8 out of 10 Irish adults to give to charity at Christmas More than 8 out of 10 Irish adults plan on making a donation to charity over the Christmas period, a new survey has shown. Some 86% of Irish adults will definitely or probably make a charitable donation of money, time or goods during…
by Fr John Harris Notebook On a night out with friends from college I was once asked if I was an optimist or a pessimist; did I see the glass half full or half empty. I had to think about to for a moment. I had to admit I generally see the glass as being…
Chai Brady, Ruadhán Jones and Jason Osborne Senior Oireachtas members have criticised the “lack of respect” shown for Christians as publicly-funded agencies increasingly use ‘winter’ instead of ‘Christmas’ to speak about the celebration of the birth of Christ. The stance taken by bodies like Dublin City Council and Fáilte Ireland of excluding Christian sentiments is…
Staff Reporter Pope Francis has described meeting survivors of abuse in Ireland as “one of the most heated situations I have had to face”. The Pope was referring to the meeting in 2018 during the World Meeting of Families which took place a day before the Mass in the Phoenix Park. In a new interview,…
The nature of religious symbols across hundreds of State-run primary and secondary schools will be decided on a school by school basis, in consultation with parents according to a new ETB framework on ethos. The ETBI Patrons’ Framework on Ethos applies to over 200 second-level and primary schools run by the Education and Training Boards…
A new bill aimed at addressing the legacy of the Troubles in the North of Ireland deprives victims of their fundamental rights, according to a member of the House of Lords. Baroness Nuala O’Loan, former Police Ombudsman of Northern Ireland, has condemned what she calls the “ludicrously named” Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill.…
Staff Reporter England and Wales are now minority Christian countries, according to the 2021 British census. The census revealed a 5.5 million drop in the number of Christians and a 44% rise in the number of people following Islam. It is the first time in a census of England and Wales that less than half…
The lack of substitute teachers is getting “very serious” and is putting pressure on the entire education system, a representative of a Catholic schools’ body has warned. This comes following recent reports that 60% of posts on teacher supply panels in the Dublin region are vacant, as well as one post in ten across the…
The Archdiocese of Tuam is planning for parishioner led faith communities as the “downward trend” in vocations to the priesthood continues. Archbishop Francis Duffy announced the plans in a pastoral letter to the people of the diocese, read out at Masses over the weekend November 26-27. There are presently 41 diocesan priests under the retirement…
The North’s politicians must act with “more urgency” to establish the Executive as the cost-of-living crisis worsens, St Vincent de Paul NI have said. “There needs to be more urgency [to restore the Executive] given the level of the crisis,” said Mary Waide, president of SVP’s North Region, including Belfast. The comments come after Secretary…
Ruadhán Jones
Chai Brady