Ireland is increasingly becoming a meeting point of global Catholicism rather than simply a country shaped by its past, a leading theologian has said. Speaking at the Loyola Institute Trinity College Dublin, Prof. Massimo Faggioli argued that the centre of the Catholic Church is shifting away from Europe, with profound implications for Ireland. “Catholicism was…
“Divine mercy comforts the afflicted at the same time as afflicting the comfortable,” writes Bishop Donal McKeown. Writing to The Irish Catholic ahead of Divine Mercy Sunday, Bishop McKeown reflected on what it means to live as an Easter people today. “The heart of the early church’s preaching was simple – Christ died for our…
A group of Irish pilgrims spent seven days in Medjugorje during Holy Week, taking in the ceremonies on Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday. They arrived back in Dublin on Wednesday morning. Pilgrim James Treacy, a regular visitor to Medjugorje and a tour organiser to Fatima and the Holy Land, said that…
Over 30 children gathered to present a Passion Play on Good Friday in Our Lady Mother of the Church, Castleknock. Ellen Troy, founder and leader of the Children’s Liturgy Group, said the play “was such a big commitment,” and that the children “have been so good” and deserve “to be praised”. Bosco Thomas Chacko, organiser,…
Attendance particularly high during Holy Week ceremonies and Easter Masses this year, according to parish administrators. Fr Declan Hurley Adm. Navan Parish, Co. Meath, said the attendance in confession during Holy Week “surpassed all expectations.” On Tuesday during Holy Week “we offered Confession in St Mary’s Church all day non-stop,” and the turnout was such…
An African St Peter’s Basilica, a country with no Christians but with voodoo… In Africa, religion and faith play a central role in everyday life. It is a continent of superlatives. At last: Africa has had to wait a long time for a papal visit. Three years ago, at the start of 2023, Pope Francis…
Exclusive “To keep hope alive is not naïve; it is an act of faith,” Bishop Niall Coll of Raphoe has told The Irish Catholic. The bishop said that with all the suffering of wars around the world, “it is easy to feel overwhelmed, to the point of paralysis, and to surrender to despair.” However,…
The formation of future priests in Ireland is expanding far beyond traditional theological study, a meeting at St Patrick’s College, Maynooth, has heard. At a recent gathering of formators and Church partners, Rev. Sean Corkery, Coordinator of Human and Pastoral Formation at the National Seminary, outlined how seminarians are now trained in a wide range…
The Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Whitefriar Street, held a Holy Week Vigil Retreat on March 28 for young adults in the Dublin City area to prepare for the Easter season. The gathering was led by the Carmelite Friars and was aimed at young adults, providing space for spiritual preparation during Holy Week…
In the words of Fr Kevin Kiernan OFM Cap, Director of the Capuchin Day Centre in Dublin, a message central to Easter is that “the bad days don’t define us”. “[That’s] only part of it, and it moves us on to the Resurrection and to the newness of life,” the Capuchin priest said. He shared…
Renata Steffens