The decision by Wexford General Hospital to remove the word ‘saint’ from its ward signs has been described as “disappointing” by the local bishop, questioning a tendency to suppress references to religious belief in Ireland’s public life. The hospital revised the ward names after it drew down funding for improved signage after opening a new…

Leading child protection campaigner Marie Collins has challenged claims by the head of the Vatican department responsible for dealing with allegations of clerical abuse. Cardinal Gerhard Müller, who heads the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), had rejected claims by Mrs Collins that members of the CDF had obstructed proposals for reform recommended…

Last Sunday saw Dublin’s pro cathedral host the annual Rite of Election and Enrolement for 50 new members of the Catholic Church in the archdiocese. In the presence of Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, 43 catechumens (awaiting baptism) and seven candidates (baptised) attended the ceremony to welcome them to the Church, culminating in each one signing the…

The campaign to save Cistercian College Roscrea is gathering momentum. Speaking to The Irish Catholic this week, Ronnie Culliton of Save Cistercian College Roscrea (SCCR) said there had been a “great response” since parents and past pupils launched an appeal for funds to sustain the institution into the future. “There have lots of small donations,”…

This is both a hopeful time and a grim one for those concerned about the persecution of Christians and freedom of conscience, according to an Iranian convert to Catholicism. Speaking in Dublin’s Newman University Church, Wall Street Journal editorial writer Sohrab Ahmari said there are grounds for hope, “because the question of the persecution of…

The current scale of humanitarian need is “unprecedented” warned Trócaire, as it launched Ireland’s largest annual fundraising campaign this week. The bishops’ overseas aid agency is targeting humanitarian relief for up to one million people with its Lenten campaign, which will see schools, communities and parishes coming together over the next six weeks to pledge…

Our Lady of Fatima statue tours Ireland A centennial pilgrim statue of Our Lady of Fatima is making a tour of Ireland during the month of March. The statue of one of six commissioned by the Alliance of the Holy Family Int’l (AHFI) and the Human Life International – Austria, and blessed by Pope Francis…

School chaplaincy and pastoral support teams have a key role to play in protecting Irish adolescents’ mental health, it has been claimed. Speaking to The Irish Catholic ahead of the 2017 Self-Harm Awareness Conference, held in Dublin’s Aviva Stadium yesterday (March 1) Capuchin Bro. Martin Bennett said the conference’s focus was on adolescents. “Mental health…

The North’s Catholic Principals’ Association (CPA) has called for “clarity” from bishops on the issue of academic selection for grammar schools, after the announcement of a drive to formulate a single entrance exam to serve all schools by 2019. The announcement by the Post-Primary Transfer Consortium (PPTC) of a link-up with the Association of Quality…

Actress Viola Davis shared the secret of her Oscar-winning success during her Academy Award acceptance speech this week: God. Lauded for her Best Supporting Actress role in Fences, Davis sought to share her moment of glory with fellow Christian Denzel Washington, her co-star and Fences director, thanking him for  “putting two entities in the driving…