The Order of Malta in Ireland has welcomed the launch by An Post of a commemorative stamp marking the centenary of the priestly ordination of Msgr Hugh O’Flaherty, one of Ireland’s most notable twentieth-century humanitarians. Born in Co. Kerry and ordained in Rome in 1925, he later served in the Vatican Diplomatic Service and the…
Pope Leo XIV’s first extraordinary consistory (January 7–8 , 2026) looked, felt, and even sounded like a deliberate return to two defining instincts of Pope Francis’s pontificate: synodality and mission. But it also hinted at something more strategic than stylistic imitation. Leo is using the world’s cardinals not as stage dressing for a new reign,…
As the Catholic Church prepares to join Christians around the world in commemorating the 2026 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, the theme chosen also reflects Pope Leo XIV’s hope of unified humanity in an increasingly individualistic world. “There is one body and one Spirit,” drawn from St Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, is the…
The Pope opens his Vatican II series with Dei Verbum, the Dogmatic Constitution on divine revelation Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome! We have started the cycle of catechesis on Vatican Council II. Today we will begin to look more closely at the Dogmatic Constitution Dei Verbum, on the divine Revelation. It is…
The Church of the future will only be vibrant if families on fire with their faith are willing to evangelise communities, Bishop of Derry Donal McKeown has said. He was speaking at the funeral Mass of Fr Eugene Hasson (70), parish priest of Drumragh, Co. Tyrone, who died after a short illness. Remaking on the…
New bishop outlines vision to refocus parishes The incoming Bishop of Raphoe Diocese (Donegal) Bishop Niall Coll wants to bring what he learnt from his experience as Bishop of Ossory to his new home diocese of Raphoe and that chiefly will be catechetical renewal at parish level. His installation as Bishop of Raphoe will take…
Christmas 2025 saw packed churches around the country, as attendance has been increasing gradually since the pandemic, The Irish Catholic has learnt. Fr John Dunphy, PP Graiguecullen / Killeshin Parish in Carlow said they celebrated seven Christmas Masses in his parish and all of them “were overflowing”. For him, Christmas 2025 Mass “was certainly the…
Faughart Shrine in Dundalk, widely regarded as St Brigid’s birthplace and described as the “second national shrine of St Brigid in Ireland, is the focus of a new fundraising push ahead of St Brigid’s Day. “Faughart Shrine is the birthplace of St Brigid,” organiser Kathleen Maddy told The Irish Catholic. “Kildare was where the abbeys…
Catholic Schools Week 2026 takes place from January 18-24 and it’s theme is ‘Normal Lives, Called to Holiness’. According to the Catholic Education Partnership, (CEP), “Catholic Schools Week 2026 celebrates the extraordinary call to holiness in the midst of ordinary life. Inspired by Pope Francis’s reflection on St Carlo Acutis—the first millennial saint—this year’s theme…
Following his first extraordinary consistory, Pope Leo XIV has outlined a programme of engagements aimed at drawing Catholics more deeply into both the intellectual and prayerful life of the Church, renewing attention to the Second Vatican Council while inviting the faithful to pray with him for the world’s pressing needs. Speaking at his general audience…
Renata Steffens