The bishops’ new year addresses called for dialogue and education around elections, commemorations and the vaccine gap, writes Ruadhán Jones A number of Irish bishops dedicated their new year’s addresses to questions of justice and peace in Ireland in 2022. The year ahead will see elections in Northern Ireland, centenaries and commemorations across the island of…
Staff reporter St Mary’s High School Downpatrick’s Choir are raising funds for Catholic charity Cuan Mhuire “during this time of desperate need”. The school choir would typically visit Cuan Mhuire’s Newry residents at Christmas, but this couldn’t go ahead in 2021 due to Covid-19. Instead, the choir released a recording of the carol See Amid…
Although the long-established impact of Covid-19 on faith and worship has been extensively documented, positive news has emerged as Radio Maria announced that it has seen texts, calls and general engagement triple when compared to figures compiled before the pandemic, with the station being used as a faith-based resource by those who were deprived of…
A lay Catholic organisation held three rosary rallies in Dublin in the run up to Christmas to bring the “true joy” of Christmas to people, and to oppose secularisation. The Irish Society for Christian Civilisation (ISFCC) held the Christmas rallies on O’Connell Street on December 4, 11 and 18. The participants prayed the rosary and…
Radical change is coming in the Church – Archbishop Dermot Farrell Archbishop of Dublin Dermot Farrell recently spoke of how “radical change” is coming in the Church, a change which he believes will bring forth a renewal of energy and new forms of ministry. “With a powerful commitment from clergy and lay faithful, across the…
Young people must be central to the conversation about Irish reunification, the Primate of All-Ireland has said in his new year’s message. Archbishop Eamon Martin also warned that victims of the conflict in the North cannot be denied access to justice by controversial proposals from the British government on legacy issues. “As we begin a…
Governments must pour more money into education and drastically reduce military spending for there to be genuine progress and peace in the world, Pope Francis has warned in his annual message for the World Day of Peace. “It is high time, then, that governments develop economic policies aimed at inverting the proportion of public funds spent on education and on weaponry,” the…
The Primate of All-Ireland Archbishop Eamon Martin has said he would back a border poll. Dr Martin added that he “would like to see a united Ireland”, saying all the political leaders North and south must “open up questions of identity and belonging, and to honestly face them”. These questions of identity and belonging are…
Renowned GAA manager Mickey Harte has said Irish people owe it to their children to pass on the Faith, or even make them aware of it so they can make up their own minds. Mr Harte told The Irish Catholic there has been extra challenges for people of Faith over the last two years due…
The Faithful should respect everyone’s right to share their views as the Church continues on its synodal journey, Bishop Ger Nash of the Diocese of Ferns has said in his Christmas message. He said that Pope Francis has called for a new conversation to take place within the Catholic Church in order “that we might…
Ruadhán Jones
Chai Brady
Michael Kelly