Priests must get used to a more inclusive style of ministry, where they work alongside parishioners, Bishop Brendan Leahy has said. Speaking at the Diocese of Limerick’s annual Chrism Mass, Bishop Leahy said Pope Francis’ vision directly addresses the needs of the Irish Church. “One of Pope Francis’ goals is to establish the synodal Church,…
Month: April 2019
Looking to a future that is pro-life
Dublin will play host to a major pro-life gathering next month to mark the anniversary of last year’s referendum removing the right to life from the unborn. ‘Ireland – the future is pro-life: fighting to restore a culture of life’ will be held on Saturday, May 25 and will focus on how the pro-life community…
Rwanda’s bishops apologise for call to release genocide convicts
Rwanda’s Catholic bishops have apologised for urging the release of some prisoners convicted for roles in the 1994 genocide, saying they realised by the reaction that they had caused much hurt. The statement followed criticism of a pastoral letter that called for the release of old and ill convicts serving sentences for the mass killings.…
Let the games begin
Hannah Harn discusses the pitfalls and potential of Ireland’s video game industry When most people turn on their gaming console, they are looking for an hour or two of fun on the weekends. Now, some of the best players the gaming world has to offer are finding ways to turn a hobby into a…
Paris disaster ‘wake-up call’ for fate of Irish churches
Calls have been made for religious buildings across Ireland to be fire-proofed, amid fears that dilapidated churches could be easily prone to disaster. Speaking in the aftermath of the huge fire which ravaged Notre-Dame’s Cathedral earlier this month, Dublin’s Archbishop Diarmuid Martin said that he “worries” that churches in Ireland may meet a similar fate.…
Is the great Easter miracle true?
Questions of Faith Easter is a very special time in the liturgical calendar, in fact, out of all the events Catholics celebrate, Resurrection Sunday is undoubtedly the most important. This is because on this day, Christians remember that after three days of death following his crucifixion, the Son of God rose from the dead fulfilling…
The Liffey flows out of the past into the future
The River Liffey: History and Heritage by Christopher Moriarty (Collins Press, €21.99) Dubliners seem to take the Liffey much for granted. It has been flowing, Christopher Moriarty tell us in this very detailed account of the river and its course, for some ten millennia. It seems to have failed only once. In 1452, the old annals…
Mayo abbey set to be pilgrim hub
A €3 million development at an 800-year-old abbey in Co. Mayo will serve as a hub for exploring the role of pilgrimages in Ireland and Europe’s Christian identity, according to the local parish priest. Fr Frank Fahey told The Irish Catholic that Mayo County Council’s support for building an interpretative centre at Ballintubber Abbey will…
Call for calm after Peruvian president suicide
The president of Peru’s conference of bishops has called for calm after two-time former Peruvian President Alan Garcia died on April 17 after shooting himself in the head as authorities prepared to arrest him. “A sad end for this person, who was also important, independently from political and financial situations,” Archbishop Miguel Cabrejos Vidarte of…
Derry students dazzle in Passion play
While the Passion narrative was recorded over 2,000 years ago in the Middle East, a group of Derry-based schools decided this month to offer their own interpretation of those few fateful days. Students of St Joseph’s Boys’ Secondary School, St Columb’s College and St Mary’s College gathered in St Eugene’s Cathedral to visually retell the…