Staff reporter The Jesuits at the Vatican Observatory were wowed like most people by the beauty of the photos from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, but the director said they also are excited by the scientific information the telescope will reveal. Human spirit “Such images are a necessary food for the human spirit – we…

New discipleship programme in Westmeath A new young adult faith formation programme is due to open at the Céilí Catholic community centre, Co. Westmeath, in September 2022. The residential programme of formation in Evangelisation and Missionary Discipleship is being offered to Catholic young adults, 18 years and over, who would spend nine months living in…

Parishioners will have to get used to laypeople leading burials and other funeral liturgies due to the shortage of priests under new plans unveiled by Bishop of Limerick Brendan Leahy. With few ordinations and an aging clergy, laypeople will become a key part of the jigsaw in providing ceremonies for grieving families Bishop Leahy told…

The decision to give integrated schools in the North a £1.9 million funding package has been described as “bias” and disregards “the current emergency crisis within our education system”. Aontú’s Gemma Brolly, who is a teacher based in Derry, said that while her party support integrated education as a choice for parents, they should not…

Staff reporter The European Parliament (EP) is becoming a “focal point of pro-abortion activism” after parliamentarians passed a resolution decrying the US Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe vs Wade according to an Irish legal counsel based in Strasbourg. The resolution adopted July 7 saw the EP criticise the US Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs vs…

The pace of the Irish Government’s response to religious orders wanting to donate land for housing “doesn’t match what is wanted in a crisis”, Sophia Housing have said. Tony O’Riordan, CEO of the charity that helps religious orders to donate land for housing, told The Irish Catholic that orders show “extraordinary” generosity and good will,…

Better faith formation and more investment in lay ministries is needed as a “top priority” in Dublin Diocese parishes have said. All 197 parishes around Ireland’s largest diocese have been meeting over the past month as part of the ‘Building Hope’ report, to discuss the rationalisation of resources and new parish partnerships. As part of…

Senator Sharon Keogan has criticised an Oireachtas report that calls for Ireland to regulate international surrogacy, calling it “biased”. The Joint Committee on International Surrogacy recommended that an existing bill, the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Bill 2022, be amended to include international surrogacy. The committee added that the commissioning parents should be allowed to apply…

Liam Fitzpatrick Community members removed paramilitary UDA and Paratroop Regiment flags erected outside St Comgall’s chapel and school in Antrim, with some fearing a potential increase in sectarian tension around July 12. Sinn Féin MLA Declan Kearney, representative of South Antrim, called the situation “provocative, insensitive and a clear attempt at intimidation” in a statement…

England’s former Health Secretary, Sajid Javid, has said he made the decision to quit Boris Johnson’s Conservative government after hearing a sermon on integrity. Mr Javid told the BBC’s Sunday Morning show that he heard the sermon at a prayer breakfast in parliament, which was delivered by Reverend Les Isaac. “It might sound a bit…