The rain fell steadily on Cork on Corpus Christi Sunday, but it did little to deter the more than 5,000 people who gathered at the Cathedral of St Mary and St Anne to mark the centenary of the city’s Eucharistic Procession. As the Blessed Sacrament emerged from the cathedral, the crowd followed Christ in the…

For obvious historical reasons, the vast majority of primary schools in Ireland are Catholic. The same applies to about half of secondary schools. The national school system arose out of the parochial schools. The vast majority of Irish people prior to independence in 1922 did not want to send their children to State schools because…

On a press trip to Disneyland some years ago, I met a man who took his children to Mass every Sunday even though he had no faith. Why go? I asked. “Because it is good for my children,” he said. He liked Catholic values. This man came to mind as I listened to Maedbh King…

Ireland has one of the fastest-ageing populations in Europe, and most oldsters seem to be coping reasonably well – according to TCD’s Longitudinal Study on Ageing. (‘Tilda’). There are 789 Irish centenarians (including the diaspora) of whom 637 are women, and 152 men. In every study, women averagely live longer than men – more evidence…

For all but six of Ireland’s thirty-four hurling counties, the intercounty season is already over. Before the meteorological summer had even properly begun, the vast majority of counties had played their final championship match of the year. For some their seasons ended not on packed terraces amid the glamour of a sold-out stadium, but in…

Did you see the video showing a priest in Ireland bring a funeral eulogy to a premature close? Even in Canada I was able to view this. I felt sorry for the priest in question, as I have often felt like doing likewise. As a presider at funerals in Ireland for over 40 years, there…

A Belfast young adult Catholic group has marked the end of its first year with a Mass celebrated by Bishop Alan McGuckian, as one member said young people are increasingly trying to “find their way back to the Church”. Recharge, established in September 2024, brings together young Catholic adults from across Belfast and the Diocese…

Recently we had five evenings in the parish, that gave us space and time to reflect a little on The Rosary. The idea came from a number of Parish Pastoral Council meetings where we looked for ways to engage with the parish on a shared journey of faith. The discussion led us to exploring the…

Some years ago, I was attending a Sunday Mass in Co. Galway, when I came to realise that it was also the occasion for First Holy Communions. Well, that’s a lovely ceremony to behold, and adds extra grace to a summer morning. Didn’t Napoleon say that everyone remembers their First Communion for the rest of…

What do you do when a convent dies? It is a question for our times, sadly, with the death of vocations and, frankly, a lack of appreciation for religious sisters, past and present. I was intrigued when Co. Down businessman Ciaran Fitzpatrick contacted me about the old Mercy Convent in Downpatrick, which had been officially…