A priest who worked in inter-face communities in Belfast has said it is vital that Stormont is re-established to give people hope about their future. Fr Gary Donegan CP, nationally renowned for his ongoing commitment to conflict resolution and peace building in the North of Ireland, said there is “frustration” among communities of different faith…
Presidential-hopeful Joan Freeman has credited the intercession of Our Lady at Knock for healing her of a skin condition when she was a teenager. The Independent Senator who is running for the presidency said that her Faith was “absolutely responsible” for curing her of eczema on a visit to Knock Shrine when she was younger.…
The last Irish Magdalene Laundry owned by the State should be converted into a museum to commemorate the women and children who suffered there, a leading Irish academic has said. Dr Gillian O’Brien, Reader in Modern Irish History at Liverpool’s John Moore’s University, said that women have been second class citizens for “a very long…
Kilmore Diocese appears to be a model for child protection, writes Greg Daly Anyone in doubt about the role of canon law and proper application of Church processes in tackling child sexual abuse would do well to look at the newly-released ‘Second Review of Child Safeguarding Practice in the Diocese of Kilmore’. Following on…
The site of the martyrdom of St Oliver Plunkett has become the inspiration for the Church’s newest male religious order. Columbian priests Fr Manuel Agudelo Marin, 52, and Fr Hector Nagles Santa, 53, became postulants of the Adorers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Montmartre OSB, during a private ceremony in Grancey-le-Château, near Dijon,…
A scheme helping asylum seekers access third level education has been criticised by charities, who say it needs to be less restrictive. The Government has announced the continuation of the Pilot Student Support Scheme which was first introduced in 2015 and provides support similar to the current Student Grant Scheme. However the Irish Refugee Council…
In a record-breaking feat, hundreds of people named Cillian have travelled to a small town in Cavan where St Kilian is from. Mullagh was swarmed by 327 Cillians in honour of the saint, who is the patron of those suffering with rheumatism. The Cillians marched through Mullagh Fair led by the Corduff Pipe Band before…
A Cork priest who died early last year left estate worth over €1m in his will. Fr John Cotter, the former parish priest of St Patrick’s Church on Cork’s Lower Glanmire Road, died on February 2, 2017, leaving a total estate of €1,160,008. One of nine children, Fr Cotter was born in Rossmore, Co. Cork,…
Due to a lack of priests the Diocese of Clogher is reducing the number of Masses by 15%. Effective from the first weekend of October, the changes come on foot of a recent pastoral letter by diocesan administrator Msgr Joseph McGuinness which highlighted the fact there are just 58 priests in active ministry in the…
Hannah Brockhaus Pope Francis has called for all the presidents of the Catholic bishops’ conferences of the world to meet at the Vatican in February to discuss the issue of sexual abuse of minors. A statement from the Pope’s cardinal advisory board today said, “The Holy Father Francis, hearing the Council of Cardinals, decided…
Colm Fitzpatrick
Greg Daly
Chai Brady