The difference of views between Bishop Niall Coll (I-Gen and Gen Z youth) and Fr Brendan Hoban (writing recently in The Western People) is about more than one bishop’s reading of youth culture or one priest’s irritation with it. It goes to the heart of the deepest question facing Irish Catholicism: where, exactly, is renewal…
Public debate about the role of women in the Catholic Church tends to orbit around one question: Will the Church ordain women? In some circles, that question narrows even further: will women at least be ordained deacons? But the latest work emerging from Study Group 5 of the Synod on Synodality offers a sobering reminder:…
Bishop Niall Coll’s recent remarks mark a significant moment in the lead-up to the upcoming October synod, indicating an episcopal push towards inclusivity, particularly for the younger generations who often feel disconnected from the synodal process. His insights reflect a growing recognition that many of today’s youth have no memory of a Catholic Ireland and…
Dr Mary McAleese’s Irish Times column recently argues [an argument that she has been making since at least 2018] that infant Baptism “denies babies their human rights” because it enrols them—without their consent—into lifelong Catholic membership with binding obligations and (in her view) a “no-exit policy.” She ridicules the language of “renewing baptismal promises” (since…
In the physiotherapy room at the Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) hospital in Amman, Jordan, Iyad (17, Palestine) is laughing as he is passing a football with his friend Hossam (21, Iraq). It’s part of Iyad’s physiotherapy session. “It helps me a lot when Hossam joins,” says Iyad. “We joke a lot, but we…
When we think about the legacy we will leave behind, it’s not just about material possessions—it’s about the values we hold dear: love, compassion, and care for those most in need. One of the most profound ways to live those values beyond our lifetime is by making a will and considering a legacy gift to…
Be remembered for continuing Sr Stan’s vision of hope for a kind, loving future… Dear The Irish Catholic reader, Take a moment to step back in time with me and reflect on Sr Stan’s life and legacy. Sr Stan was born Treasa Kennedy on June 19, 1939, near Lios Póil on the Dingle Peninsula.…
The brave Catholics of Holy Family Parish turn to Jesus, Mary and Joseph this Christmas and always, writes Michael Kelly or the first time in three years, the Christians of Gaza decorated their Christmas trees with a cautious hope for more peaceful times. Hope is always tempered by caution in Gaza. They’ve been here before,…
As the homelessness crisis in Cork worsens, one local woman shares how she hopes to help Cork Simon make a difference. Since Ann Wixted first moved to Cork over 40 years ago, plenty has changed. For starters, the Dublin native has fallen head over heels for the real capital in ways she never imagined. “We…
A gift in your Will can bring that same hope and healing to other families facing childhood cancer and other serious illnesses. Please consider leaving a gift in your will to help children like Fióna. Childhood cancer entered the O’Reilly family’s life in the most unexpected way. One ordinary morning, while dressing her 14-month-old daughter,…
Michael Kelly