A highly-valued longstanding member of St Vincent de Paul has been remembered as a “compassionate, non-judgemental and caring person” by the charity. John Monaghan joined SVP in 1985 and was an active member of his SVP conference in Leixlip and a member of the National Management Council from 1996-2014. He was the media voice and…

Weekly collection figures fell in the Archdiocese of Dublin during 2016, according to the latest diocesan figures. The newest tranche of reports from the Parishes and Charities of the Archdiocese of Dublin reveal that the diocesan Share collection dropped significantly in 2016, with family offerings to parishes and collections to support clergy also dipping in…

A balanced use of social media is important in developing positive mental health and good grades, a group of young student scientists discovered. Several projects in this year’s BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition focused on the growing prevalence of social media in peoples’ lives and the effect it’s having from day to day. Participants…

In Short   Five college students from the Diocese of Meath have commended a leadership summit in Chicago saying it was “a really positive experience” after joining over 8,000 people at the event. The Student Leadership Summit was organised by the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS). FOCUS is an outreach that helps college and…

In Short   An Australian native pronounced his first solemn vows as a Benedictine monk in Meath, and was reminded during the homily why he left his native home to become a monk. Dom Mark Kirby OSM, Conventual Prior, asked Bro. Cassian Maria Aylward: “Why did you leave your father and your mother, and your…

Irish people should watch out for migrants being exploited in our communities, and should guard against being “insular”. Responding to Pope Francis’ World Message of Peace and his address to diplomats connected with the Vatican this week, Bishop Denis Brennan of Ferns said Irish people know too well the realities of migrating for a better…

Saoirse Ronan’s Golden Globe triumph is for a film about “a strange and surprising breakthrough of grace”, according to a prominent Los Angeles-based bishop. The 23-year-old Irish actress won her first Golden Globe award on Sunday for her performance as the title character Christine ‘Lady Bird’ McPherson in the film Lady Bird. She had previously…

Sign of peace 
up to bishops   Removing the sign of peace due to flu outbreak will not be rolled out across Ireland’s dioceses. “There is not a collective position on this – it is a matter for each individual diocese,” Martin Long, spokesman for the Bishops’ Conference, told The Irish Catholic. The HSE has…

The Christmas holidays weren’t just a time for family, friends and recreation for one group of Irish people who spent the week after St Stephen’s day 7,000 kilometres from home, building a dairy in Burkino Faso. Flying out on December 27 and not returning to Ireland until January 6, Cavan optician Paul Connolly and seven…