the Pope’s traditional noontime Angelus…

AI instead of industrialisation: Church historian Ernesti sees Pope Leo XIV as the successor to his predecessor. The new Pope’s response to the current social revolution is still unclear.   For church historian Jörg Ernesti, Leo XIV is still “a black box” in theological terms. “We don’t know whether he will make conservative decisions or…