Paul KeenanDrawn by “like-minded people” and in “hope of an uplifting event”, thousands of people packed the main hall at Dublin’s RDS for the 26th Divine Mercy Conference last weekend. According to organisers, despite pressure on Dublin accommodation from the Ireland v France Six Nations rugby clash at the nearby Aviva Stadium, the Divine Mercy recorded…
Category: News
NI Catholic principals call for clarity on academic selection
The North’s Catholic Principals’ Association (CPA) has called for “clarity” from bishops on the issue of academic selection for grammar schools, after the announcement of a drive to formulate a single entrance exam to serve all schools by 2019. The announcement by the Post-Primary Transfer Consortium (PPTC) of a link-up with the Association of Quality…
Out and About
Mags GarganNewry couples celebrate with ACCORD Bishop McAreavey and Canon Michael Hackett recently concelebrated a Mass of Commitment for Engaged Couples in the Cathedral of SS Patrick & Colman in Newry, which had a special significance for those preparing for marriage in the Diocese of Dromore. Later, at a short reception held in the Newry Parish…
Award winner Viola Davis thanks God for success
Actress Viola Davis shared the secret of her Oscar-winning success during her Academy Award acceptance speech this week: God. Lauded for her Best Supporting Actress role in Fences, Davis sought to share her moment of glory with fellow Christian Denzel Washington, her co-star and Fences director, thanking him for “putting two entities in the driving…
Christians flee Sinai after two Coptic murders in Arish
Christians are fleeing the Sinai region of Egypt following the latest murders targeting the community, and just days after so-called Islamic State (ISIS) called for the slaughter of all Christians there. According to reports from the region, following a February 19 video which appeared online to call on supporters of ISIS to target Christians in…
Primate calls for retention of free movement post-Brexit
Greg Daly
Brexit must not affect freedom of movement on the island of Ireland, Archbishop Eamon Martin has said. The Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All-Ireland expressed concerns about the threat Britain’s vote to leave the European Union would pose to cross-border movement in Ireland, and said the country’s bishops want guarantees that Brexit will not…
Catholic parishes targeted in D.R. Congo clashes
Catholic parishes in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have been attacked and looted in a serious escalation of violence in the country. According to reports, militants in the central Kasai province, who have been fighting the military since August, have increased their attacks on civilian communities, bringing accusations of serious human rights abuses. “Violence…
What’s your Lenten challenge?
“I’m giving up meat, cheese, eggs and butter for Lent. I really wanted to challenge myself this year and it is basically the historical way that people used to do it.” – Eddie (42) *** “I don’t give up anything for Lent. Life is tough enough and I would end up not sticking to it…
Holy Land experts to dig at ‘Ark of the Covenant site’
Archaeologists in the Holy Land have announced plans to excavate a previously untouched site associated with the story of the Ark of the Covenant. According to the Times of Israel, researchers have at last turned their attention to Kiryat Ye’arim, the location of a biblical town dating to the story of King David and mentioned…
Meath’s first new monastery since the Reformation
The Bishop of Meath has signed a decree to establish what is believed to be the first new monastery in the diocese since the suppression of the monasteries by Henry VIII. Bishop Michael Smith presided at the canonical establishment of the monastery at Silverstream Priory on Saturday, “erecting the Benedictine Monks of Perpetual Adoration of…