Youth uptick is small and fragile but very real Even amid crisis and change, the “flame of faith” in Ireland has not gone out a gathering of young people in Armagh have been told. “Those who have the flame of faith burning… can find a way to reach out once again,” said Bishop Michael Router,…

Twin golfer priests celebrated their 95th birthday on Saturday, March 21 and will also celebrate 70 years of priesthood side by side this year. Both priests worked until over 90 years of age. Fr Joe Kelly had been working in Bayside Parish until last year, and his brother Fr Matt Kelly, retired three years ago.…

A number of Irish dioceses are stepping up efforts to encourage vocations to the priesthood, with “Come and See” events taking place over the coming weeks and months, including gatherings in Knock on March 28, Thurles on April 11, and Galway on May 10. The initiatives are part of a wider push to invite men…

Senator Rónán Mullen has paid a stirring tribute to the legendary Dolores Keane, highlighting a powerful pro-life story. In a past Sunday Independent interview, Keane recounted a confrontational moment with a London doctor who, doubting her baby’s survival, bluntly advised her to abort. Her response was as legendary as her voice: “I just kicked the…

A strong sense of “hunger” among young Catholics was evident at this year’s conference organised by Evangelium Ireland, which brought 115 participants to Cork for a day of talks, discussion and Mass. Held at the Clayton Hotel Silver Springs, the event marked the first time the group’s annual conference has taken place outside Dublin. Speakers…

“The Church is either missionary or not Church at all,” said Archbishop Dermot Farrell at the 80th anniversary Mass of Irish Carmelite missionary presence in Zimbabwe on March 22. Joined by the Carmelite priory of Whitefriar Street Church, clergy from Zimbabwe, and a large congregation, Archbishop Farrell celebrated the gift of mission between the two…

The election of Pope Leo XIV could place the Catholic Church on a “collision course” with US political movements, a leading theologian has warned. Prof. Massimo Faggioli, professor of ecclesiology at the Loyola Institute in Trinity College Dublin and a prominent scholar of global Catholicism, told The Irish Catholic that the unprecedented election of a…

Clonard Youth and Young Adult Ministry gathered for their residential retreat at Greenhill YMCA in Newcastle, Co. Down over the weekend, as part of their Empower 2 Transform (E2T) programme, a regional partnership youth programme delivered across Northern Ireland through YMCA Ireland, Youth Link NI, Youth Initiatives NI, and Mencap NI. The E2T programme aims…