The Armagh branch of a Church organisation dedicated to encouraging and promoting vocations to the priesthood has taken a lead from youth in launching a new logo. “We need to look to the youth as they are the future,” said David Greer, Armagh Diocesan President of St Joseph’s Young Priests Society. Describing how pupils of…
Fr Christopher McDermott pictured with his parents, Sean and Rosemary McDermott and brothers, Sean and Aidan McDermott and his sister Fidelma and her husband Gerard McNamee at his ordination for the Diocese of Derry at St Mary’s Church, Melmount, Strabane, Co. Tyrone. Photo: Stephen Latimer
The Vatican has stressed that Pope Francis “is on no crusade” following the angry Turkish reaction to his words on genocide during his official visit to Armenia. Visiting the nation between June 24 and 26, Pope Francis chose to address the massacres by Turkey of some 1.5 million Armenians between 1915 and 1923. As is…
Church leaders have agreed to a new national plan that aims to build a culture of vocations in parishes and re-energise the push to promote priesthood and religious life. The establishment of a new national coordinating office is a key part of the new strategy which aims to revolutionise vocations promotion after years of decline.…
Search for longest married couple The Catholic Grandparents Association has issued a search for the longest married couple and the oldest grandparents in Ireland as part of their preparations for the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Grandparents’ Pilgrimage to Knock Shrine on September 11. Send entries to Catholic Grandparents Association, Castlebar Street, Westport, Co. Mayo or email…
Patriarchs for Middle Eastern communities ousted by the rise of so-called Islamic State (ISIS) have criticised the failure of the international community to act fully two years after that group’s emergence. In a joint statement, Syriac Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II and Syriac Catholic Patriarch Ignatius Youssef III Younan said that while they are grateful to…
Leading canon lawyers have poured cold water on suggestions by Pope Francis that “the great majority” of Catholic marriages may in fact be invalid. The Pope commented at a press conference at the Diocese of Rome’s pastoral congress that the prevalent “culture of the provisional” means couples getting married often don’t understand what it means…
The mother of missing Dublin schoolboy Philip Cairns has said she forgives the man linked to her son’s disappearance. Philip went missing 30 years ago, aged 13, and Gardaí believe he may have been abducted by late convicted paedophile Eamonn Cooke. Speaking on RTÉ Radio 1, Philip’s mother Alice said that to make peace with…
Three-week-old Freddie McMullan pictured on the first day of the annual Redemptorist novena in Clonard Monastery, Belfast last week. See Page 6. Photo: Hugh Russell/The Irish News
Staff Reporter Through a warm burst of applause the congregation at the annual Clonard novena have tasked the papal nuncio with passing on an invitation for Pope Francis to visit the Belfast monastery during his expected trip to Ireland in 2018. The Pope’s representative to Ireland, Archbishop Charles Brown, celebrated the youth session at Clonard novena…
Courtney McGrail
Cathal Barry
Greg Daly