Over a thousand young people are expected to attend a Catholic youth festival in Roscrea later this month, conference organisers say. The summer festival at Cistercian College will be a weekend of faith, fun and friendship, according to Youth 2000’s Brian O’Driscoll, who told The Irish Catholic: “The weekend offers a fantastic weekend of faith…

Clergy at Portlaoise parish were “amazed” as over €16,000 was raised for Trócaire’s emergency East Africa appeal – five times more than they would receive in a normal week. The parish usually get €3,000 each week from their offertory collection, but this was far surpassed by the collection held late last month. Msgr John Byrne…

EXCLUSIVE A ‘hard border’ across Ireland is “unthinkable” and could be devastating for the North, Bishop of Down and Connor Noel Treanor has warned. “A hard border is really inconceivable and no longer viable and would be detrimental in so many different levels and arenas of life,” Dr Treanor told The Irish Catholic, highlighting the needs…

Bishop Denis Nulty has described the first ever diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes from Kildare and Leighlin as a “huge experience” after 1,300 people from every parish in the diocese visited the French Marian shrine. Describing how he “enjoyed every bit” of the pilgrimage, Dr Nulty had nothing but praise for the “vast crowd” that had…

Pop superstar Justin Bieber has reportedly cut short his world tour in a bid to re-connect with the deep Christian faith of his childhood. The Canadian singer unexpectedly cut short his ‘Purpose’ tour due to what his management said was “unforeseen circumstances”. Media report that Bieber told friends he felt burnt out. However, music industry…

The new owners of a former seminary, sold earlier this year for over €16 million, are likely to face serious restrictions in developing the site, The Irish Catholic understands. St Mary’s Carmelite Seminary, off Donnybrook’s Bloomfield Avenue, was placed on the open market last October, with joint agents GVA Donal Ó Buachalla and WK Nolan…

Bono made sure a missionary nun who inspired U2’s 2004 song Crumbs from Your Table got tickets to attend their concert at Croke Park last Saturday. Dublin-born Sr Anne Carr joined the Medical Missionaries of Mary in 1968, and has done extensive work in Africa. She worked in a maternity unit and as a hospital…

Trócaire praises parishioners for weekend support Trócaire has thanked parishioners for their support of the national Church collection last weekend in aid of the crisis in East Africa. The Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference called for a collection to respond to the 25 million people who face food shortages and starvation in Somalia, South Sudan, Kenya…

Staff reporter The Pope’s new representative to Ireland Archbishop Jude Thaddeus Okolo is due to take up residence in the country next month. The new Papal Nuncio is expected to be received at an informal ceremony at Dublin Airport on August 14 before proceeding to the Apostolic Nunciature of Dublin’s Navan Road. Dr Okolo (60) is…

A file is being prepared for the DPP after pro-life campaigners accused two gardaí of confiscating legal campaign posters at a demonstration in Kilkenny on Saturday. It is alleged that 10 minutes after pro-life volunteers arrived and began campaigning, two gardaí approached the pro-life group Youth Defence, saying they had received numerous complaints about their…