St Andrew’s Church, Westland Row greeted the arrival of two new auxiliary bishops for the Archdiocese of Dublin last Sunday afternoon. Bishop Paul Dempsey, previously the Bishop of Achonry, and Bishop Donal Roche, a priest of the archdiocese, were ordained by Archbishop of Dublin Dermot Farrell. Speaking in his homily, Dr Farrell said that he…

The Prayer for Life Novena is taking place this week and according to Petra Conroy, one of the organisers, it is well necessitated. Petra is just one of many among the Council for  Life of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference who have organised the initiative. Petra believes it is a crucial time to host such…

Pope Francis has awarded the Benemerenti medal for service to the Church to two Irish parishioners in the space of a week. Belfast Christian musician Rita Goldsmith and Tipperary sacristan Willie Fogarty were bestowed with the award in recognition of their “long and untiring service” to their respective Catholic communities. Rita Goldsmith was formally presented…

This May, Lough Derg has welcomed more than a thousand pilgrims to the island, and this is only the start of the pilgrimage season. Also, this year, more than 1100 teenagers attended a pre-Confirmation retreat. 816 attended the same retreat in 2023. “Lough Derg is increasing the outreach to young people. Ireland has missed out…

Over forty people are committing to spend at least an hour weekly in front of the Blessed Sacrament with the aim of establishing 24/7 adoration. A Legion of Mary praesidium joined Radio Maria with the purpose of promoting adoration and helping to establish the Blessed Sacrament being exposed 24/7 -perpetual adoration. This would make Radio…

‘This should not be’, is a perfectly legitimate response to injustice in society, according to one Jesuit priest. Catholic social teaching is an area of doctrine which is concerned with human dignity and the common good in society. Many gathered in Whitefriar Street Church community hall to discuss how Catholic social teaching should be implemented…

The National Library of Ireland (NLI), together with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), announced on May 27 the first recipient of their inaugural Photographer in-Residence as Paula T. Nolan, from Dublin. Paula’s project titled ‘ReViewing Ireland: A Photo Study of Ireland’s Environment’, will involve travelling via public transport to each of the 26 counties over…

Pope Francis has formally recognised a miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Carlo Acutis, a 15-year-old Italian teenager whose birth in 1991 will make him the first ‘millennial’ to become a saint. In a meeting on May 23 with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for Saints’ Causes, the Pope signed decrees advancing…

There is a need to “restore” goodwill towards refugees while considering “the needs of everyone living in local communities”, according to the head of the Church of Ireland, Archbishop John McDowell. In a joint St Patrick’s Day statement two years ago, Archbishop John McDowell and Archbishop Eamon Martin called for parishes to support Ukrainian refugees…

Church robberies have been a feature of news emerging from multiple parish offices across the country recently. From Kerry to Donegal, thieves have targeted churches in order to seize money that may be present in the candle boxes. While robberies have been taking place across churches throughout the country, Donegal has been the target for…