Philippine Catholics should pray the Rosary each day until the May 9 elections, the country’s bishops have said. On behalf of the national bishops’ conference, Lingayen-Dagupan’s Archbishop Socrates Villegas issued a statement reminding voters of the power of prayer. “Pray the mysteries of joy, light, sorrow and glory every day, until May 9,” he said.…

The number of diocesan priests in Ireland has plummeted by more than 500 in just 10 years, according to the latest official statistics. The most significant fall off was between the years 2013 and 2014, when the number of priests dropped by 120 in the 12-month period. Vatican figures show that while there were 3,141…

Bishop Denis Nulty of Kildare & Leighlin throws in the ball at a re-enactment of the 1916 hurling and football finals in Netwatch Cullen Park in Carlow. Photo: John Brophy

The €14m sale of a former seminary to Dublin City University has been completed, amid speculation that the campus grounds will become home to an Educate Together school. All Hallows College in Drumcondra signed preliminary contracts with DCU in June last year, accepting the bid after, it is understood, turning down offers of over €20…

The Pro Life Campaign (PLC) has said any suggestion that negotiations for a new government would be held up by discussions on abortion “is astonishing given the lack of support for a referendum that emerged in the recent election”. Sinead Slattery of the PLC said “the feedback from the recent election was that the abortion…

The pilgrimage season at Knock Shrine in Co. Mayo will get underway on Sunday, April 24 and the programme of events includes a concert to commemorate the 1916 Rising and World War I. The RTÉ concert orchestra will perform on Saturday, May 14 in the newly refurbished Basilica, with a performance from mezzo-soprano Anne Marie…

Bishop Kevin Doran has announced his intention to establish a Diocesan Council for Marriage and the Family. The Bishop of Elphin told The Irish Catholic the idea for such a council “arises particularly at the moment because of the need to engage in some form of pastoral response following from the Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia…

Catholic chaplains have rejected suggestions that low Mass attendance at institutes of technology might provide a meaningful way of measuring the contribution of chaplaincies to college life. Following Freedom of Information requests to 13 institutes of technology, Atheist Ireland criticised how third level colleges annually provide over €1.5 million for Catholic-run chaplaincies. Citing an average…

Staff Reporter Boxing champ Anthony Joshua’s mother skipped her son’s world title fight at the weekend, opting instead to stay at home and pray for his safety. Rather than cheering her son on as he challenged Charles Martin for the IBF heavyweight title in front of a 20,000 crowd at London’s O2 Arena, Yeta Odusanya remained…

To mark his 25th year in the priesthood, Fr Gary Donegan CP, rector of Holy Cross Ardoyne in Belfast, has committed to a ‘Silver Jubilee Climb’ of Croagh Patrick on Saturday, May 14 to raise money for the MS Society NI and Marie Curie. To donate visit www.mssociety.org.uk/ms-events/fr-garys-croagh-patrick-challenge-1 Photo: Hugh Russell/The Irish News