Counselling and  faith were what got the principal of Columbine High School through the horrific events and aftermath of September 20, 1999 when 14 students of a high school  and a teacher were massacred by two shooters. Frank DeAngelis (62) came to prominence as the principal who stood with the school and rebuilt a broken…

Authorities in Wenzhou, in the Chinese province of Zhejiang, have arrested the Vatican-appointed coadjutor bishop following the death of his government-approved superior.  Bishop Peter Shao Zhumin was reportedly lifted as the death drew near of the ailing 89-year-old Bishop Vincent Zhu Weifang.  Bishop Zhumin’s secretary, Fr Paul Jiang Sunian was also reportedly arrested. The move…

Michael Kelly in Bethlehem Archbishop Eamon Martin has appealed to Irish Catholics to show their support for hard-pressed Christians in the Holy Land by undertaking pilgrimages of support. Leading 175 Irish pilgrims in a historic ‘Christian Solidarity pilgrimage’ to the Holy Land this week, the Primate of All-Ireland used a meeting with the Mayor of Bethlehem, Vera…

Police continue inquiries into Notre Dame car incident Police in France are continuing to investigate the circumstances behind the placing of a car filled with gas canisters and diesel cans near to Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.  Though the car was not rigged for an explosion, the suspicious placement of the vehicle led investigators to a female figure named on a terror…

The Legion of Mary, the Franciscans, the Daughters of Charity and St Joseph of Cluny Sisters will be among those raising the flag for faith at this year’s National Ploughing Championship which takes place from September 20-22 at Screggan, Tullamore.   Other Church-related exhibitors include EWTN and Trócaire.  The Church of Ireland diocese of Kildare…

The leading Catholic prelate in the West African nation of Gabon has issued a call for an international mediator to solve the political crisis that has arisen since recent presidential elections.  After the incumbent Ali Bongo claimed victory by a narrow margin of just 6,000 votes in the August 27 poll, violence erupted amid claims…

A medal-winning British athlete at the Paralympian Games in Rio has spoken of how her trust in God led to success after devastating injuries threatened to ruin her athletics career. Stefanie Reid scooped Britain’s first medal at the Games, taking silver in the long jump event. This was her third Paralympic medal since 2008.  However,…

The Catholic Bishops of the US have voiced objections to proposals to allow scientists to commence research involving human-animal hybrids. In a message submitted to the National Institutes of Health, a division of the Department of Health, the prelates sounded a warning over the ethical arguments surrounding “beings who do not fully belong to either…

Faith and Life Convention The third annual Down & Connor Faith and Life Convention will be held at Our Lady and St Patrick’s College, Knock, Belfast on September 24. This year’s keynote speaker will be former Westminster MP Sarah Teather. She is the current director of the Jesuit Refugee Service in Britain.  At age 29…

Fr Jacques Mourad, the Jesuit priest who escaped the clutches of so-called Islamic State (ISIS) after five months in captivity in 2015 has said the faith of Christians in Syria remains strong despite the conflict there. Now ministering in Sulaymaniya, in Iraqi Kurdistan, Fr Mourad was formerly prior of the Monastery of Mar Elian in…