Ann Marie Foley Ardfinnan has seen nothing but change in recent years. Yet in the rural parish somehow everything continues – sacraments from birth to death, celebrations of birthdays, weddings, and prayer – most recently in front of the Carlos Acutis shrine. The combined parishes of Ardfinnan, Ballybacon, Grange, Newcastle, Fourmilewater, Touraneena and The Nire,…
Category: Feature
Synod Secretariat writes publicly to Pope Leo XIV
What will happen to the World Synod project under the new Pope? How will it continue in practical terms and in terms of content? In an unusual letter, the Synod Secretariat outlines its hopes and wishes to Leo XIV. The Secretariat responsible for the World Synod in Rome hopes that Pope Leo XIV will lead…
Catholic reform dialogue sees tailwind from new Pope
Catholic bishops and lay people from all over Germany are once again discussing reform projects at the Synodal Committee. They are hoping for a tailwind for the reform project from the recently elected new Pope Leo XIV. The leaders of the reform dialogue on the future of the Catholic Church in Germany see the new…
Leo XIV is the first Augustinian on the Chair of Peter. Order rich in tradition with more than 750 years of history.
Martin Luther, Gregor Mendel and Abraham a Sancta Clara also came from the order founded by the new pope in 1256. Pope Leo XIV is the first pope to come from the Augustinian order, a Catholic order rich in tradition with a history of more than 750 years. The Ordo Fratrum Sancti Augustini (OSA) goes…
The quiet faith of Seán Marty Lockhart
There are few Gaels who don’t know the name Seán Marty Lockhart. An All-Star winner, an Ulster champion, and a man who wore the Ireland jersey with pride more times than anyone else. Lockhart has spent much of his life in the spotlight. But behind the accolades and county colours is someone whose impact runs…
The Irish Sister who helped control the HIV epidemic in Brazil
“HIV remains a major global public health issue, having claimed an estimated 42.3 million lives to date,” reads the World Health Organization’s website. In Brazil, the illness, at the time known as ‘gay plague’, was first diagnosed in men 1982, and in women the next year. By 1993, the number of infected was over 16,500…
Ireland stands for human dignity in 2025 March for Life
It gives my heart great joy to see so many people here today… Today we stand together, united by a cause rooted in the deepest convictions of the human heart, Renata Milán Morales hears. Since the 2018 referendum over 50,000 abortions have been carried in Ireland. In the most recent programmme for government we…
Pope Francis, the Islamic world and what lies ahead
Justin Robinson OSB Whilst the legacy of Pope Francis may take years to be fully understood, interreligious dialogue clearly emerged as one of the quiet yet defining themes of his papacy—particularly in his engagement with the Islamic world. Key appointments to the College of Cardinals, landmark visits, high-profile meetings and the publication of historic…
The family St Thérèse of Lisieux chose to arrive in Ireland
There is a growing need for the childlike simplicity of St Therese’s ‘little way,’ as Mr Sweeney’s daughters, Marcie and Therese noticed after starting their journey as the custodians of the relics, writes Renata Milán Morales In the heart of Kildare, a family that mirrors the Martin family has dedicated its life to bringing the…
‘There is no contusion, only confusion’ said a Pope who fell off his horse
Paolo Affatato There is the Pope who, as soon as he is elected, falls off his horse. And the one who leaves the cardinals in suspense for three days before saying the fateful ‘I accept’. There are the bets, which were already going crazy in the 16th century. And there is the tale of the…







Renata Steffens
Renata Milán Morales


