Parishioners need to be helped realise the strains clergy of all denominations face, a prominent Belfast priest has said. Speaking to The Irish Catholic ahead of a conference in Lisburn next month on ‘Pastoring the Pastor’, Fr Martin McGill said it’s vital to let people understand the challenges today’s clergy face. “We need to raise…
Nóra Quoirin was a special bearer of the Holy Spirit and gifted others with immeasurable love and joy, the priest celebrating her funeral Mass said this week. 15-year-old Nóra, who had special needs, went missing during a family holiday in Malaysia last month, with her body being found after a 10-day search. Local police said…
Gambling laws in the North of Ireland don’t take the issue of problem gambling seriously enough, which has “serious consequences” for individuals and families, a charity and former addict have said in the wake of new findings. A report examining the issue was required under the recently passed Northern Ireland (Executive Formation) Act, which found…
Kerry fans who want to watch the replay of the All-Ireland Football Final can attend vigil Mass early this Saturday. In a letter sent to priests across the diocese, Kerry’s Bishop Ray Browne said parishes could change the times of evening Masses to facilitate massgoers keen on watching the 6pm replay against Dublin. Vigil Masses…
Zambia’s bishops have urged South African leaders to do more to stop xenophobic attacks, and a South African archbishop has warned of a rising tide of hatred and violence in the country. “Xenophobia and its resultant chaos are not just criminal but cruel, barbaric and abominable,” Zambia’s bishops said in a September 7 statement titled,…
An estimated 20,000 people took to the streets of Belfast on Saturday to oppose moves from Westminster to impose abortion on the North. Holding signs with the simple message ‘not in our name’, protesters heard calls to lobby their politicians in a bid to restore the assembly and executive as a way to stop the…
With Hurricane Dorian leaving widespread destruction in the Bahamas last week, Catholic agencies are coordinating response efforts for those affected by the storm. “The devastation, especially on Abaco and Grand Bahama, is significant,” said Nikki Gamer, media relations manager for Catholic Relief Services. Dorian slammed into the Bahamas as a Category 5 hurricane on September…
Grandparents can help children to understand the Faith and see that people must be valued for who they are, not simply what they can do, Elphin’s Bishop Kevin Doran has said. Speaking at the national pilgrimage of the Catholic Grandparents’ Association to Knock Shrine, Bishop Doran said that with today’s harsh economic realities causing parents…
‘Seek beauty, find Truth’ – the inspirational words from St John Paul II was the theme for this year’s Legion of Mary young adult conference held in Dublin. Those present heard that the Pontiff’s key to evangelisation was to encourage Catholics that “leaning on God, they continue to reach out, always and everywhere, for all…
Thousands participated in Saturday’s March for Life in the Costa Rican capital, urging that the president not sign a technical regulation for the performance of therapeutic abortion. The event was organised by Wake Up Costa Rica, Democracy in Action, and the Autonomous University of Central America. Joining the march were politicians who urged President Carlos…
Greg Daly
Chai Brady