Religious life in Ireland is “looking to the future with confidence” despite ageing congregations, with five new congregations joining AMRI and new missionaries coming to serve in the Irish Church, its Secretary General has said. More than 200 delegates from religious institutes, missionary organisations and societies of apostolic life attended AMRI’s annual conference in Tullamore,…
This month, October 12 marks 20 years since the death of St Carlo Acutis. To mark the date, an anniversary celebration will take place in the Sanctuary of the Spoliation, Assisi, from October 9 to 12. Attending and bringing petitions from the Diocese of Waterford and Lismore is Fr Michael Toomey, PP and Administrator of…
Parishioners have rallied around a Belfast priest whose home was burgled while he was hearing confessions, with a fundraiser to support him surpassing its £2,000 target. The GoFundMe for Fr Nideesh Varghese of St Luke’s Parish, Twinbrook, had raised £2,286 by Tuesday, after his home was broken into on October 1. Among the items stolen…
St Eugene’s Church, Glenock, Newtownstewart, Co. Tyrone, has reopened its doors after being closed for twenty months for renovations. The official opening took place on September 27 and received Bishop Donal McKeown, Archbishop Séamus Horgan, Bishop Michael Router, among other visiting priests. The iconic church started as a rectangular building with a thatched roof in…
Archbishop Eamon Martin has called on Catholics in Armagh to help “rebuild” the Church, setting out five missionary pathways for renewal. In his pastoral letter, ‘Go, Rebuild My Church’, the Archbishop said rebuilding could not simply mean creating new programmes or maintaining existing structures but must begin with a renewed encounter with Christ. He acknowledged…
The Secondary Schools education Trust (CEIST) held their annual conference in the Hodson Bay Hotel in Athlone on October 1 and 2, at which the Bishop of Clonfert, Galway and Kilmacduagh Michael Duignan celebrated the opening Mass. Speaking on the theme of the conference, ‘In their footsteps, leading with faith’, Bishop Duignan referred to Catholic…
A diocesan gathering of Alpha teams took place in Cork and Ross, with the aim to prepare teams to run the programme in local parishes. The Alpha programme, a 10 week series of sessions intended to explore the basics of the faith, evangelise and initiate parish renewal, is an opportunity to ask questions and develop…
Legion of Mary founder Frank Duff and St Thérèse of Lisieux both carried God to “the less obvious people” and shared a “real love for souls”, according to the organiser of this week’s visit of the saint’s relics to the Legion’s Dublin headquarters. The relics will be at Morning Star Avenue this Friday and Saturday,…
True education begins with recognising the value and dignity of every person, Archbishop Dermot Farrell has said, as he urged young people to have the courage to engage with the challenges of society rather than retreat from them. Speaking at the celebrations marking the centenary of Mercyhurst University in Pennsylvania, the Archbishop of Dublin said…
Over 250 people gathered at Multyfarnham Friary in Co. Westmeath, on September 26 in commemoration of the 800th anniversary of the death of St Francis. This Saturday, October 3, marks the anniversary, but the Church around the globe has been holding events in commemoration since January, as Pope Leo XIV has declared a Jubilee Year…
Renata Steffens