The Church of the future will only be vibrant if families on fire with their faith are willing to evangelise communities, Bishop of Derry Donal McKeown has said. He was speaking at the funeral Mass of Fr Eugene Hasson (70), parish priest of Drumragh, Co. Tyrone, who died after a short illness. Remaking on the…
New bishop outlines vision to refocus parishes The incoming Bishop of Raphoe Diocese (Donegal) Bishop Niall Coll wants to bring what he learnt from his experience as Bishop of Ossory to his new home diocese of Raphoe and that chiefly will be catechetical renewal at parish level. His installation as Bishop of Raphoe will take…
Christmas 2025 saw packed churches around the country, as attendance has been increasing gradually since the pandemic, The Irish Catholic has learnt. Fr John Dunphy, PP Graiguecullen / Killeshin Parish in Carlow said they celebrated seven Christmas Masses in his parish and all of them “were overflowing”. For him, Christmas 2025 Mass “was certainly the…
Faughart Shrine in Dundalk, widely regarded as St Brigid’s birthplace and described as the “second national shrine of St Brigid in Ireland, is the focus of a new fundraising push ahead of St Brigid’s Day. “Faughart Shrine is the birthplace of St Brigid,” organiser Kathleen Maddy told The Irish Catholic. “Kildare was where the abbeys…
Catholic Schools Week 2026 takes place from January 18-24 and it’s theme is ‘Normal Lives, Called to Holiness’. According to the Catholic Education Partnership, (CEP), “Catholic Schools Week 2026 celebrates the extraordinary call to holiness in the midst of ordinary life. Inspired by Pope Francis’s reflection on St Carlo Acutis—the first millennial saint—this year’s theme…
The new CEO of Trócaire Seán Farrell along with Bishop Paul Dempsey of the Dublin Archdiocese and Dr Gary Carville, Social Issues & International Affairs at Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference will visit Israel and Palestine this weekend as the Irish delegation attending the Holy Land Coordination meetings. The 2026 Holy Land Coordination will take place…
“The increase over the past year has been particularly steep,” said Ms Sophie Johnston, spokesperson for Cork Simon Community. The latest Department of Housing data shows 736 adults were living in emergency accommodation in Cork in November, up from 589 in 2024 and 545 the year before. Yet, Ms Johnston said, “behind every figure is…
A ‘Welcome Pack’ was distributed to all households attending Christmas celebrations in Oranmore Parish, Co. Galway. The parish’s ‘family welcome project’ had members of staff greeting people arriving at the Christmas celebration and, on their way out, handing them the pack, verbally inviting them to come again. “The pack included a leaflet outlining the services,…
Irish Franciscans have welcomed the announcement of the jubilee year of St Francis a chance to renew a Gospel based life and share Francis’ message of peace and mercy. Fr Eugene Barrett OFM, in Rossnowlagh, Co. Donegal, said the community was “delighted” and “pleasantly surprised” by the news, coming so soon after the Jubilee of…
The Archbishop of Armagh, Eamon Martin, has said that “the days of the Catholic Church seeking to kind of dominate debate they’re over,” while insisting that churches and faith groups still have an important role to play in public life and in supporting the State on major policy issues. Speaking with this paper, Archbishop Martin…
Renata Steffens