In his 1975 ballad Thunder Road, Bruce Springsteen tells his imaginary paramour that she can either waste her summer “praying in vain for a saviour to rise from these streets,” or seize the realistic if flawed option in front of her, i.e. him. While no one probably would tout the Boss as an expert on the Middle…

The State has been urged to show a greater understanding of the nature of religious volunteers in a bid to speed up the immigration process for clerical and religious students coming to Ireland. Fr Hugh McMahon SSC, Executive Secretary of the missionary representative body the Irish Missionary Union (IMU) told The Irish Catholic he felt…

Some level of positive discrimination is “essential” to safeguarding minority faith schools, Fianna Fáil’s spokesperson on education has said. Meath East TD Thomas Byrne warned against removing the provision of the Equal Status Act, which prohibits religious discrimination, claiming that Church of Ireland and other minority religious schools “could suffer disproportionately” as a result. Referring…

The Pro Life Campaign has said that politicians supporting Mick Wallace’s Private Members’ Bill on abortion are doing a real disservice to families of babies with a life limiting condition, particularly those who have been pressured to abort their child. Pictured (L to R) Aifric Ni Fhloinn, PLC spokesperson Cora Sherlock, Emma Sisk and Lorraine…

The charity Mary’s Meals is planning a fundraising walk from Dublin to Knock. The walk, intended to build on the success of a similar walk last year, begins on August 7 at the Spire on O’Connell Street, and will end in Knock on the feast of the Assumption, August 15.  Talks about the walk, accompanied…

Some of the thousands of participants at Belfast’s tenth annual All Ireland Rally for Life.