There are currently no plans in place to reinstate the Sunday obligation across the island of Ireland with a bishop citing a “still high infection rate” as the reason. The Irish Catholic understands that, as of the time of writing, the move is considered to be premature in light of the present Covid-19 situation. Corresponding…

The parish priest of the Kilcoo GAA team who won the All-Ireland senior club final after a tense finale said the community is “delighted” for them. Fr Denis McKinlay, who is based in the nearby Castlewellan in Co. Down told The Irish Catholic that the small parish is “totally committed to the football”. “They live…

Staff reporter A priest who gave Last Rites to a 12-year-old boy killed in a collision with a truck in Limerick last week described it as “terribly harrowing”. Wiktor Chojecki (12) was driving the car on the N21 near Adare when the incident occurred just before 2am. It’s believed he took the vehicle while family…

The former master of the Rotunda hospital has described his relationship with the HSE as “quite toxic at times” and praised voluntary hospitals, the vast majority of which were founded and run by religious orders in Ireland. In his new book, Delivering the Future: Reflections of a Rotunda Master, Sam Coulter-Smith spoke of the need…

Waterford Council has granted permission to the Refuge of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (RIHM) to found a female-only post-detoxification treatment centre in west Waterford. The RIHM is a Dublin-based collective of individuals from several Catholic organisations across the country, while the nuns are members of the Argentine-founded Servants of the Lord and the Virgin…

Brandon Scott Accord, the Church’s marriage care service which provides marriage preparation courses for Catholic couples, has recently encountered a sizeable increase in engagement with its services during the pandemic, with over 50% more couples availing of its marriage preparation course in 2021 when compared to 2020. According to the latest figures released by Accord,…

The Minster for Foreign Affairs’ visit to Iran was political “window dressing”, as substantive human rights issues such as the persecution of Christians were not discussed, TD Mattie McGrath has said. Deputy McGrath told The Irish Catholic that its “shameful” that the Government won’t address the issue, calling their actions political “window dressing”. “Christian values…

The Pro-Life Campaign has described Sinn Fein’s exclusion zone bill as a “smear” against the against the pro-life movement. It said that if the bill was enacted, it would set a “very dangerous precedent” for free speech, expression and assembly. The Safe Access to Termination to Pregnancy Services Bill 2021 is currently before the Seanad,…

Staff reporter Gardaí are investigating an act of criminal damage after a Kenmare church was sprayed with a pentagram and black writing. Parishioners were “shocked and outraged” to see the graffiti on the Holy Cross church when they arrived for Sunday Mass, February 13, according to a local councillor. Patrick Connor-Scarteen – a local Fine…

Meath diocese celebrates ‘inspiring’ PJPII Award recipients Bishop Thomas Deenihan of Meath presented awards to students from the diocese who had completed the Pope John Paul II awards at bronze, silver, gold and papal cross level, hailing them as “inspiring”. The ceremony took place in St Patrick’s parish church, Trim, Co. Meath after the vigil Mass…