TDs have rallied around a Tipperary priest who questioned why parishes haven’t received financial support from Government despite their direction to move services online. Fr Michael Toomey PP of Ardfinnan and Newcastle told The Irish Catholic he spent €5,000 setting up webcams to broadcast services to his parishioners in the churches in his parish. He…

The chair of the task force established by Archbishop Dermot Farrell has said there will be an emphasis on pastoral initiatives aimed at “animating parishes”. Msgr Ciaran O’Carroll of Donnybrook parish, chairperson of the ‘Task Force on a Church for the Dublin of Tomorrow’ which comes under the title ‘Building Hope’, said it is “exciting”.…

Bishop Dónal McKeown concluded the weeklong retreat in memory of Sr Clare Crockett by praying for her canonisation, as people tuned in from across the globe. The retreat, organised to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the Derry nun’s death in Ecuador, saw an average of 4,800 people tune into the livestream every day. “The amount…

There was “great excitement” among families as 68 schoolchildren received the Sacrament of Confirmation in the Diocese of Clogher over the weekend. The children of Aghalurcher parish in Lisnaskea/Maguiresbridge, Co. Fermanagh, were some of the first to receive the Sacrament in the diocese this year. Fr Jimmy McPhillips PP told The Irish Catholic: “We are…

Aontú’s Peadar Tóibín TD has urged President Michael D. Higgins to withdraw his recent comments which referred to schools in the North as “parcels of hate”, describing them as a “caricature”. “The idea that schools in the North are responsible for the division in the North is an incredible example of revisionism,” Mr Tóibín said…

The thoughts and prayers of the Church in Scotland are now directed “to our brothers and sisters in Ireland”, the president of the Bishops’ Conference in Scotland has said. Commenting on the recent decision by the Irish Government to enact restrictions which criminalise public worship, Bishop Hugh Gilbert of Aberdeen issued a statement, saying “As…

A Christian pastor held a worship service for about 60 people in Dublin’s Phoenix Park last Sunday, and said he plans on being there again this coming Sunday. Explaining his decision, Pastor John Ahern of All Nations Church in Dublin said “At the end of the day, I do think there are some things worth…

The Government has been “tricking” citizens into compliance through “calculated ambiguity between legal obligations and public health advice, a leading law professor has said. Professor Oran Doyle of Trinity College Dublin took to Twitter to criticise the Government’s behaviour concerning religious restrictions throughout the pandemic. Citing an article in The Irish Times earlier this week, Prof. Doyle…