Arsonist arrested after burning down US church After a fire destroyed Most Blessed Sacrament Church in Franklin Lakes in the early hours of December 11 the suspected arsonist was arrested. He was receiving burn treatment at a local hospital prior to his court hearing. “We are thankful for the efforts of the police, firefighters and…
Róise McGagh A nun from Co. Down who took her vows in 1942 recently celebrated her 100th birthday in Port Elizabeth. Sr Mary Bartholomew was sent to South Africa at the beginning of World War II. Her five nieces flew from Leitrim to join her for the celebration. Growing up in Leitrim, Sr Mary, born…
EXCLUSIVE The Pope’s representative in Ireland has said that the process to streamline and merge Ireland’s dioceses has already begun, despite opposition from some quarters. In an exclusive interview with The Irish Catholic, Papal Nuncio Archbishop Jude Thaddeus Okolo confirmed that “the process of amalgamation has already started”. Following the high-profile 2010-2012 Vatican investigation of…
Well-known singing and now dancing priest Fr Ray Kelly has said he hopes his surprise appearance on RTÉ’s Dancing with the Stars will delight his parishioners and show people that priests are “ordinary guys”. The parish priest based in Oldcastle in Meath, originally from Tyrrelspass, will line up alongside reality TV celebrity Yewande Biala –…
Claire Fitzpatrick Irish folk musician Johnny Duhan [pictured] has revealed that he feels unable to speak openly about his Faith with fellow musicians in the industry. The spiritual world and the music world “don’t go that well together”, he said in an interview with the Christmas edition of Intercom. “Most of the people in the…
Róise McGagh Doras has called for Mount Trenchard Direct Provision Centre in Limerick to be closed immediately due to the unsuitable living conditions. These conditions make it very difficult to practice religion according to John Lannon director of Doras. “It would be extremely difficult to attend mass or engage in any kind of religious services…
Róise McGagh The Galway Cathedral Christmas Eve Mass will be broadcast live at 11pm. It will be available to view on RTÉ and other channels across Europe on December 24. “Our Christmas Eve Mass is always a very busy session at Galway Cathedral,” said Fr Martin Whelan, curate at Galway Cathedral. “It is incredible to…
Children who believe in God are much more likely to be tolerant of other religions than those who are atheist, while the vast majority of teens believe religious education is “beneficial” according to a major Irish study. A book launched this week, Religion and Education, The Voices Of Young People in Ireland, found that after…
The December 3 announcement by the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, that the Vatican has decided to postpone the beatification of Archbishop Fulton Sheen has led to a grassroots effort to have Masses said all over the world to pray his beatification will go forward. “We decided to respond in the most positive and prayerful way…
The Australian government has decided to revisit its religious discrimination legislation after key religious groups – including the Archdiocese of Sydney – said they would withdraw their support. “We made a commitment to Australians to address this issue at the last election, and we are keeping faith with that commitment in a calm and considered…
Michael Kelly
Chai Brady