Recently, 40 Parish Pastoral Councils and Parish Finance Committees were officially commissioned to serve from 2024-2028 across the Diocese of Galway, Kilmacduagh, and Kilfenora. Training for these groups is currently taking place in the dioceses of Galway and Clonfert. Fr Gerard McCarthy, Diocesan Pastoral Outreach Coordinator, in a conversation with The Irish Catholic said, “We…

This year the Catholic Church celebrated the 110th World Day of Migrants and Refugees on September 29. The date is a moment for prayer worldwide and an opportunity for reflection on the reality of migration and its effect on the people, the world and the Church. Commenting on the importance of Our Lady Aparecida on…

The very unique church dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary and the Guardian Angels, in the Sallins Parish celebrated 100 years with Mass led by Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin Denis Nulty on September 29. In his homily during the Mass celebration, Bishop Nulty said “similar churches would be found in mission stations, frontier towns, mining…

The recent visit of St Bernadette’s relics to Dublin drew around 2000 children and their teachers to Our Lady of Victories parish, an experience Fr Frank Reburn described as deeply humbling. He noted that schools had been contacting the parish office to request visits to the sacred relics. “We were getting phone calls from schools…

The Society of St Vincent de Paul marked the Feast Day of their patron saint with a special Mass celebrated by the Most Reverend Alan McGuckian SJ, Bishop of Down and Connor, at St Vincent de Paul Parish Church in Ligoniel, Belfast, on September 24. Nearly 100 members of Ireland’s largest voluntary charity attended the…

St Martin Apostolate, located in Dublin, is hosting an extraordinary exhibition featuring a life-sized replica of St Bernadette of Lourdes, along with a first-class relic. This event offers a unique opportunity to see the saint’s likeness as she appears in her resting place at the convent in Nevers, France. The lifelike replica is housed in…

Exclusive Stradbally Church robbed in broad daylight A Dublin priest has called on whoever took a much-loved relic during the Ploughing Championships to give it back so it may “give consolation to a wider scope of people”. Fr Bryan Shortall OFM Cap. of Priorswood parish in Dublin borrowed the relic of Italian teenager and saint-to-be Carlo…

Two politicians have voiced their “relief” in the aftermath of Minister for Justice Helen McEntee’s decision to drop the controversial ‘hate speech’ section of the proposed Criminal Justice Bill, but have warned that the issue may not yet have been kicked to touch as it’s likely the decision was made “to avoid backlash and divisive…

Knock Shrine hosted a group of Italian parliamentarians who visited Ireland’s International Eucharistic and Marian Shrine, as part of a three day pilgrimage to Ireland last Sunday. Spiritual director for the pilgrimage was Archbishop Rino Fisichella, Pro-Prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelisation. The pilgrimage group arrived in Dublin on Friday, September 20  where they…

Bear Grylls, renowned adventurer, writer, and television presenter, is well-known for taking every opportunity to share his faith. Having published the devotional ‘Soul Fuel’ and former guest of the faith formation course ‘Alpha’, Mr Grylls, alongside the creators of The Chosen – ‘5&2 Studios’ – takes viewers on a journey through the global hit series,…