Mary Burke of Crystal Swing has always had a life deeply rooted in her Faith. In a recent interview with The Echo, a Cork newspaper, the singer shared, “My faith was passed down to me from my parents.” One expression of her devotion is her large collection of religious statues, which she has been gathering…
Category: News
Venezuelan dictator decrees October 1 to be start of Christmas season
“This year, in homage and gratitude to you, I am going to decree that the Christmas season [begins] on October 1,” declared Nicolás Maduro, leader of the ruling socialist regime in Venezuela, September 2 on national television. “For everyone, Christmas has arrived with peace, happiness, and security,” Maduro added. According to the Spanish newspaper El Mundo,…
A Mass a day keeps the blues away
Regular Mass going protects against feelings of loneliness and suicidal thoughts a new Irish study has revealed, with weekly attendence being better than monthly. The Trinity College Dublin (TCD) study found there are increasing rates of both loneliness and suicidal thoughts among older adults in Ireland, but that attending Mass can “protect against these negative…
Pope begins 12 day trip in Indonesia
Pope Francis arrived in the Indonesian capital Jakarta on Tuesday, kicking off the longest and farthest trip of his tenure to the Asia Pacific region. He is expected to highlight environmental concerns and the importance of interfaith dialogue during the 12 day trip, which will also see him travel to Papua New Guinea, Singapore and Timor-Leste –…
Donegal parish firm after arson attack on church
St Baithin’s Church in St Johnston, Donegal, originally built in the 1850s was the target of an arson attack last Wednesday which saw its sacristy “totally blackened with soot”. But despite the shocking attack, which resulted in a man being charged last Thursday, Pastor Emeritus of the parish, Monsignor Dan Carr allayed fears and said…
‘There is hope’, Clogher Diocese welcomes new seminarian
After six years with no entrant for the priesthood, Clogher Diocese welcomes its first seminarian. He is a former teacher in his 20s, and is entering the propaedeutic year this month. Gary Carville, Clogher Diocesan Communications Officer said this is the answering to all the prayers and hopes “that others will continue to answer the…
6 seminarians for Down and Connor ‘a calling from God’
Communications Officer for The Diocese of Down and Connor Fr Eddie McGee has described the vocation success of the diocese, with 6 seminarians poised to enter the national seminary in Maynooth this September, as being the product of years of work, work invested by the diocese but also supplemented by “the calling of God”. Speaking…
Acclaimed singer asks Pope to condemn ‘sinful’ bullfighting
Singer Morrissey has sent a letter to Pope Francis asking him “to condemn the sinful spectacle of bullfighting”. The former frontman of The Smiths, who lent his support to Notre Dame Cathedral after it was damaged following a fire and has famously championed animal rights, sent an open letter addressed to the head of the…
St Bernadette’s relics: A source of great hope and joy
On September 3, the relics of St Bernadette were entrusted to Bishop Kevin Doran to bring home to Ireland, who was leading a pilgrimage to Lourdes with the Diocese of Elphin. This marks the first visit of St Bernadette’s relics to Ireland. The Elphin pilgrims brought these relics to Ireland, beginning a journey around the…
Killaloe ‘buoyed’ by number of new vocations
Following successive years of falling vocations and the retirement of priests, the Diocese of Killaloe has been buoyed by the news that three men from counties Clare and Tipperary will enter the seminary at Maynooth later this month. For the first time in two decades, three vocations have been recorded in one of Ireland’s largest…

Renata Milán Morales

Chai Brady

Brandon Scott
Renata Steffens



