Joe Walsh Tours announced its closure on Tuesday, with directors thanking both customers and staff in a statement. Established in 1961 by Bangor-man Joe Walsh, the family owned-and-operated tour provider was famous in Catholic circles for its travel to pilgrimage destinations such as Lourdes and Medjugorje. Commenting on the decision to cease trading, the directors…
The chair of the task force established by Archbishop Dermot Farrell has said there will be an emphasis on pastoral initiatives aimed at “animating parishes”. Msgr Ciaran O’Carroll of Donnybrook parish, chairperson of the ‘Task Force on a Church for the Dublin of Tomorrow’ which comes under the title ‘Building Hope’, said it is “exciting”.…
Bishop Dónal McKeown concluded the weeklong retreat in memory of Sr Clare Crockett by praying for her canonisation, as people tuned in from across the globe. The retreat, organised to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the Derry nun’s death in Ecuador, saw an average of 4,800 people tune into the livestream every day. “The amount…
The religious persecution exercised by China and North Korea, restrictions on religious freedom in dozens of countries and the continuing threat of violence at the hands of religious fundamentalists belonging to a variety of faiths all have worsened since 2018, said Aid to the Church in Need, a papal foundation and Catholic charity. The problems…
There was “great excitement” among families as 68 schoolchildren received the Sacrament of Confirmation in the Diocese of Clogher over the weekend. The children of Aghalurcher parish in Lisnaskea/Maguiresbridge, Co. Fermanagh, were some of the first to receive the Sacrament in the diocese this year. Fr Jimmy McPhillips PP told The Irish Catholic: “We are…
Bishops across the United States on April 20 and 21 responded to the guilty verdict for former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, in the trial for the murder of George Floyd. Two chairs of committees at the US bishops’ conference (USCCB) issued a joint statement last Tuesday evening, after a jury found Chauvin guilty of…
The chairman of the US bishops’ pro-life committee April 20 called on the Biden administration to fund research “that does not rely upon body parts taken from innocent children killed through abortion”. “The bodies of children killed by abortion deserve the same respect as that of any other person,” said Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas…
Aontú’s Peadar Tóibín TD has urged President Michael D. Higgins to withdraw his recent comments which referred to schools in the North as “parcels of hate”, describing them as a “caricature”. “The idea that schools in the North are responsible for the division in the North is an incredible example of revisionism,” Mr Tóibín said…
Numerous religious leaders gathered in Sri Lanka to mark the second anniversary of the 2019 Easter Sunday suicide bombings and to pray for an end to religious extremism. Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, the archbishop of Colombo, spoke at St Anthony’s Shrine, along with Hindu, Buddhist, and Muslim leaders. The service included prayers and two minutes of…
Catholics in a northern Thai province have been supporting thousands of displaced Karen refugees from Myanmar — in stark contrast to the Thai government’s unwelcoming policy regarding refugees and migrants from the military-ruled neighbouring country. Church leaders joined by Catholics in Chiang Mai have welcomed and supported thousands of Karen refugees with aid after they…
Chai Brady
Ruadhán Jones