With traditionally Protestant areas particularly affected by the rise in ‘no-religion’ in the 2021 Northern Ireland census, an anthropologist has suggested that it could be the “backlash” of a more liberalised population against Protestant conservative influence. Speaking to The Irish Catholic newspaper, Dr Hugh Turpin of the Oxford School of Anthropology & Museum Ethnography said…
The Dominican charism continues to attract men to the order, with recent novices bringing the total number of student brothers in formation to 16. Reporting This comes as the Irish landscape for vocations grows increasingly challenging, with vocations to religious life generally in decline. Speaking to The Irish Catholic newspaper, vocations director for the Dominicans…
An Irish priest based in Florida has told of the devastation caused by Hurricane Ian, with the death toll estimated at around 100 people so far. Fr Murchadh O’Madagain PP of St Vincent de Paul in Fort Myers, is originally from Co. Galway. He told The Irish Catholic that while his parish was fortunate to escape the…
The elderly feel “vulnerable and worry” when they hear talk of assisted suicide and euthanasia, the Irish bishops said in their ‘Day for Life’ message. In a statement read out in parishes across the country on October 2, the bishops warned that many elderly feel like they are “treated as a burden or a ‘bed-blocker’”.…
An Irish sister has been hailed for her “significant” work in education as she was awarded an honorary doctorate in Malaysia. Sr Enda Ryan FMM (Francisan Missionaries of Mary) from Galbally, Co. Limerick worked in the country for 67 years. She received the doctorate in humanities from Taylor’s University. Speaking at the ceremony, Sr Enda…
Pope Francis has appointed Teresa Devlin, CEO of the National Board for the Safeguarding of Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland, as a new member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All-Ireland Eamon Martin welcomed Ms Devlin’s appointment, saying that the Pope appoints those “who…
The work of Irish religious and missionaries in setting up schools, hospitals and more has been “taken for granted”, warned Fr Brendan Coffey OSB. Fr Coffey, president of the Association of Leaders of Missionaries and Religious in Ireland (AMRI), said the “wider story” of the good done in Ireland by religious isn’t being shown today.…
Pope Francis received the leadership of the Edmund Rice Education Beyond Borders group September 29, commending them for their work around the world in helping to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. The meeting took place in Pope Francis’s private apartment in Rome to discuss how school communities “can help to create a world that…
President Michael D. Higgins has called on the leader of Nicaragua’s authoritarian regime Daniel Ortega to release hundreds of prisoners. The President called on President Ortega, a former friend, to release people “who have a right to participate in debate on the future of their country”. The European Parliament passed a motion last month calling…
The Irish bishops have called on the Government to extend energy bill supports to parish centres and churches which were ignored in Budget 2023. The prelates warned that there is likely to be “drastic closures” due to rapidly rising energy costs. In the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference statement after their Autumn 2022 General Meeting, they…
Chai Brady
Ruadhán Jones