The founder of University College Dublin could soon be one of only a select few figures to be declared a ‘Doctor of the Church’ with momentum growing to grant Cardinal John Henry Newman the rare ecclesiastical honour. Cardinal Newman, who was made a saint by Pope Francis in 2019, has sometimes been referred to as…
Well-known businessman Ben Dunne, who died aged 74 on Sunday, had a prayer he said every day. The controversial former chief executive of Dunnes Stores, who also built a chain of gyms, died during a trip to Dubai. During an interview with RTÉ in 2021 regarding the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic Mr Dunne said…
Dedicated football fan Bishop Tony Farquhar will “long be remembered for his disarming presence, his affectionate smile and his pastoral charity”, according to Bishop Donal McKeown of Derry diocese following his death last week. The late Belfast-born Bishop Farquhar, one of the longest serving bishops in Ireland’s history, famously set up the meeting between the…
Catholic schools’ bodies have warned that a draft for a new SPHE curriculum for Senior Cycle “ignores” and “underplays” spiritual wellbeing. However, they broadly welcomed the revision of the social, personal and health education (SPHE) curriculum, calling it “coherent and relevant” to the lives of modern teens. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA)…
A parish priest who snuffed out a fire set deliberately at the door of his church in Ballymoney welcomed messages of support from parishioners and the community. The arsonist targeted the side door of the Church of Our Lady and St Patrick at approximately 9.45pm on Sunday. Fr Damian McCaughan PP said he heard the…
After a Finnish MP was acquitted of hate speech charges levelled against her for expressing Christian beliefs about marriage, an Irish lawyer said her case showed the “chilling effect” such laws can have on Christians. As the Irish Government considers introducing its own hate speech laws, Mr Lorcan Price warned Catholics in Ireland that authorities…
Cuts to the education budget in the North will have a “major impact” on the “Catholic family of schools”, according to submissions to a report released by the Executive. Faith based schools hit back at claims that cuts will result in “minor negative impacts” on Catholic schools, according to the Department of Education’s ‘Equality Impact…
A popular Catholic app has defended employing Irish actor Liam Neeson for prayer voiceovers, as it faced backlash due Mr Neeson’s pro-choice positions. In a statement, Hallow, a prayer app with millions of users, said Mr Neeson and his fellow actors have done “an incredible job” recording scripts for the Advent season. Mr Neeson joined…
An Irish priest based in Magdala on the shore of the Sea of Galilee has said that “providence” organised their presence there so that they could receive around 240 Israelis displaced from the north due to ongoing fighting with militant group Hezbollah. Fr Eamon Kelly LC told The Irish Catholic that after the flow of…
Thirty-six men from dioceses across Ireland enrolled in this year’s weekend gathering from November 18-19, in the national seminary of St Patrick’s College, Maynooth, to help discern a priestly vocation. According to Fr Willie Purcell, director of the National Vocations Office of the Irish Bishops’ Conference: “The weekend offers those discerning a vocation to the…
Chai Brady
Ruadhán Jones