Poland’s most popular shrine could receive a record number of pilgrims in 2024, according to local media. The shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa, at Jasna Góra Monastery in southern Poland, received as many as 4.5 million pilgrims a year before the COVID pandemic, when annual visitors dropped below 1 million. But pilgrim numbers have bounced back since…
Letter of the week Keep your lamps lit Dear Editor, I have just finished reading the history of the Catholic Church, and how the early Christians and Christianity in general, survived the persecutions of the first 300 years, is a testament to the words of Jesus to St Peter, “On this rock I will build…
The Office of the Ombudsman for Children Office marked its 20th anniversary this year with a survey – and given their focus, they decided: “who better to ask than those we work for, the children of Ireland, how that future should look and what we, as defenders of children’s rights, should be prioritising?” Yes, it…
Misean Cara is an Irish faith-based membership organisation, celebrating its 20th Anniversary this year, having been founded in 2004. Misean Cara supports the international development work of Irish missionaries working overseas, and is made up of 77 missionary and lay organisations working in more than 50 countries to empower those left furthest behind. Witnessing the…
A Catholic priest has said that “violence is never the answer” after further scenes of unrest and anti-immigration protests took place across the UK. The violent scenes in several towns and cities, including Middlesbrough, Rotherham, Bolton, Belfast, Liverpool and Southport, were sparked by the killing of three young girls in Southport at a Taylor Swift-themed…
Renata Steffens and Renata Milán Morales St. Patrick’s Purgatory, also known as ‘Station Island’ or ‘Lough Derg’, is a pilgrimage site located in Co. Donegal, Ireland. Known for its rich tradition of penitence and prayer, it offers pilgrims a unique opportunity to step away from the chaos of daily life and immerse themselves in a…
Cardinal Vincent Nichols has written to Monsignor Eric de Moulins-Beaufort from the Bishops’ Conference of France to share his deep regret at the “scenes of mockery and derision of Christianity” during the Olympics’ opening ceremony in Paris. Archbishop de Moulins-Beaufort had already issued a statement expressing the French bishops’ ‘regret’ at the controversial content during…
Speaking on Joe Duffy’s Liveline programme last week, Deacon Frank Browne, a permanent deacon attached to Rathfarnham Parish, lamented at what he sees as a common “message that’s continually in the media” surrounding the Church and abuse; a message he believes the Church needs to robustly counter by outlining the successes of its safeguarding systems…
Fr Jason Nioka was ordained a Catholic priest one month ago, and his very first assignment is to spend his summer in Paris in charge of the Catholic contingent of Olympic chaplains – the largest group of chaplains at the Olympics – made up of 40 Catholic priests, religious, and lay faithful. In an interview…
Will Heller, a 21-year-old from Toledo, Ohio, is a two-time Junior National Medallist and All American, a state record holder in Ohio and Michigan, and the 2023 University National Champion in the 102 kilogram class in weightlifting. However, the weightlifting phenom now has his sights on a more soul-intensive goal – becoming a Catholic priest.…