Some 10,000 families – the vast majority of them believed to be Catholic – have been intimidated from their homes in the North since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, according to new figures. However, the figures – compiled by the Belfast-based investigative website Detail Data – may be much higher since many incidents…

Almost 300 families have been helped out of homelessness this year by Focus Ireland, the charity has said at the launch of its annual Christmas Appeal. Highlighting how over 3,000 children are homeless nationwide, the charity said that while Ireland’s homeless crisis continues to worsen, with a record total of 8374 people now homeless, things…

Using public funds to pay private landlords to house homeless people is not sustainable due to the increasing cost and lack of housing according to Fr Peter McVerry. In the Peter McVerry Trust’s Annual Report 2016 the accommodation team stated that throughout 2016 there was a need to secure “exceptional payments” above the rent supplement…

A huge proportion of young people leaving State care are becoming homeless as social workers scramble to find accommodation, according to several Irish charities. The Department of Youth Affairs offers an aftercare service which aims to offer guidance and practical supports with regards to education, financial support, social network support and training for young people…

New In Brief The young pupils of a Limerick school surprised a grateful priest by reuniting him with his All-Ireland winning medals. The Confirmation class of Caherline National School were asked to choose an act of kindness, and decided to help Fr Par Currivan after he mentioned he had lost the medals from the menor…

News In Brief The North’s pro-life laws should be supported, a leading member of the SDLP has said. Noting how almost nine million children have been aborted in Britain since the passage of the 1967 Abortion Act, Alban Maginness, Belfast North MLA from 1998 to 2016, wrote in The Belfast Telegraph that over 100,000 babies…

Franciscan
 fraternity 
launch 
prayer
 campaign
 for
 unborn The Seven Joys of Our Lady Secular Franciscan Fraternity (Clonoe/Coalisland) have organised a prayer campaign up to Christmas at least, in view of an expected abortion referendum in the Republic of Ireland. Each member of the fraternity has undertaken to recite a daily Rosary for life and is inviting as many people as possible…

Mission has come ‘full circle’   An influx of new religious communities has been hailed as offering new life to the Irish Church, and bringing Ireland’s missionary heritage back home. Over the past year at least four groups of religious women have set up in Ireland from abroad, the most recent being a community of…

‘Intentional’ Catholic education is the 
future for Faith 
schools in Ireland, 
Greg Daly writes   “Religion,” Armagh’s Archbishop Eamon Martin said at last week’s The Irish Catholic Education Conference, is “not an added extra to be fitted in during break time or twilight hours or during registration”. Far from being something extra bolted on to…

Two young buskers from Blessington in Wicklow are the “talk of the town” after getting through to this week’s X-Factor audition. The talented musicians, Sean (17) and Conor (15) Price, impressed judges with their version of ‘All Along the Watchtower’ by Bob Dylan, which was a fusion of the rock classic and modern pop-rap. Their…