Dr Lazarus Gidolf An 11-year-old boy comes home crying from school. His older sister asks what happened. “Teacher called me names!” he replies. “What did he call you?” she asks angrily. “He called me ‘deacon’ and the whole class bullied me afterwards… I am not going back… they are all calling me ‘deacon’…” Anger moved…

“When you finally get that transplant, it’s like winning the Lotto,” says John Whelan, the newly elected National Chairman of the Irish Kidney Association (IKA). He has been a member of the IKA since he went searching for answers after his diagnosis of end-stage renal failure in 2006. A native of Wexford, he grew up…

Older people of Dublin North City and County will no longer be lonely with the expansion of ALONE’s support services to their area. The charity, which supports older people in their choice to age at home, has partnered with HSE to further this mission. “Repeated studies have demonstrated that ageing at home is the first…

Mary Ellen Doyle Originally from the ‘sunny’ south east of Ireland, I have been training and working since 2015 in the field of mediation, organisational conflict management and conflict transformation. I employ a variety of methodologies and experiences to work with individuals to help them identify the root causes of their conflicts, thus, helping them…

A place of people, prayer and peace, the French monastic site at Taizé offers a spiritual retreat from an often hectic and growing secular world. Established in 1940 by Brother Roger, who founded it as a safe haven during WWII, Taizé has become one of the most popular pilgrimage sites in Europe, with over 100,000…

A cohort of keen and competitive children across Ireland will be challenging one another in their respective skills this summer, ranging from swim strokes to paint strokes to tennis strokes. Initially founded in 1967 to provide young people with lively and productive opportunities, the Community Games, now called the Aldi Community Games following a three-year…

Last month 400 pilgrims set out from the Diocese of Killaloe on the summer pilgrimage to Lourdes. The group included Bishop Fintan Monahan, eight priests, 52 assisted pilgrims, nursing and hospitality staff, 48 youth helpers, 10 youth leaders, the choir from the parish of Ogonnelloe and one Rose. The Clare Rose of Tralee contestant, Aoife…

A revitalising form of Christian worship is making new ground in Ireland after having been recently approved by the Pontifical Council for the Laity. The Parish Cell System of Evangelisation entails a small community of faith groups, under the guidance of a leader, speaking about God’s role in their life as well as listening and…

In Shannon, Co. Clare, a group of women are working together to produce little dresses with big meaning. The Shannon Angel Sisters create ‘Angel Gowns’ for babies born too soon. At a time when a family finds themselves thrown into the world of neonatal intensive care units (NICU’s), their lives can be turned inside out.…

Emer McGlone My name is Emer McGlone I am 15 years old. I live in Boho, Co. Fermanagh and am a member of Cleenish Parish. I attend Mount Lourdes Grammar school in Enniskillen. Clogher don Óige was launched in 2003 by the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Clogher. Its aim was to inspire young…