The 16th annual Pope John Paul II Award ceremony was held in St Eugene’s Cathedral, Derry on February 6. The guest speaker, Melany Francisco-Lawless alongside Bishop Donal McKeown, patron of the award, presented the award to 328 young people from all over the Diocese of Derry and beyond. This year three people received the Papal…
Priest charged for praying in UK ‘buffer zone’ A Catholic priest who faced criminal charges for praying for free speech outside an abortion clinic after business hours is the latest to run afoul of a strict buffer zone law in the English city of Birmingham. “I pray wherever I go, inside my head, for the…
Tuam celebrates inaugural young adult night The Archdiocese of Tuam held its inaugural young adults night, February 4, gathering young people from around the diocese for Mass and a social. Archbishop of Tuam Francis Duffy celebrated the opening Mass at 6pm in the Cathedral of the Assumption, Tuam, Co. Galway. He praised the “moving” event,…
Pope urges solidarity with Syria, Turkey after earthquakes Pope Francis urged all people to be in solidarity with the regions of Turkey and Syria struck by two powerful earthquakes early February 6 and that are “in part already martyred by a long war”. The two earthquakes, which both measured above 7.0 magnitude according to the…
Chai Brady and Jason Osborne Priests based in Dublin’s inner city have decried the daily violence, church vandalism and prevalent drug dealing they witness in their communities. For Fr Kieran McDermott, the administrator of St Mary’s Pro Cathedral in the north inner city, security and safety in the area has continued to descend over the last five…
Pope Francis’s ecumenical visit to South Sudan was a “morale booster” that united the country in happiness, according to Irish missionaries. Hundreds of thousands gathered in Juba, the capital, to greet the Pontiff. He was joined by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Rev. Ian Greenshields, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland for…
Brandon Scott in Prague The Church needs the courage to review doctrines and pastoral strategies without losing communion, the Irish delegation to the European assembly of the global Synod has claimed. Delegates from the continent are meeting in Prague, Czechia from February 5-12. The Irish delegation is led by Primate of All-Ireland Archbishop Eamon Martin.…
Although Ireland is seeing a shortage of priests and religious, it is “ripe” for vocations according to an order who have opened a new lay missionary house. Two young women have already entered the house of mission opened by the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal (CFR) in Drogheda in January. Anywhere the order sets down…
Plans to establish semi-permanent hubs for Ukrainian Catholics in Ireland are ongoing, a Ukrainian Catholic bishop has said. Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski told The Irish Catholic that he is working with the Irish bishops to identify areas to establish pastoral and sacramental care. Liturgical services So far, “we have been having perhaps not regular liturgical services,…
In reply to a Parliamentary Question from Cork South West TD Michael Collins, the HSE revealed that it had compiled a list of 21 events since the introduction of abortion in January 2019 that had taken place in the vicinity of abortion centres. Responding to Deputy Collins’ inquiry, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said that…
Ruadhán Jones