The future of the Catholic boarding school sector faces a serious threat in a changed Ireland, following the closure of Cistercian College Roscrea, which has been described as “a very sad death knell”. The announcement of the closure of the college, at Mount St Joseph Abbey in Co. Offaly, means there are now just two…
A Co. Galway church will ‘move to the pace of modern life’ this Lent with a ‘drive-thru’ Ash Wednesday service and Lenten Petition box. Following discussions between PP Fr Paddy Mooney and the pastoral council of Glenamady church on how best to prepare for the Lenten season, it was recognised that something of a novel…
A Co. Kerry priest who lodged a formal complaint against RTÉ after a guest on The Late Late Show referred to the Eucharist as “haunted bread” said he is disappointed that the national broadcaster has chosen to view the incident as “provocative” but “not sacrilegious”. Speaking to The Irish Catholic this week following an email…
“He was a just, holy, prayerful man, aware of his own failings.” Among the tributes paid as the news of Cardinal Desmond Connell’s death came on February 21, Msgr Dan O’Connor’s was one steeped in a long-time personal knowledge of the prelate and the man who was his friend for so many years. Having known…
The Iona Institute and the Pro Life Campaign (PLC) are among a number of life advocates set to address the Citizens’ Assembly next month. Following its own written submission to the Assembly as part of the consultation process around the gathering, Iona confirmed that it had received a formal invitation to make a 10-minute presentation…
Gamal Tawfiq, a Coptic Christian schoolteacher, was walking home from work when his killers struck on February 16. Having been stalked through the streets of el Arish, the largest city on Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, Tawfiq was shot from a passing motorcycle, on which the killers then made their hasty escape. The death of Tawfiq was…
The famed American crooner Harry Connick Jr has revealed how his deep Catholic faith has guided his entertainment career and sustained his 27-year marriage. In an interview ahead of the airing of a new talk-show bearing his name, Connick Jr explained how his faith informs the decisions he makes in life. “The decisions I make…
A prayer initiative in Killaloe has seen two-thirds of parishes in the diocese praying regularly for vocations and a rise in the numbers of young men considering the path to priesthood. According to the diocese, a number of years ago, then Bishop of Killaloe Kieran O’Reilly invited the Lay Apostolate of Eucharistic Adoration to become…
An Irish film which follows the adventures of a young 13th-Century monk as he attempts to transport a holy relic from Ireland to Rome has been sold to a US distributor for €1.2million. The deal means that Pilgrimage, directed by Brendan Muldowney, will reach cinema screens later this year. Pilgrimage tells to the story of …
On February 10 the Kenyan government at last responded to the imploring of the nation’s Catholic bishops and declared the ongoing drought in the country a national disaster. Following a morning briefing that day from officials on the now dire situation in 23 of Kenya’s 47 counties President Uhuru Kenyatta issued the declaration and called…