Some churches should consider hiring security guards as parishioners must feel safe when worshipping, Chai Brady hears Parishes in inner city Dublin have expressed concern about the extent of open drug dealing and violent crime on the streets which has created a “menacing” atmosphere in communities. Challenging areas Priests in challenging areas across Dublin told…

Cindy Wooden After flying across the equator, Pope Francis was welcomed warmly – in every sense – to Congo where Catholics make up the majority of the population and where, for decades, the Catholic Church has been at the forefront of efforts to bring peace, education and health care to the people. With a small…

There is a hunger for religious life in Ireland the head of the CFR sisters tells Ruadhán Jones The Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal (CFR) are bucking the trend in Ireland. At a time when many orders must contract and retrench as the vocation crisis bites, the CFR sisters have opened a new house of…

St Brigid’s sanctity and miracle-working were obvious from her childhood, writes Lorraine Mulholland   Have you ever heard of St Brigid of Kildare? Of all our wonder women, Brigid of Kildare is by far the star! Brigid is so important that from February 2023, St Brigid’s Day is going to be a yearly national holiday…

Religious orders continue to bring Christ’s teaching to life in a changing, challenging landscape, writes Chai Brady   It is understandable when Christians in Ireland feel dispirited each time they hear another religious house has closed, sometimes after almost 1,000 years of dedicated local ministry, but huge efforts are being made behind the scenes to…

Anne Codd PBVM To the casual observer, it may appear that soon there will be no more religious sisters or brothers in the Church. It can easily enough be assumed that they have already lost their identity because many no longer wear distinctive dress or set up services under their own ‘banner’. The fact that…

Cork Simon Community is rallying to prepare for a big increase in homelessness after rent moratorium ends, writes Chai Brady Government interventions intended to alleviate the housing crisis are nowhere near enough to help people struggling to get a roof over their head, a homelessness charity has warned. Homelessness in Ireland has increased to record…

Ireland’s newest bishop has said that for Christians in Ireland there can be a temptation to “retreat into a holy huddle”, but they must draw strength from Christ to tackle the challenges of our time. The episcopal ordination of Donegal native Bishop Niall Coll for the Diocese of Ossory took place on Sunday in St…

We need to re-present the faith again and be a renewed Church that goes out to meet people Bishop Niall Coll tells Michael Kelly When Karol Wojtyla was elected Pope in 1978 taking the name John Paul II, he famously told the pilgrims gathered in St Peter’s Square that the cardinals had chosen him da…