On March 17, Catholics celebrate St. Patrick, the fifth century bishop and patron of Ireland, whose life of holiness set the example for many of the Church’s future saints. St. Patrick is said to have been born around 389 AD in Britain. Captured by Irish raiders when he was about …

By Peter Jesserer Smith National Catholic Register, Mar 16, 2024 / 07:00 am When St. Patrick arrived in Ireland in the fifth century, he came first as a slave. He later returned as a missionary to plant the seeds of the Catholic faith. In a similar fashion, when the first Irish …

St. Patrick of Ireland is one of the world’s most popular saints. He was born in Roman Britain and when he was fourteen or so, he was captured by Irish pirates during a raiding party and taken to Ireland as a slave to herd and tend sheep. At the time, …

by Kevin Jones Washington D.C., Mar 17, 2021 / 11:04 am MT (CNA).- Among the most popular saints today, Saint Patrick was a bishop and missionary to Ireland. However, he also spent several years as a slave, and once issued a heartfelt plea on behalf of girls and boys abducted …

By Joe Bukuras CNA Staff, Dec 19, 2023 / 13:30 pm More than 40 laymen and laywomen in the Diocese of Clogher in the north of Ireland will soon begin presiding over funeral liturgies amid a shortage of priests. A major vocation crisis could result in fewer than 10 active priests …

By Madeleine Teahan London, England, Sep 16, 2023 / 08:00 am A Catholic priest reputed for rescuing homeless and impoverished children on the streets of Omaha, Nebraska, is expected to soon be declared Venerable by the Vatican, placing him on the path to canonization. Father Edward J. Flanagan, who died in …

By Francesca Pollio Fenton Denver, Colo., Aug 23, 2023 / 14:53 pm Irish-American Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York celebrated Mass at a “Mass rock” in Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland, during a pilgrimage with roughly 40 people from the Archdiocese of New York on Aug. 21. Dolan shared in a video …

By Tyler Arnold Washington D.C., Apr 13, 2023 / 13:00 pm During President Joe Biden’s four-day trip to Ireland, he plans to visit Our Lady of Knock in Knock, County Mayo, which witnesses claim was the site of an apparition of Mary, the Mother of God; St. Joseph, her spouse; and …

CNA Staff, Apr 28, 2021 / 12:00 pm America/Denver (CNA). The president of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland on Wednesday deplored the Irish government’s “disturbing” public worship ban. In an April 28 statement on behalf of the Scottish bishops, Bishop Hugh Gilbert criticized new regulations on public worship, approved April …

CNA Staff, Mar 22, 2021 / 06:30 am MT (CNA).- Police have fined a Catholic priest for celebrating public Masses amid a nationwide lockdown. Gardaí imposed a 500 euro ($595) fine on Fr. P.J. Hughes, pastor of Mullahoran and Loughduff parish in County Cavan, after he offered Masses with a …