Irish Catholics should anticipate more attacks on their local churches, a Tipperary-based priest has warned after Nazi swastikas were painted on his Catholic oratory. The warning comes on foot of three attacks on churches in the midlands as well as numerous other recent attacks on religious buildings and statues. Fr Michael Toomey told this newspaper…

Trócaire has dubbed parishes the “life-blood” of the charity after their annual report shows one of the strongest Christmas campaigns in their history. In their report for 2018/2019 the Church-charity raised €2.3 million during its Christmas appeal, a 10% increase on 2017. This was used to assist families affected by conflict in countries such as…

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 Colm
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   Regular church attendance leads to better mental health because religion gives people “hope, meaning and perspective”, according to one of the country’s leading psychiatrists. Prof. Patricia Casey was reacting to a major new Irish study which looks at people aged 50 or older and finds that those who attend…

With almost a dozen Dominican sisters leaving the Muckross Park convent in Dublin this week the local parish administrator has said it is a “loss to the community”. Multitudes of tributes have been paid to the sisters after the main convent building in Donnybrook closed in a decision made last year on foot of a…

An Irish academic’s call for children to be taught the ‘positive’ aspects of porn has been described as “inherently exploitative”. Writing on the RTÉ.ie website, porn researcher Kate Dawson said, “there is a real need for youth to be equipped with information about pornography and be supported in developing skills necessary to critique sexual representations…

The discovery of an ancient monastic site just outside Drogheda is “significant” as it offers an insight into how religious lived at the time. Dom Richard Purcell, abbot of Mount Melleray Abbey, told this newspaper that the 13th–Century Cistercian settlement which is currently under excavation in Meath’s Beamore “tells us more about the life of…

Famous singer Katy Perry has been ordered to pay a Christian rapper thousands after a judge ruled that she copied elements of his song. Gospel artist Flame – real name Marcus Gray – sued the 34-year-old popstar after he successfully showed the court that her 2013 hit ‘Dark Horse’ was based on his song ‘Joyful…

A well-known lay organisation’s national congress will focus both on the challenging times the Church currently faces, and plans for the future. St Joseph’s Young Priests Society (SJYPS) will hold their congress in Dublin City University from August 24-25. The society decided on the theme ‘Be not afraid – the Lord is my shepherd’, saying…

EXCLUSIVE David Quinn & Colm Fitzpatrick A number of churches are leading by example on green energy and showing parishes all over the country how they can affordably move, with State support, from fossil fuel heating systems to renewable energy ones that will save them money over time. The Government recently announced a major plan…

The priest in charge of Croagh Patrick has appealed to Catholics to push for its preservation as a place of pilgrimage and contact Mayo County Council. After almost 9,000 pilgrims summited Croagh Patrick over the weekend, the mountain’s stakeholders are calling on all members of the public to make submissions to the council regarding plans…