One of Ireland’s most iconic churches has re-opened to the public having been closed for visits due to acts of vandalism. The college chapel of the national seminary at Maynooth will re-open for four hours a week and members of the public are invited to come and pray or visit the historic neo-Gothic structure. While…
Care for victims has to be taken into account when priests credibly accused of abuse die, an abuse survivor and child protection campaigner has said. Speaking against the background of complaints from the Association of Catholic Priests that “proper funerals” are sometimes denied to priests who die while facing allegations of abuse, Mark Vincent Healy…
Families of the Ballymurphy Massacre are reliving the “harrowing” details of the killing of their loved ones as the inquest into their deaths continues, according to the parish priest of Ballymurphy. Fr Patrick McCafferty said that revisiting the tragedy for the victims’ families is “as raw today as it was almost 50 years ago”. This…
Priests located near ports play a “vital role” in combatting and identifying human trafficking and modern day slavery at sea, according to the Bishop of Ferns. Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Bishop Denis Brennan said that locally there is an effort made to encourage priests to mention human trafficking in their homilies, on local radio…
The diocese of Ossory is determined to move forward with plans to identify, recruit and train lay people to help run the diocese and local parishes according to the Coordinator of the Diocesan Pastoral Plan. After a conference of clergy and laity over the weekend Gemma Mulligan said there was a “really positive feeling that…
Almost 370 nurses and midwives have signed a petition calling on Health Minister Simon Harris to consult with them regarding amendments they are calling for to abortion legislation. Nurses&Midwives4Life Ireland have expressed concerns that their right to conscientious objection will not be respected under the current legislation. The group said that the participation in termination…
Ireland’s largest women’s retreat this year was a “tremendous success”, according to organisers delighted by the presence of 250 women from Ireland and across Europe. Tipperary’s Emma Sisk, ground coordinator in Ireland for the US-based Blessed is She ministry, said the retreat at the Emmaus Centre in Swords, Co. Dublin, had exceeded expectations. “It was…
While parishes might bemoan the fact that some Massgoers pass the collection basket on rather than reaching into their pocket, a church in the Netherlands has come up with a novel way to exist in an increasingly cashless society. Parishioners in Utrecht can now tap their donation at a contactless payment terminal at the local…
Doctors working in end-of-life care believe the assisted suicide movement is hurting attempts to build a serious palliative care culture, Senator Ronan Mullen has said. Speaking against the background of the publication of a Council of Europe report entitled ‘The Provision of Palliative Care in Europe’, for which Senator Mullen acted as rapporteur, Mr Mullen…
Fr Raymond Husband has been appointed the new regional director of the Columba Missionaries in Ireland. He will be assisted by Fr Gerard Neylon who will serve as the vice-rector. They succeed Fr Pat Raleigh and Fr Padraig O’Donovan. Fr Raleigh wished both priests “the very best in guiding the region over the next three…
Chai Brady
Greg Daly