Renata SteffensThe former Sisters of Mercy Convent in Ballina is set to become a community centre, as a planning application was recently submitted to Mayo County Council. A decision is expected to be made by April 12. The convent was built in 1876 and is a protected structure; it closed its doors in 2008. In 2024,…
Category: News
Cistercian community to relocate permanently to Mellifont Abbey
The Cistercian Community of Our Lady of Silence has announced it will establish its long-term home at Mellifont Abbey, Co. Louth, following what it described as a “prayerful process of discernment”. The community, formed from the former abbeys of Mount Melleray, Mount St Joseph and Mellifont, gathered at Mount St Joseph Abbey in Roscrea in…
Vatican official tells UN so-called ‘new rights’ can attack religious freedom
Today’s persecution of Christians is one of the most prevalent crises in the world today, a Vatican official has told the United Nations. “This unfortunate situation has deteriorated further in 2025 due to the exacerbating factors of conflict and extremism,” Msgr Daniel Pacho told the UN Human Rights Council on February 25. The priest is…
Pro-abortion professor backs off leadership appointment at Notre Dame after backlash
A pro-abortion professor at the University of Notre Dame is turning down a leadership appointment there after weeks of backlash that included more than a dozen US bishops criticising the school for its decision. Mary Gallagher, the dean of the university’s Keough School of Global Affairs, wrote in an email on February 26 that Prof.…
US ambassador sees potential for ‘Catholic moment’ with Leo
United States Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch, in an exclusive sit-down interview with Crux Now, said he sees the potential for a “Catholic moment” in the US given the high-profile Catholics in the current administration, with history’s first US-born pope. According to Ambassador Brian Burch, there is a new kind of conservativism in…
New Bishop Chairman: No special path for Germany in reforms
The new chairman of the Bishops’ Conference, Heiner Wilmer, does not want Germany to go it alone on Catholic Church reforms. Good coordination with the church leadership in Rome and with the World Synod is important to him, said the Bishop of Hildesheim on Thursday in Würzburg. He will travel to Rome soon so that…
Bishop Coll: young Catholics seek ‘doctrinal solidity, not adaptability’
While Church debates continue about synodality and reform in preparation for an Irish Synod in October, Bishop Niall Coll of Raphoe has delivered a clear and sometimes firm message: the next generation of Catholics is not looking for endless discussion or progressive experimentation — they are looking for truth. Speaking to a gathering of over…
Late Bishop Willie Walsh honoured with plaza on first anniversary
The first anniversary Mass of Bishop Willie Walsh was celebrated at the Cathedral of Sts Peter and Paul, Ennis, last Saturday. On the day, the plaza located in front of the cathedral was dedicated to the late bishop’s memory and is now known as the Bishop Willie Walsh Plaza. During his homily, Bishop Fintan Monahan…
Dr Slim urges humanitarian shift as Trócaire warns of climate impact
Humanitarian action must move beyond simply saving lives in war and disaster and begin protecting the ecological conditions that sustain them, according to Dr Hugo Slim ahead of this year’s Annual Trócaire Lent Lecture. Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Dr Slim, Director of the Las Casas Institute for Social Justice at Blackfriars Hall, Oxford, said…
Ukrainian community in Dublin marks four years of war with evening of memory and prayer
The Ukrainian Catholic community in Dublin gathered on February 21 for an evening of remembrance and prayer, marking the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Clergy, diplomats, veterans and representatives of Ukrainian organisations in Ireland were among those present, alongside members of the wider community. The evening began with a procession, followed by…