Lockdown weddings had the “same joy as if the church was full”, said Fr John Bracken, who celebrated two of the just 82 weddings held during lockdown. Thousands of weddings were cancelled during lockdown, but those that went ahead were “oases of joy”, said Fr Bracken of Dundrum. “Both were streamed on the webcam,” he said. “Because of…
The Irish Refugee Council (IRC) has welcomed the new draft Programme for Government which contains a commitment to ending Direct Provision. In the draft published this week, assurances have been made that accommodation will be provided for asylum seekers. “This is a significant moment in the long campaign to end Direct Provision and is necessary step for triggering…
The patron of lost things offers a vital link between faith and reason writes Michael Sanfey The Financial Times newspaper has a glossy magazine called How to Spend It. Many of us disorganised souls might feel the need of a title called How to Find It. Listening to the radio recently I was surprised to…
The Irish College in Rome will not be receiving any new Irish seminarians for the academic year 2020-2021. The trustees of the college reported this to the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference after discussions about the future of seminary provision for the Church in Ireland. The decision will be kept under review. This was revealed…
Chai Brady and Aron Hegarty Wexford GAA stalwart Tony Dempsey has called on Gaelic clubs to team up with local parishes to ensure a safe return to public Masses. It comes as the Church this week published guidelines for Masses to be open to a congregation from June 29. Mr Dempsey – a former…
The hierarchy has published a checklist for parishes to assist the faithful in their preparations to ensure that the return to public worship “happens in a safe and measured way”. With the restrictions set to lift on June 29, the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference said the preparations would only be successful if there is “generous…
A body that represents social workers has called on the Government to enact legislation that would allow social workers to legally investigate private nursing homes without an invitation. The Irish Association of Social Workers (IASW) wrote to the Nursing Home Expert Panel and the Special Oireachtas Committee on the Covid-19 Response this week. Amanda Casey,…
Ireland is “not exempt from racism” and we must work to overcome all forms of hatred, said Bishop Brendan Leahy of Limerick. In his homily last weekend, Bishop Leahy described Trinity Sunday as being about the “celebration of diversity in unity and unity in diversity”. “It’s a call to us all to appreciate, in a…
Almost a hundred St Vincent de Paul (SVP) charity shops reopened this week, after 12 weeks of closure led to losses estimated up to a quarter of their yearly take. “Our shops are essential [to SVP’s service],” said Dermot McGilloway, SVP national retail development manager, speaking to The Irish Catholic. “There is a fundraising element to…
Two of Ireland’s charities tackling homelessness share differing views on their forecast of homelessness in the aftermath of Covid-19. Statistics from the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government show a reduction in the number of people in homelessness for April with 9,335 – a decrease of 572 from March. On one hand, the Peter…
Chai Brady
Ruadhán Jones