The European Union’s plan to import 99,000 tonnes of cheaper beef into the European market every year from a range of South American countries has provoked questions from a priest-farmer, who said that he wouldn’t be happy if the imported beef was produced at a lesser standard than it currently is in Ireland and added…
Most of us live, right now, in a world of storms. Never in history has the human being been under so much pressure from so many directions all at once. The world seems to be on fire as political systems are rocked, and new conflicts and wars are breaking out… The individual person is put…
Some readers might remember the widely-acclaimed BBC documentary series from 1969 called ‘Civilisation’ presented by the ultra-urbane, quintessential Englishman, the art critic, Kenneth Clark. In the 13-part series (which can be found on YouTube), Clark gives a personal view of Western civilisation and how it developed from the ‘Dark Ages’ down to his own day,…
The reopening ceremony of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris happened last Saturday evening, December 7, five years after a fire destroyed part of the building. The Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, Archbishop Eamon Martin attended the reopening Mass. Archbishop Martin was invited by Archbishop Laurent Ulrich, Archbishop of Paris, to represent the bishops…
The Brazilian community in Waterford (Católicos de Waterford) gathered for a Triduum and a procession for Our Lady from December 5-8. The event, a version of the Our Lady Aparecida procession which happens in Dublin annually, brought prayer and hymns to the streets of Waterford. The request for the event, said Scarleth Tavares, one of…
Pope Francis has recently urged priests to keep their homilies short, suggesting a maximum of ten minutes to ensure their message is clear. Speaking during a General Audience, the pontiff said, “After 8 minutes, preaching gets dispersive and no one understands. Never go over 10 minutes, ever! This is very important.” In response, three Irish…
Illiana Ochoa Bravo The Bishop of Elphin and Apostolic Administrator of Achonry has said he is praying for the safety of the Syrian people and for a peaceful transition of power. Bishop Kevin Doran said on social media that he’s thinking of Johanna Ibrahim, his fellow student at the Irish College in Rome and the…
The performance of Catholic schools in the North, following the appearance of 7 Catholic schools on a recently published list of the 10 best schools in Northern Ireland, has been hailed by the Bishop of Derry Donal McKeown who said that in spite of the negative commentary directed at Catholic schools and Faith-based education “those…
Fans of the pop star Gwen Stefani were left “shocked” after she recently announced that she has teamed up with the Catholic prayer app Hallow for its Advent prayer challenge. Ms Stefani (55) was raised Catholic and reportedly remained practicing throughout her music career. However, the partnership between the singer and Hallow “shocked” her fans, according…
The community of Abbeyside, Co. Waterford, has come together to save the ancient Bell Tower of St Augustine’s Church, which has stood on the edge of Dungarvan Harbour since 1450. Water seeping into the 574-year-old tower threatened its structural integrity, leaving parishioners and parish priest Fr Ned Hassett facing a €70,000 repair bill. Fr Hassett…
Brandon Scott
David Quinn
Renata Steffens