At noon Mass in St Malachy’s Church, Bishop Eamon Martin remarked, “Our presence here in Belfast today will touch the hearts of many people…we thank God for the tremendous witness by so many of you – both to the preciousness and sacred nature of human life.” Bishop Kevin Doran’s en pointe homily asked, “How is it then that…people…
Comments come ahead of meeting with Taoiseach as European Council President Two of Ireland’s most prominent bishops have insisted that human dignity is not something conferred by governments, constitutions or public opinion — but a gift from God that precedes and outlasts any human decision to recognise it. The bishops made the comments ahead of…
Laypeople in ministry groups and parish offices can help combat uncertainty amid summer clerical changes, said Fr Padraig Walsh to The Irish Catholic shortly after the Diocese of Kerry announced diocesan appointments to take effect on July 15. Fr Walsh, who will leave the Parish of Our Lady and St Brendan’s Tralee to become Parish…
The Matt Talbot Prayer Society in Derry Diocese has released a new spiritual initiative to support families affected by addiction during their monthly Mass in St Eugene’s Cathedral, Derry. They distributed 200 ‘Spiritual Protection Packs’, each containing an icon of Jesus, an icon of Mary, a prayer card, and holy water. “There is a lot…
Pope Leo XIV marked the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States on Saturday, with a letter extending his “heartfelt congratulations to all Americans” on the occasion and urging citizens to work together “toward a more perfect union” in the present. Entrusting the country to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, patroness of…
Voluntary children’s care providers are calling for a comprehensive overhaul of Ireland’s care system in a submission to the Oireachtas Committee on Children and Equality on July 9, warning that years of short-term decision-making have left the sector responding to crises rather than planning for the future. CRAVA, which represents Ireland’s voluntary residential care and…
Back-to-back ordinations in the Diocese of Down and Connor have signalled hope for vocations, with nine seminarians now in formation, according to diocesan vocations director Fr Conor McGrath. Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Fr McGrath said the ordination of Fr Thomas Hampton in Downpatrick on Sunday, June 28, followed by the ordination of Fr Esteban…
A pastor of a prominent underground church who was detained in China in October has been released, less than two months after US President Donald Trump brought up his case when meeting Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing, his family and rights advocates said Saturday. Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri arrived in Los Angeles and “is…
On July 2 the Holy See formally declared the bishops of a breakaway traditionalist order to be in schism and excommunicated. The declaration came from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, just one day after the group illicitly made four men bishops without papal approval and in defiance of repeated warnings from senior…
The 2026 Reek Sunday pilgrimage up Croagh Patrick falls on July 26, with the announced theme being ‘Road Safety’. Fr John Kenny, Administrator of Westport parish, which includes the territory of Croagh Patrick in Co. Mayo, made a statement to the Irish Catholic Bishops Conference, saying “Accordingly, and on behalf of the Croagh Patrick stakeholders’…
Renata Steffens