There’s a danger that persecuted Christians in Nigeria and other parts of the world are “out of sight, out of mind”, Independent Senator Rónán Mullen has said. The “least” Government can do is use whatever levers they have to try and pressure uncooperative countries, such as Nigeria and Nicaragua where attacks on Christians are rife,…
Knock Shrine welcomed north of one million visitors this year in a return to pre-Covid numbers, even as the nearby Ireland West airport revealed that it had enjoyed its busiest year on record in 2023. The Co. Mayo airport said that passenger numbers increased by 13% to 818,000 for the first time in the airport’s…
Many parishes across Ireland saw packed churches this Christmas as people turned out in droves to celebrate the birth of Christ. This followed calls from priests and prelates across the country in early December for people to use the festive period to encourage their friends and neighbours who have been away from the sacraments, to…
Chasing tornadoes has shown storm chaser Tanner Charles a side of God that few ever see, writes Jason Osborne t’s a fascination many have, but few follow through on. The elegant – violent – twisting and meandering of tornadoes across endless plains speaks more loudly of creation’s grandeur than most other natural phenomena. I couldn’t…
Former NBA star Devin Harris recently revealed in an interview with US magazine The Atlantic that he and his three children converted to Catholicism. The move seems to have come following an academic interest in the Catholic Faith, with many commentators noting that Mr Harris’s university thesis was on the famous 15th Century Dominican friar,…
COP28 was a “historic moment in climate negotiations” with its commitment to end the “fossil fuel era,” but the Church in Ireland’s overseas aid agency Trócaire acknowledged that more needs to be done. Trócaire CEO, Caoimhe de Barra said that the promised transition away from fossil fuels is “neither fast, fair nor funded”. “These were…
As Catholics, we know that, at Christmas, we’re heralding the inauguration of a peace that the world cannot give. Throughout Advent we await the coming of the Messiah, and then on that glorious day, he comes among us in the gentlest of forms; a vulnerable, newborn baby.
Football fans on the European continent have been faithfully flying flags for Our Lady and one of the Church’s great saints, St Ambrose of Milan, during recent football games. Images of the flags went viral on social media after the games, with many commenting favourably on the public displays of affection for the Faith. The…
Pope Francis condemned the Israeli military’s killing of two Christian women taking shelter at a Catholic parish in Gaza, as well as an attack on a convent, describing the IDF’s actions as “terrorism”. The Pope’s comments came after praying the Angelus in St Peter’s Square, December 17, as Francis decried the December 16 attack on…
Parishioners across Ireland have been urged to use the festive period to encourage their friends and neighbours who have been away from the sacraments, to come to Christmas Mass and experience anew the sense of community.