As part of the celebrations for his 50th anniversary of priesthood, Pope Francis chose to personally present a multi-volume collection of writings by his long-time spiritual director, the late Jesuit Far Miguel Angel Fiorito. In addition to presenting the Spanish-language collection, Escritos (Writings), at a conference at the Jesuit headquarters on December 13, Pope Francis…
The heart of the Christmas message is reaching out to those who have no home or have been displaced, the Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin has said. Following several recent stories of migrants suffering horrific deaths in containers and arriving on Irish shores the prelate told The Irish Catholic “it’s bringing home to us that…
There was “standing room only” at Barntown and Glynn churches in Co. Wexford over the weekend as children from the parish brought the baby Jesus from their homes to Masses for blessing on Bambinelli Sunday, according to the parish priest. After the weekend celebrations, Fr John Carroll PP said: “The figurines of the baby Jesus…
The Pope’s man in Ireland has given a strong indication that the Vatican will be in no hurry to replace the Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin. Dr Martin is due to submit a letter of resignation on April 8 when he turns 75 in line with Church law. Speculation has been rife in Church circles…
Róise McGagh A nun from Co. Down who took her vows in 1942 recently celebrated her 100th birthday in Port Elizabeth. Sr Mary Bartholomew was sent to South Africa at the beginning of World War II. Her five nieces flew from Leitrim to join her for the celebration. Growing up in Leitrim, Sr Mary, born…
EXCLUSIVE The Pope’s representative in Ireland has said that the process to streamline and merge Ireland’s dioceses has already begun, despite opposition from some quarters. In an exclusive interview with The Irish Catholic, Papal Nuncio Archbishop Jude Thaddeus Okolo confirmed that “the process of amalgamation has already started”. Following the high-profile 2010-2012 Vatican investigation of…
Well-known singing and now dancing priest Fr Ray Kelly has said he hopes his surprise appearance on RTÉ’s Dancing with the Stars will delight his parishioners and show people that priests are “ordinary guys”. The parish priest based in Oldcastle in Meath, originally from Tyrrelspass, will line up alongside reality TV celebrity Yewande Biala –…
Claire Fitzpatrick Irish folk musician Johnny Duhan [pictured] has revealed that he feels unable to speak openly about his Faith with fellow musicians in the industry. The spiritual world and the music world “don’t go that well together”, he said in an interview with the Christmas edition of Intercom. “Most of the people in the…
Róise McGagh Doras has called for Mount Trenchard Direct Provision Centre in Limerick to be closed immediately due to the unsuitable living conditions. These conditions make it very difficult to practice religion according to John Lannon director of Doras. “It would be extremely difficult to attend mass or engage in any kind of religious services…
Róise McGagh The Galway Cathedral Christmas Eve Mass will be broadcast live at 11pm. It will be available to view on RTÉ and other channels across Europe on December 24. “Our Christmas Eve Mass is always a very busy session at Galway Cathedral,” said Fr Martin Whelan, curate at Galway Cathedral. “It is incredible to…
Chai Brady
Michael Kelly