Attune to God through prayer during Advent – Bishop Dermot Farrell

Kilkenny-based Bishop Dermot Farrell of Ossory has issued a pastoral message for Advent which began yesterday. Bishop Farrell said that for many people these past months have been a type of wilderness experience: the pandemic “has brought home to us the limits of our own abilities,” as well as calling into question the wisdom and […]

Trócaire set to record 1 million life-changing Christmas Gifts delivered

Trócaire supporters are set to deliver their one millionth gift to families in the developing world this Christmas. The charity today launched its annual Christmas Gifts campaign and said it will hit the one million milestone over the coming weeks thanks to the generosity of people who support its life-saving work. Trócaire’s Christmas Gifts campaign […]

Pope Francis urges new cardinals to stay on the Lord’s road

Pope Francis on Saturday held the 7th ordinary public consistory of his pontificate to create 13 new cardinals who come from eight nations of the world.  He shared a reflection before bestowing on them the cardinal’s birretta (red hat), the ring and the title. He commented on a passage from Mark’s Gospel where Jesus speaks […]

Pope Francis at Angelus: Advent is a continuous call to hope

During his Angelus from St Peter’s Square, the Pope pointed out that this first Sunday of Advent also marks the beginning of a new liturgical year. He noted that in it, “the Church marks the passage of time with the celebration of the main events in the life of Jesus and in the history of […]

225 years of Maynooth College celebrated in new book

This week saw the launch of a new book on the vast history of Saint Patrick’s College Maynooth. The college celebrates its 225th anniversary in 2020 and this book captures a multi-dimensional perspective of an institution that has held a singular place in modern Irish church history. We Remember Maynooth: A College Across Four Centuries, […]

Bishop Leahy urges ‘no slacking off’ and ‘diligence’ over next 10 days

Bishop Brendan Leahy of Limerick has encouraged the faithful to avoid letting “the guard down” during the coming weeks in the run up to Christmas. Speaking on the relentless nature of Covid-19 restrictions, Bishop Leahy said, “Yes, we’re getting tired of it. But this is when we really need to be careful. When we’re tired, […]

Bishop Larry Duffy to lead special online Advent 2020 service of hope

At 5.00pm this Saturday, 28 November 2020 – the vigil of the First Sunday of Advent – Bishop Larry Duffy of Clogher will lead an online “Service of Hope”. In his recent pastoral letter on living our faith through prayer and action (read here), Bishop Duffy highlighted the centrality of Christian hope in these challenging […]

Ireland’s only online Advent Calendar launched by Archbishop Eamon Martin

Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh has launched the 2020 online Advent Calendar, which will go live on www.catholicbishops.ie on the first Sunday of Advent, which this year falls on 29 November. Now in its seventh year, the unique online Advent Calendar offers resources for the parish, school and for families which can be accessed behind a virtual […]