Training of lay people to prepare them to lead liturgies in the absence of priests will begin in autumn, Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin Denis Nulty has said. Bishop Nulty envisages that the “lay leader” would, as part of a local team, “stand in on the priest’s day off or during the weekdays of his…

As the energy crisis deepens rural priests have hit out at Environment Minister Eamon Ryan’s proposed retail ban on turf, saying that it’d be “very hard” to ask people to switch due to the soaring cost of heating alternatives. Speaking to The Irish Catholic newspaper, Limerick-based Fr Joe Tynan said that rural communities traditionally depended…

Increased Government investment in primary schools is “essential” or else schools will be forced to rely on the “bank of mum and dad”, a Catholic management body has warned. Capitation rates need an “immediate” increase of 50% to €275 per pupil and an increase of 10% across other capitation rates, the Catholic Primary Schools Management…

A new documentary about Mother Teresa of Kolkata intends to share the saint and her work with a wider audience than ever before. Produced by the Knights of Columbus and directed by Emmy-award winning filmmaker David Naglieri, Mother Teresa: No Greater Love will display the mission St Teresa carried out throughout her life, and its…

Staff reporter The Mayor of Cork Cllr Deirdre Forde has launched a Solidarity Garden dedicated for use by migrant families on the grounds of Ardfoyle Convent, Cork. The Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles offered a plot of land which is now used by seven migrant families in Direct Provision to grow food crops from…

An Aontú councillor has spoken out after suffering a “vicious” and “unprovoked” attack, which he claims was based on his pro-life stance. Councillor Emmet Doyle, member of Derry City & Strabane District Council, said that after entering a food establishment alone in the early hours of Friday morning, a group of people “deeply opposed to…

Hundreds of mourners gathered for the funeral Mass of three siblings killed in Tallaght, September 9. The Mass for eight-year-old twins Christy and Chelsea Cawley and their older sister Lisa Cash (18) was celebrated by Fr Paul O’Driscoll, chaplain to the Parish of the Travelling People. Fr O’Driscoll paid tribute to the siblings’ 14-year-old brother,…

Parishes worry heating costs mean they won’t be able to keep the doors open, writes Chai Brady Priests across Ireland are considering a range of cost saving measures as the country enters a tough winter with energy providers ramping up prices due to the Europe-wide energy crisis. There are also fears that churches may have…

Marriage is still seen as important to long-lasting relationships by the majority of Irish couples, a survey commissioned by Accord Catholic Marriage Care Service has shown. Some 56% of the 700 people surveyed said marriage is still important to the longevity of relationships, with men (62%) and people aged 55+ (66%) most likely to believe…