Archbishop Michael Neary of Tuam has asked the Faithful to put aside a day for God each week while the Sunday obligation is lifted due to the coronavirus, in his homily for Reek Sunday. Despite the Reek Sunday pilgrimage being cancelled this year, several people still braved the Croagh Patrick climb, some not wearing shoes.…

European bishops have welcomed what they described as the solidarity shown by EU governments in agreeing the Covid-19 stimulus package. However, they warned that the process will be a failure unless it is focused on the weaker members of the bloc. Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, president of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European…

Professional footballer Alex Samuel praised God for being signed to the Wycombe Wanderers FC on social media in a message posted beside a picture of him kneeling and praying on the pitch. Alex took to Twitter to reveal how much God helped him in his career, saying: “This time two years ago I was out…

The Irish Association of Social Workers (IASW) has claimed that the recently-launched strategy on mental health lacks real substance. “While a refreshed mental health policy is to be welcomed, the fact that the oversight group who developed the policy did not include any core health and social care professional members of mental health multidisciplinary teams…

An Irish charity has given pilgrims the opportunity to take part in a virtual Camino to help raise money to assist those suffering from homelessness. Focus Ireland launched their virtual walk due to the coronavirus pandemic. The charity said online: “This year due to Covid-19, we may not be able to go on our annual…

The Vatican has insisted that bishops must consult with parishioners when decisions are made about reorganisation of parishes. Rome also warned this week that a lack of priestly vocations or financial pressure in a diocese is not a good enough reason for a bishop to close parishes or sell churches. It comes as many dioceses…

Jason Osborne The head of religious programming at the national broadcaster has said he has been moved by the many people who have written to thank the station for broadcasting daily Mass while churches were closed due to Covid-19. Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Roger Childs, the Commissioning Editor of Religious Programmes at RTÉ, said:…

Dublin priest Fr Hugh O’Connell has said Ven. Matt Talbot is “already a saint” and called on Irish people to recognise his holiness. Quoting Talbot’s biographer Mary Purcell, Fr O’Donnell said “saints are saints not because of the official proclamation, but because they are holy”. “As far as I’m concerned, he is a saint,” Fr…

Downplaying committed relationships and fidelity in favour of “the right to choose” comes at a great cost for the young and the fragile, says Bishop McKeown. Reflecting on the parable of the wheat and the weeds, Bishop McKeown said it offers us material from which we can “speak into society”. “Political discourse has so often…

Almost 60% of nursing homes inspected by HIQA after having outbreaks of Covid-19 may have had more severe outbreaks than they should have had because of weak governance and management. In a report on the impact of the virus on nursing homes published on Tuesday, HIQA said half of the facilities which had cases weren’t…