‘You bring so much joy, practical help and hope where it doesn’t exist’ President Michael D. Higgins has told Irish missionaries in Peru that they present “the values of Ireland at their very best” through the “joy, practical help and hope” that they bring to disadvantaged communities in Latin America. President Higgins is currently on…

The famed American crooner Harry Connick Jr has revealed how his deep Catholic faith has guided his entertainment career and sustained his 27-year marriage. In an interview ahead of the airing of a new talk-show bearing his name, Connick Jr explained how his faith informs the decisions he makes in life. “The decisions I make…

Andy Devane in Rome The owner of Rome’s oldest pub has revealed how Irish priests and seminarians kept the place alive in the fledgling early days. The famous in the shadows of the landmark basilica of St Mary Major, is celebrating 40 years as the eternal city’s ‘go to’ Irish pub. Gino Bottigliero brought Guinness…

Archbishop attacks healthcare system The Archbishop of Dublin has criticised the country’s healthcare system as being “one of the darkest shadows” hanging over a wealthy Ireland. At a conference to mark World Day of the Sick in Sutton, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin attacked the bureaucratic failures of the HSE and warned that the “system itself is…

A prayer initiative in Killaloe has seen two-thirds of parishes in the diocese praying regularly for vocations and a rise in the numbers of young men considering the path to priesthood. According to the diocese, a number of years ago, then Bishop of Killaloe Kieran O’Reilly invited the Lay Apostolate of Eucharistic Adoration to become…

Catholic schools have welcomed news that new guidelines to streamline the process for vetting people who work in schools are expected shortly. “We’re absolutely delighted to hear that it’s imminent,” Seamus Mulconry, General Secretary of the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association (CPSMA), told The Irish Catholic. “It will be very welcome by schools and voluntary…

School children taking part in the Laudate Festival last week in Our Lady of Victories Church, Dublin.The Laudate Project aims to encourage children and their families across the generations to learn, recall and sing hymns together in schools and parishes. Photo: John McElroy

The actor Denzel Washington has described himself as “a God-fearing man” during an awards ceremony speech. Already a two-time Academy award winner – for his roles in Training Day and Glory – Washington added to his accolades in recent weeks with a Screen Actors Guild award for his performance in Fences, signalling a potential third…

Irish opposition to US President Donald Trump’s clampdown on refugees is hypocritical as long as a blind eye is turned to our own system, priests who have campaigned on the issue have said. “We can all get up in arms and rightly so about the outrageous actions of the President of the United States,” Msgr…

The Government has been urged to streamline the process for vetting people to work in schools amidst a huge backlog in the safeguarding system. Changes in the vetting process, to ensure that people are safe to work with children, led to a “very large upsurge” in applications for such clearance, according to Seamus Mulconry General…