Pope Francis arrived in the Indonesian capital Jakarta on Tuesday, kicking off the longest and farthest trip of his tenure to the Asia Pacific region. He is expected to highlight environmental concerns and the importance of interfaith dialogue during the 12 day trip, which will also see him travel to Papua New Guinea, Singapore and Timor-Leste –…

St Baithin’s Church in St Johnston, Donegal, originally built in the 1850s was the target of an arson attack last Wednesday which saw its sacristy “totally blackened with soot”. But despite the shocking attack, which resulted in a man being charged last Thursday, Pastor Emeritus of the parish, Monsignor Dan Carr allayed fears and said…

After six years with no entrant for the priesthood, Clogher Diocese welcomes its first seminarian. He is a former teacher in his 20s, and is entering the propaedeutic year this month. Gary Carville, Clogher Diocesan Communications Officer said this is the answering to all the prayers and hopes “that others will continue to answer the…

Communications Officer for The Diocese of Down and Connor Fr Eddie McGee has described the vocation success of the diocese, with 6 seminarians poised to enter the national seminary in Maynooth this September, as being the product of years of work, work invested by the diocese but also supplemented by “the calling of God”. Speaking…

Singer Morrissey has sent a letter to Pope Francis asking him “to condemn the sinful spectacle of bullfighting”. The former frontman of The Smiths, who lent his support to Notre Dame Cathedral after it was damaged following a fire and has famously championed animal rights, sent an open letter addressed to the head of the…

On September 3, the relics of St Bernadette were entrusted to Bishop Kevin Doran to bring home to Ireland, who was leading a pilgrimage to Lourdes with the Diocese of Elphin. This marks the first visit of St Bernadette’s relics to Ireland. The Elphin pilgrims brought these relics to Ireland, beginning a journey around the…

Following successive years of falling vocations and the retirement of priests, the Diocese of Killaloe has been buoyed by the news that three men from counties Clare and Tipperary will enter the seminary at Maynooth later this month. For the first time in two decades, three vocations have been recorded in one of Ireland’s largest…

In anticipation of the primary relic of the ‘Millennial Saint’ Blessed Carlo Acutis journeying around parishes in Leinster this month, Catholics are preparing for the momentous event, including one young devotee who testified that the faith and story of Blessed Carlo “touched her heart”. Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Mary-Aoife Ong, co-director of Carlo Acutis…

The Focus Ireland annual report 2023 was released this week. In the last year, the charity had an increase of 12.5% in the number of people supported compared to the 2022 report, and an increase of almost 10% in the number of households supported. That is 1,757 households helped to either keep their home or…

An event held in Venice from August 18 to 25, organised by the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice (JCFJ) in Ireland, along with the Jesuit European Social Centre in Brussels and Aggiornamenti Sociali in Milan, emphasised the potential contributions of religious individuals to public life. The Faith and Politics Workshop brought together young people…