The Legion of Mary, which remains the largest lay organisation in the Roman Catholic Church, was founded in Dublin on this day, September 7th, 1921, by Frank Duff, and celebrates 99 years in existence today. Almost a century after it was founded in a small room on Francis Street, Dublin, the Legion of Mary has […]
Tom Mitchell who died on July 22 just short of his 89th birthday was twice elected as a Westminster MP while a republican prisoner, which I believe is a unique distinction. Mitchell was born in Dublin in 1931 and joined the Dublin Brigade of the IRA in the early 1950s. He took part in a […]
At least two statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary have been attacked in recent days in the U.S., while churches have also come under attack, with one being set alight while parishioners prepared for Mass. The Catholic News Agency reported that last Saturday morning, the Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Ocala, was set aflame […]
There are times when I have to pinch myself, when I read the concerns of journalists as expressed in our mainstream media, about the interaction between religion and politics in Ireland – and contrast it with the actual relationship between religion and politics in this country, as evidenced by social surveys. A recent survey, carried […]
Yesterday morning the former Minister for Justice Alan Shatter sent out a tweet calling on several political parties and organisations, including the Irish Catholic Bishops development agency, Trócaire, to publicly comment on what he has termed “a despicable attack by Hamas thugs on an 85-year-old woman in Gaza.” Part of the reason Mr Shatter specifically […]
Two babies who had been abandoned at a New Jersey recycling center in February have been buried with dignity by the Catholic Diocese of Metuchen. Last Friday, a graveside committal service laid the bodies of the two infants to rest in St. Peter’s Catholic Cemetery in New Brunswick. Because of covid-19 restrictions, the small number of mourners […]
This is a strange time and a strange situation. The sentiment is indisputably true, but only in some respects. In fact, in the most important respect it is false. Rather than living in an abnormal time we are living in a time where normality has been amplified to the point whereby we cannot easily escape […]
Last year Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Catholic woman accused of blasphemy against Islam, arrived to make a new life in Canada with her family. After being convicted and sentenced to death, she had languished in jail for ten years. Her lawyers received death threats. But Asia Bibi is far from being the only Pakistani Christian […]
This Easter may have been a particularly strange and muted one for Christians, with church doors closed and digital media providing a poor substitute in its place, but the significance of the event remains the same: the Son of God rises from the dead in glory, giving us a chance to live with Him eternally.
St Patrick is now one of the world’s best known Catholic figures but the earliest known celebration of the saint is believed to have been held on March 17, 1631, marking the anniversary of his death in the 5th century. In that year, bubonic plague raged across parts of Europe, especially impacting Italy where the epidemic […]
Christian persecution is all too real for the victims…
Further advice of the Irish Bishops in response to the COVID-19 Coronavirus The instructions, which will remain in place until at least March 29th and possibly longer, call for the cancellation of all non-essential pastoral gatherings and meetings, such as religious seminars and retreats. It also says that all confirmations are to be postponed until […]