Bishop Leo O’Reilly has announced the appointment of two priests from Nigeria to parishes in the Diocese of Kilmore among this year’s new clerical appointments. Fr Addison Okpeh and Fr Peter Okpetu are both members of the Missionary Society of St Paul of Nigeria and they are the first Nigerian priests to receive appointments in…

Christian Meditation Ireland is hosting a Festival of Music and Silence on Bere Island, Co. Cork from August 27-30 with local and international musicians and contemplative prayer teachers gathering for a weekend of music and meditation. Christian Meditation Ireland is made up of about 400 groups of meditators who meet in towns and villages all…

Pope Francis has given his seal of approval to Declan Donnelly’s marriage to agent Ali Astal. Declan, who is one half of TV duo ‘Ant and Dec’, was presented with a special framed certificate from Pope Francis at his wedding at the weekend. During the ceremony, the groom’s brother, Fr Dermott Donnelly, presented the couple…

A vigil has been held in west Belfast to pay tribute to Jennifer Dornan whose body was found after a house fire in the Lagmore area of Dunmurry. The PSNI launched a murder investigation following results of a post mortem. Fr Martin Graham, who was at the vigil, described the mother of three was a…

To mark the 10th birthday of An Tairseach, the Organic Farm and Ecology Centre on the grounds of the Dominican Convent in Wicklow, the Dominican Sisters, Cabra opened a rose garden dedicated to world peace. A large crowd of friends and well-wishers attended the celebration and heard stories of the early days when the sisters…

Experts in religious education have challenged claims that the quality of the subject in Irish schools needs closer scrutiny, pointing out that an article arguing this admits that there is a lack of serious research on the subject. ‘Religion, Education, and Religious Education in Irish Schools’, by UCC professors Áine Hyland and Brian Bocking, recognises…

Japanese bishops defend constitution Japan’s Bishop Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi of Niigata has urged his country to build peace through development rather than military deterrence. Writing ahead of the seventieth anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the bishop, who chairs Caritas Asia, criticised plans by Japan’s ruling Liberal Democrat Party to change national security…

Over 1,000 young Catholics are expected to descend on the Cistercian College in Co. Tipperary next week for the annual Youth 2000 Summer Festival. Youth 2000 is an international movement of young people called to spread the Good News and the cornerstones of its spirituality are the Eucharist and the rosary. The festival, which combines…

Democrats in the US Senate have blocked an attempt to withdraw taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood, the leading providers of abortion in the US.  The Senate voted 53-46 in favour of the procedural bill, falling short of the 60 votes needed to stop a Democrat filibuster against the de-funding measure, thereby preventing a vote on…

A prominent Muslim cleric in Dublin has warned that the radicalisation of Muslim youth is becoming more prominent in Ireland. Shaykh Dr Muhammad Umar Al-Qadri has said that Islamic extremists are regularly congregating at two Irish mosques and in one mosque in particular the religious leaders never denounce atrocities carried out in the name of…