Interview with Dr Anna Rowlands in Maynooth who was in Ireland to give the annual Trocaire Lenten talk GARRY How did you get involved with the Vatican and the preparations for the Synod on Synodality? DR ROWLANDS So, my involvement started just before the Frascati meeting and I think because the Pope wanted this genuine…
I never found priestly ministry relentless
Bishop Donal Roche, in an interview with Garry O’Sullivan, describes a love for the priesthood, and reflects on a way of life that is mixed in hope and a sense of fear for what comes next. So I asked you to reflect on Relentless Ministry, what are your thoughts? I don’t find ministry relentless, personally.…
Sacred liturgy being eroded by ‘golf balls and fishing rods’
Priests increasingly demoralised by uncommitted Catholics’ lack of appreciation for sacred – Bishop The sacredness of the liturgy is being eroded by people who don’t understand it and want to personalise it, and this is demoralising priests, according to Bishop Donal Roche, Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin. Speaking to The Irish Catholic as a contributor…
Ireland’s oldest woman had strong faith says family
Born on New Year’s Eve in 1915, at Sandy Row, Ruby Druce was 109 years and 80 days old and was Ireland’s oldest person before her death. Martin Harran, the husband of Ruby’s niece Carmel, with whom Ruby spent the final eight months of her life, told the The Irish Catholic that Ruby’s faith was…
Young people not negative towards Church -Bishop Roche
“Most young people today don’t have a lot of negativity towards the Church , they might actually be more curious about what the Church is offering,” Bishop Donal Roche told The Irish Catholic. Bishop Roche is an auxiliary bishop in the Dublin Archdiocese and is charged with visiting the priests and laity of the parishes…
‘Society wallowing in despair and meaninglessness’ – Bishop
There is a real need for good news, because society is wallowing in despair and meaninglessness, the bishop of Derry Donal McKeown has said. Speaking to The Irish Catholic in Derry, Dr McKeown said there is a need for Catholics to develop the confidence to engage as Catholics with our culture, to influence the culture…
Church’s poverty of imagination needs new thinking – Archbishop
If there is a poverty in our Church today, it is above all, a poverty of imagination, the Archbishop of Dublin has said. “Renewal in the faith is not going to come because we adopt some new management strategy that will address our current shortcomings in ministry and mission. Renewal in faith requires a new…
‘Religion far from a museum piece’ says top female theologian and Vatican advisor
“Thirty years ago, the secularisation thesis taught us that religion was heading toward museum piece status in the West. That thesis has not aged well, Dr Anna Rowlands has said, adding “religion is far from a museum piece and continues to exist, in evolving forms, as a complex, multi-layered and dynamic reality in our current…
Time for Change in the Irish Bishops’ Conference
Pope Francis famously said we aren’t only living in changing times, we are living through the change of an epoch. He also said “Change is necessary to grow. If we do not change, we do not grow.” Leadership renewal is essential in any institution, and the Pope has led by example with some very high…
242 million children’s education suffered due to climate change – Trócaire
More than 242 million students in 85 countries had their schooling disrupted by extreme climate events in 2024 according to Trócaire as it launched it’s Lenten campaign this week. Caoimhe de Barra, Trócaire’s CEO, says “The deep injustice of this is that those who have done least to cause the climate crisis, and who have…