Category: Irish News

RTÉ star Miriam lights candles for fans

RTÉ star Miriam O’Callaghan has said she regularly lights a candle in her local church on the way home from her morning radio show, and prays often to the Virgin Mary. In an interview in the Sunday Independent published over the weekend Ms O’Callaghan said she didn’t always have the habit of lighting a candle,…

Internet giant honours heroic German nun

A German nun known as ‘Pakistan’s Mother Teresa’ has been honoured by Google with a ‘Google Doodle’ on what would have been her 90th birthday. Sr Ruth Pfau, who died in 2017, is credited with eradicating leprosy from Pakistan. Born in Leipzig in 1929, she converted to Catholicism in her 20s and was inspired to…

In Brief

School
 resource 
launched 
to 
help 
homeless 
children A charity and teachers organisation have produced a new resource for primary school teachers and principals supporting students and families who are homeless or at risk, it was announced this week. Focus Ireland and the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) produced the document which aims to highlight the…

Call for parishes to dump ‘distracting’ Mass leaflets

Disposable missalettes distract congregations and limit priests in their choices for Sunday Mass, liturgy experts have warned, urging parishes to get rid of the weekly missalettes. “Commercially produced missalettes that include the texts of the readings and the full text of the Eucharistic Prayer are not true aids to the Sunday celebration,” Fr Danny Murphy…

Standing up for Catholic schools

Bishop Donal McKeown of Derry has insisted that Catholic schools must continue to present a message that is counter-cultural, even when this leads to criticism. Speaking at the first diocesan religious education conference – which drew over 800 people – Dr McKeown paid tribute to the passion for Catholic education evident in teachers and other…

Ireland misses out on red hat

For the first time in over 40 years, Ireland will not have a vote at a forthcoming conclave following the omission of an Irish prelate from Pope Francis’ new batch of cardinals. At the weekend, the Pontiff announced that he would create 13 new cardinals on October 5. Ireland lost the right to vote for…