The community of Blanchardstown parish came together in large numbers last Wednesday to celebrate a combination of the feast day of St Brigid, parish patron, the journey to the Eucharistic Congress (IEC) and the beginning of a year of celebration for the 175th anniversary of St Brigid’s church. ”It is a group of celebration…
Bishop Michael Smith of Meath concelebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving to mark the completion of the bell tower and spire of the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Kingscourt, Co. Cavan, last Sunday, with a number of former parish priests, natives, friends and neighbours of the parish. Fr Padraig MacMahon, administrator of Mullingar Cathedral,…
The Vatican has rejected allegations of corruption in its awarding of contracts which were made by a leading cleric who is now papal nuncio to the United States. The move comes in response to the publishing, in the Italian press, of two letters penned in 2011 by Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, at the time the…
Delegates from over 100 countries are meeting in Rome to ensure a global Church response to abuse. Michael Kelly reports. If bishops around the world courageously embrace robust child safeguarding policies, the Church can lead the way the Rome conference on abuse has been told. While the Church has failed dramatically to respond properly…
Critics of Catholicism often ignore the vital role of the Church’s humanitarian work, writes Greg Daly It’s rare that I lose my temper, but I got indignant a few weeks ago when a friend declared that the Catholic Church has nothing to offer today’s world. Normally, I’d dismiss such nonsense with a shrug,…
The Pope visits Cuba in March. Paul Keenan examines the island nation’s recent record. What to believe about Cuba? Since the ‘retirement’ of Fidel Castro, the island nation’s leader of 47 years in favour of baby brother Raul in 2008, it was tempting to believe that the change of regime — albeit kept…
Michael Higgins examines the life of a woman set to be the first native American saint Amidst all the sturm und drang that is the current reality for American Catholics in an election year, and amidst all the prolonged upheaval created by the lingering aftershocks of the clerical sex abuse crisis, it came…
The Corrymeela Community, in partnership with Auburn Seminary, New York, has opened the application process for an international interfaith youth leadership programme, ‘Face to Face/Faith to Faith’. This programme brings together young people from Northern Ireland, South Africa, the United States and the Middle East with the common goal of working towards peaceful communities.…
Catholic schools deserve credit for their hard work, writes Michael Kelly At a time when some commentators and politicians would propose a narrow narrative that see faith-based schools as divisive, Catholic Schools Week is an opportunity to celebrate the vital contribution of the Catholic sector. More than 100 guests from North and South…
Spain: Spain to reverse abortion legislation The new Spanish government of Mariano Rajoy has pledged to reverse abortion legislation introduced by the previous administration. In an announcement by Minister of Justice Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon, the ruling Spanish People’s Party looks set to enact greater restrictions on the availability of abortion. The move would specifically target current…
Mags Gargan
Paul Keenan
Michael Kelly
Greg Daly