Fr Tom Grufferty When Garry O’Sullivan asked me to write an article on “Relentless Ministry” in the Catholic Church, I had never associated these two words as companions. I then began to investigate the topic myself personally. Here is my response: From the first day of my time at All Hallows College in the…
Category: Feature
‘We are called to self-giving love’
The consecrated life is at the very heart of the Church as a decisive element for her mission.” (Vita Consecrata, 3). Consecrated life is a gift that has shaped Ireland for centuries. In monasteries, schools, hospitals, and among the poor, men and women have given themselves entirely to God. They are witnesses to a joy…
‘The Church is enriched by the diversity’, says deaf chaplain
“Becoming profoundly deaf at the age of seven shaped my perspective and gave me a unique understanding of the challenges faced by the Deaf Community,” John Patrick Doherty, Chaplain for the Deaf Community in Munster told The Irish Catholic. Mr Doherty believes that was God’s way to prepare him to serve others with compassion and…
The Fate of Our Churches
Relentless Ministry – In a new series written by Priests, we will explore what most priests describe as “Relentless Ministry” and the challenges of being a priest in Ireland today The issue of closing churches has been grappled with so far in a seemingly haphazard way that needs to be tackled sooner rather than later.…
Traditional approaches versus newer realities
Relentless Ministry – In a new series written by Priests, we will explore what most priests describe as “Relentless Ministry” and the challenges of being a priest in Ireland today Listening to priests around the country – and reading what some have written – there is a discernible sense of the ‘end of an era’…
‘Pray for strength, receive trials’ – All-Ireland winning goalkeeper
As an athlete, being second choice is never easy. But when the man ahead of you is often regarded as the greatest of all time, the challenge becomes both humbling and motivating. Now retired, thirty-five-year-old Barry Hennessy had spent nearly a decade as part of Limerick’s golden generation, a key member of one of the…
Lament for Melleray
It takes time, they say, to get used to an idea. It is now two or three months since I heard of the closure of Mount Melleray and like many others, I am still trying to get my head around it. The closure is, I suppose, inescapable but the final, definitive announcement of such an…
‘We’re killing the guys we have’, Fr Rolheiser
For our new series on priests and the challenges in their busy lives, Garry O’Sullivan sat down for an exclusive interview with Fr Ron Rolheiser speaking on this topic. Fr Rolheiser, could you speak a little bit about the state of priesthood, the challenges for priests these days? “Well, one of the big challenges is…
The fundamental role of the family
Society has lost touch with the importance of the family. In a world increasingly driven by individualism, the community once nurtured by family networks has faded, leaving behind a sense of “fragility and isolation,” explained Vincenzo Bassi speaking to The Irish Catholic. The president of the Federation of Catholic Family Associations in Europe (FAFCE) and…
The Polish priest who says Mass in Portuguese in Cork
When thinking about the nationality of chaplains to foreign communities, it is usually assumed they are a native from that community’s country, however, this is not the case with the Brazilian Chaplaincy in Cork. Fr Bernard Morawski OFMCap is a Polish priest who worked with Spanish speakers for many years and today says Mass…

Renata Milán Morales
Renata Steffens






