A group of Spanish Catholics sent a petition to the Madrid cardinal and Pope Francis’ ambassador, asking help to prevent the removal of a giant cross and a Benedictine monastery from a civil war cemetery and memorial outside Madrid. “These Benedictines carry out an invaluable task: They pray for the people buried there, for peace…
Pilgrims are breathing fresh life into the city of Christ’s birth, writes Judith Sudilovsky On the third Sunday of Advent the pews of St Catherine’s Church were overflowing, with families and young children, teenagers and older parishioners attending Mass in anticipation of Christmas. We go out, we go shopping, we have places where we eat…
In the annual Newman Lecture, Prof. William Cavanaugh teased out the religious element at the heart of the West, December 7. Speaking in Newman University Church, St Stephen’s Green, Prof. Cavanagh’s talk focused on ‘the Enchantment of the Secular’. The American professor showed that “religious” and “secular” people have more in common than is commonly…
Six months after the Pentecost Sunday attack on Sts Francis Xavier Owo Catholic Parish in Ondo Diocese, which left 39 Catholic worshipers killed and more than 80 injured, there have been arrests and promises but no prosecution, Bishop Felix Femi Ajakaye has lamented. “December 5, 2022, is the sixth month of the evil attack, the…
Church must take workers’ problems seriously, Pope says All workers should feel welcomed by the Church and know that their needs and problems are taken seriously, Pope Francis said. In fact, labour and employment are experiencing “a phase of transformation that needs to be accompanied,” he told members of Italy’s Movement of Christian Workers during…
Family Solidarity criticises ‘disappointing’ synodal pathway The Irish national synodal synthesis “does not represent us and it does not represent what we have heard at the meetings in our parishes”, Irish family advocacy group Family Solidarity has written in an open letter to Ireland’s bishops. “After a year, we must admit that both the process…
A plea by Pope Francis for a Christmas clemency for prisoners has been hailed as “powerful and courageous” by an Irish nun who has dedicated her life to supporting prisoners and their families. In a letter to governments around the world – including Ireland – the Pontiff this week asked for a gesture of mercy…
Fans pray for Pelé’s recovery More than a hundred Santos Soccer Club fans gathered in front of the hospital in Brazil where Pelé, one of the greatest soccer players of all time, is undergoing treatment, to pray for his recovery. The ACESSA.com website reported that fans formed a circle, lit candles, held hands, and prayed…
Catholic schools have dominated a poll of top performing schools in the North, taking the top three spots and five out of the top 10. St Mary’s Grammar School, Magherafelt, Co. Derry, took top spot for the second year running in the 30th edition of The Sunday Times ‘Parent Power’ poll, which identifies the highest-achieving…
We will always need “good and holy priests”, the head of the bishops’ council for vocations has said, adding that the lay ministry is not a solution to the vocations crisis. The national synodal synthesis came across as proposing the lay ministry as the “solution to the whole question” of priest shortages, said Bishop Alphonsus…
Ruadhán Jones
Chai Brady