More than 40% of those who will attend the World Meeting of Families in the RDS will come from overseas, giving the capital a huge injection of visitors. The three-day pastoral congress takes place from August 22-24 and is seen as an opportunity to reflect on the key themes chosen by Pope Francis for the…
Mary Carson honoured for ‘outstanding’ service Members of the Youghal Catholic Young Mens’ Society gathered in the town on July 20 to honour Mary Carson who was retiring as supervisor of the local Community Employment Scheme. A special evening was held for Mary and her family where huge praise was bestowed on Mary from the Honorary Vice President, Brendan Cooney for…
The Primate of All Ireland has expressed his sadness and condolences following the death of Bishop Fiachra Ó Ceallaigh, retired auxiliary Archbishop of Dublin. He died on July 29 in the care of the Blackrock Clinic after a long illness. Archbishop Eamonn Martin said he was “saddened to hear” about the death of the bishop…
The visit of Pope Francis next month is the largest event in Ireland since John Paul II’s historic trip in 1979, according to Gardaí. Authorities today (Thursday) announced that all public transport in Dublin will be free on Sunday August 26 when the Pope is due to celebrate Mass before more than 500,000 people in…
Organisers could have doubled size of Papal event venues Organisers of the World Meeting of Families have appealed to parishes to return any unused tickets to celebrate Mass with Pope Francis in Dublin’s Phoenix Park. It comes as unprecedented demand for places continues even after all tickets have been allocated. Fr Tim Bartlett Secretary…
Archbishop of Dublin Dr Diarmuid Martin has given a strong indication that he may well step down before he is due to retire in April 2020. Dr Martin – who first came back to Dublin as coadjutor archbishop in 2003 and succeeded Cardinal Desmond Connell the following year – has presided over one of the…
A new government initiative promoting resilience among students offers “nothing new” and may be a red herring, an Irish school chaplain has said. The comments come in the wake of the July 20 launch of the Wellbeing Policy Statement and Framework for Practice 2018-2023, which aims to deliver a national training programme to support wellbeing…
The national Marian shrine at Knock has dismissed claims that the Church has taken over local bed and breakfasts ahead of the Pope’s visit leading to cancellations for would-be pilgrims. Elphin parishioner Dorothy Burns (53), told The Irish Catholic she had made the reservation in Knock’s Drumhouse B&B on the hunch that the Pope would…
A New York-based Irish seminarian who has dedicated his ministry to working with disadvantaged people in the city will feature as part of a forthcoming item on RTÉ television. Nationwide presenter Colm Flynn spent the day with Niall McDonagh, originally from Galway but studying for the Archdiocese of New York. Mr Flynn – a regular…
Ireland’s last diocesan seminary is to close. From September students at St Malachy’s seminary on Cliftonville Road, Belfast, which serves the diocese of Down and Connor and other northern dioceses, will be relocated to other seminaries to continue their studies for the priesthood. Currently there are three men in the seminary. “The closure of the…
Susan Gately
Colm Fitzpatrick