The custodian priest of St Valentine’s relics in Ireland has warned that the Christian idea of marriage as sacramental and not just romantic emotions is being lost as the “world markets the idea that marriage can come and go”. “The worry I have with St Valentine is that he gets mixed up with Cupid, this…

The Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin is running a two-year diploma in Pastoral Ministry for lay people. Thirty one people started the period of discernment with a gathering on the evening of February 7. This period will end in June and the course starts in September. The programme, announced in October 2024, had a series…

The former Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland has called on the Irish Government to establish its own inquiry into the Omagh bombing to create a clear picture of the tragedy. Baroness Nuala O’Loan investigated the August 15, 1998 incident in which 29 people and two unborn children died, describing it as the “single worst terrorist…

A Benedictine monk based in Glenstal Abbey, Co. Limerick, has recently published a new book, The people’s celebration of the Eucharist. Fr Fintan Lyons explained to The Irish Catholic that the idea to write this book came from a series of questions that some lay people have asked him on the Eucharist. “I was trying…

The 400th anniversary of the birth of the martyred St Oliver Plunkett was celebrated at a service on Wednesday in Drogheda. Fr Eugene Sweeney PP said: “Oliver Plunkett lived at a remarkably difficult and chaotic time.  His resilience, courage and constant efforts for peace and justice are truly inspiring, and therefore it is appropriate to…

Many of the faithful in Ireland are facing ‘polite persecution’, according to a Belfast-based priest. Speaking at a Mass for persecuted Christians on RTÉ One this past Sunday, Fr Tim Bartlett warned that religious freedom—one of the cornerstones of “a genuinely diverse, pluralist, and free society”—is increasingly under threat, even in nations that claim to…

Accessible liturgies are an “absolute imperative”, said the Chaplain for the Deaf Community in Munster, John Patrick Doherty. “Today, with Irish Sign Language (ISL) officially recognised as the first language of the Deaf Community in Ireland since 2017, there is an even greater responsibility to ensure that this language is fully integrated into the life…

One of the Sacred Heart Statues blessed by Pope Francis have arrived in Raphoe Diocese. The statue was first displayed in St Eunan’s Cathedral, Letterkenny during Mass on the evening of February 7 and remains available for public veneration until today, when it moves on to Kilcar. The Votive Mass was celebrated by Msgr Kevin…

Irish military chaplains, clergy and lay people recently gathered in Rome for the Jubilee of the Armed Forces, Police and Security Personnel. During this, Fr Willie Doyle SJ, who was killed in WWI while serving, was remembered. Bishop Tom Deenihan of Meath addressed those present at the event: “It is remarkable that such a gathering…

A priority for the new Minister for Education must be to tackle chronic teacher shortages as it is causing schools to “struggle” to help children, particularly those with special needs, according to the Catholic Education Partnership (CEP). Alan Hynes, CEO of the CEP told The Irish Catholic that “from the point of view of a…