When the Catholic University of America’s National Study of Catholic Priests released its 2025 follow-up report this month, one statistic leapt off the page: younger priests are both more conservative and more lonely. It’s a statistic that speaks volumes not just about the American Church, but also about our own here in Ireland as we…
Last week a judge in Belfast found Soldier F not guilty of the murder of William McKinney or Jim Wray or of five attempted murders on Bloody Sunday, January 30, 1972. Some readers will remember Bloody Sunday, 53 years ago, when 13 unarmed Catholic civilians on a civil rights march were killed by soldiers from…
Parishioners of St Colmcilles Church in East Belfast are invited to join a unique All Saints celebration this Friday, October 31. The event, which is open to young people aged over 18, will have a ‘saint-themed cocktail bar’. PP Fr Conor McGrath, said they will also have a family friendly event for the children on…
“Education is not just about knowledge and academic excellence,” said Dr Aiveen Mullally. “It is an act of hope.” That conviction set the tone for this year’s Network for Researchers in Catholic Education (NfRCE) Annual Conference, held at the Marino Institute of Education, Dublin, on October 16-17. The event gathered academics, principals, teachers and chaplains…
Senator Rónán Mullen has condemned the “predatory” practices of AI companies, following the announcement last week that ChatGPT will soon allow users to create artificially generated pornography. OpenAI boss Sam Altman posted on X last week that the company had initially made ChatGPT “pretty restrictive to make sure we were being careful with mental health…
The Diocese of Limerick hosted the first of what is to be an annual retreat for young adults training to be youth ministry leaders in Castletown over the weekend. 53 young adults aged 18-24 attended the retreat, which began Friday evening and ended on Sunday afternoon. James Connery, Director of Youth Ministry and Lifelong Faith…
Last Saturday, over 120 young adults gathered at the Cathedral of St Mary and St Anne in Cork for CONNECT 7, an event organised by the Diocese of Cork and Ross. CONNECT has become a much-anticipated occasion for young adults across the diocese to come together, combining faith, friendship and fun. The theme for this…
Alcohol and cocaine dependence remain the most common issues facing addicts in Ireland according to a new report issued by Coolmine Therapeutic Community this week. The addiction treatment centre noted that it had supported 3,293 individuals and families in 2024 — marking a sharp 35% increase compared to the previous year. Following the publication of…
The former governor of Mountjoy prison has said that sexual abuse in Irish prisons has become rampant due to overcrowding. Speaking with The Irish Catholic, former prison governor John Lonergan said that abuse is currently “widespread” among both male and female inmates due to cells being occupied by two, or sometimes three, people. “I’ve no…
Irish Jesuit theologian Fr Gerry O’Hanlon and former member of the Synod’s organising team said he left the Kilkenny Synodal Assembly on October 18th “strangely flat and disappointed,” noting that “the fire and elation of Athlone in 2022 were conspicuous by their absence.” He asks: “What had gone on? It is as if we were…
Nuala O’Loan