As Catholic Schools Week is marked this week across the country, The Irish Catholic has learnt that the Irish Bishops’ Conference is establishing a commission to examine how the Catholic Church might assist the process of school divestment in Ireland. The move comes after more than a decade of discussion about the future patronage of…
On January 11, 2026, Mary McAleese published in The Irish Times a strategically timed article (on the Sunday of the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord) accusing the Catholic Church of using the sacrament of baptism of little children as “long-standing, systemic and overlooked severe restriction on children’s rights with regard to religion”. It…
While the number of people involved in the life of the Church is not as big as it once was, those who choose to be involved are “deeply committed and passionate about their faith,” said Oranmore parish priest, Fr Diarmuid Hogan. “I think it is the experience of my colleagues, and it is certainly my…
St Mary’s Church, Knockmoyle, in Cappagh Parish, Co. Tyrone, has held its last Sunday Mass, after the parish suspended Sunday morning Mass amid growing pressure on clergy and a shortage of priests. The decision has been met with sadness locally, with parishioners describing it as heartbreaking for those with a deep attachment to the church…
The Catholic Mothers Ireland (CMI) has been officially granted charity status by the Charity Commission NI. “This recognition by the Charity Commission is a testament to the dedication of our volunteers and supporters. We look forward to reaching more women and families, offering practical support, faith formation, and a sense of belonging,” said Sinéad Strong,…
Across Irish dioceses, parish life, and national initiatives, those working closest to youth ministry describe something more complex than a simple narrative of decline. In some places, uneven engagement, yes – but also growth in participation, post-Covid rebuilding, and in some places a surprising hunger for prayer, community, and formation. In the Diocese of Killaloe,…
Church leaders from across traditions gathered in Newry this month for a major care for creation conference, as the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (18–25 January) begins with an ecumenical call for Christians to live as “one body and one spirit”. Marking the unity week, Archbishop Eamon Martin, Catholic Archbishop of Armagh, and Archbishop…
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…
Renata Steffens