A proposed change to traffic access on a bus route in Rathmines will be a “a disaster” for elderly parishioners and those with mobility issues, the parish priest has warned. A ‘bus gate’ – a length of road open only to busses, taxis and cyclists – outside Rathmines parish church would be “a disaster” and…
Belfast actor James Martin is set to be recognised for his contribution to the arts by Ulster University. Star of the Oscar-winning Northern Irish short film, An Irish Goodbye, Mr Martin is the first person with Down’s Syndrome to win film’s biggest award. Responding to the news of his Honorary Doctorate, James said: “I will…
Deputy leader of pro-life party Aontú in the North, Gemma Brolly has expressed regret following disappointment in the recent local elections. Sinn Féin was the big winner of the election, and is now the largest party in both local government and Stormont for the first time after making huge gains. With all seats counted, the…
Pope Francis has asked Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Bologna to lead a mission “to help ease tensions in the conflict in Ukraine,” the Vatican press office said. The appointment of the cardinal, who is president of the Italian bishops’ conference and a long-time member of the Sant’Egidio Community, was confirmed May 20 by Matteo…
Catholic and Protestant schools’ bodies in the North have expressed “deep disappointment” at cuts to shared education initiatives, despite their “clear benefits”. Shared education projects bring staff and pupils from different religious backgrounds together on a regular basis, but funding will be halved this year and cease entirely from 2024 under Stormont’s 2023-24 budget. The…
An Irish World War I military chaplain has been honoured by a college in England after they named their new English centre after him. Servant of God Fr Willie Doyle SJ, whose cause for sainthood has been opened, was killed in action while assisting soldiers. He ministered to the 8th Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers and died…
The Nicaraguan Ministry of the Interior (Migob) announced in official media the “voluntary dissolution” of the Immaculate Conception Catholic University of the Archdiocese of Managua (UCICAM), which functioned as a formation centre for seminarians from the Nicaraguan capital. According to ministerial agreement 77-2023-OSFL, published May 18 in La Gaceta, the regime’s official newspaper, the minister…
Cork diocese gathers to discuss future The Faithful of Cork and Ross will gather to discuss the diocese’s future reorganisation over Pentecost weekend, with Bishop Fintan Gavin saying closer collaboration between laity and clergy is needed. Bishop Gavin has invited Julian Stanz, a married woman and mother of three, to lead two gatherings where she…
The Diocese of Irapuato in the Mexican state of Guanajuato expressed its “profound consternation” over a fire deliberately set at Santiaguito (St James) Church and called it a “sacrilege”. In a statement published May 15, Fr Efrén Silva Plascencia, spokesman for the diocese, said that the fire “was set on the exterior by a male…
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has released its data for marriages 2022, and it makes for very interesting reading for those interested in the faith landscape of modern Ireland. There were 22,555 opposite-sex marriages in total in Ireland in 2022, with 19,672 of these being first-time marriages in the State. The CSO’s official webpage for…
Ruadhán Jones
Chai Brady