The Bishop of Meath Dr Tom Deenihan has made a robust defence of Catholic education, praising those who work in the sector and rejecting those who argue Catholic schools are places of indoctrination. “A Catholic school, if it were to be biased at all, would share the bias of Christ; the weak, the poor, the…
As the Jubilee Year of Hope draws to a close, priests at Ireland’s major pilgrimage sites say conversations are already under way about what might come next, following a year in which Knock, Lough Derg and Croagh Patrick were linked through a shared pilgrim passport and commemorative pin that encouraged cooperation and renewed interest in…
The permanent diaconate in Ireland is steadily growing, with new ordinations, expanding formation programmes and increasing confidence about the role deacons play in the life of the Church. Fr Eddie McGee, national director of the permanent diaconate, said that 26 men were ordained this year alone, bringing the total number of ordained deacons in Ireland…
The Christian Mayor of Bethlehem, Maher Nicola Canawati, has invited Irish pilgrims to return to the Holy Land in a message sent to The Irish Catholic. Mr Canawati met with Irish pilgrims during the first Christmas celebration in Bethlehem since the Gaza War outbreak on October 7, 2023. “From the City of the Prince of…
Bishop Fintan Gavin has said a year-long process of prayer, listening and discernment across the Diocese of Cork and Ross is now providing a clear pastoral direction for the year ahead. Speaking to The Irish Catholic, the bishop said the initiative, which began in September with the feast of St Finbarr at Gougane Barra, was…
The Archbishop of Armagh, Eamon Martin, has said preparations for a diocesan congress have revealed a level of interest among young people that has been both encouraging and uplifting, challenging assumptions about disengagement from faith and church life. Speaking about the process of organising the Armagh diocesan congress, Archbishop Martin said deliberate efforts were made…
Homelessness has risen to another record high, with almost 17,000 people now living in emergency accommodation, including more than 5,300 children, according to the latest figures from the Department of Housing. The November data shows 16,996 people were homeless, an increase of 230 in one month and nearly 12% over the past year. Child homelessness…
Young Catholics are not looking for easy answers or a watered-down faith, according to Bishop Fintan Gavin of Cork and Ross. Instead, he says, they want clarity, challenge, and to be taken seriously by the Church. Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Bishop Gavin said one of the clearest messages to emerge from listening to young…
Archbishop Eamon Martin has said he’s not overly concerned that Catholic Emancipation commemorations don’t feature in the Irish Government’s programme for government. Speaking to this paper he said “I wouldn’t be too worried about seeing it in the program for government, I would like to do and we’re already having some conversations about this at…
The Bishop of Meath Tom Deenihan has said that he is cautiously optimistic that the diocese is seeing a ‘turn’ in the vocations tide. “I think that the recent upturn, and we must be cautious here, in those entering Propaedeutic years, seminary or just enquiring, has been well reported and is very welcome. There are,…
Renata Steffens