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Fifteen new students have begun their training for the priesthood for the academic year 2026 - 2027. In total, there are now 74 seminarians in formation training to minister for Irish dioceses, and these are: 15 entering their Propaedeutic Year in various seminaries; 51 are studying in the national seminary of Saint Patrick's College, Maynooth, and at the Redemptoris Mater Seminary in Dundalk;... Read More

For some reason, I had never read anything about or by St Thérèse of Lisieux until I read Fr Joseph Spence's Learning How to Love with St Therese. This was despite the fact that Pauline Sexton, my wonderful sponsor when I was welcomed into full communion with the Catholic Church in Maidstone in 1982, had a deep devotion to the saint, and that I later attended Mass at St Theresa's, Horn's Cross, ... Read More

A Catholic missionary who spent more than two years chained and threatened with death by Islamist extremists said the greatest battle of his captivity was not surviving his kidnappers but resisting the temptation to hate them. Father Pier Luigi Maccalli told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) the ordeal transformed his understanding of faith, peace and forgiveness. The Italian missionary was serving ... Read More

Gospel of 17 September 2026 Luke 7:36-50 At that time: One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet... Read More

From September 2-8, Pax Christi International's Catholic Institute for Nonviolence held a nonviolence training attended by 40+ people followed by a two-day conference, 'Unarmed and Disarming Peace: The Church's Emerging Paradigm Shift to Gospel Nonviolence,' with over 75 participants, including National Council, staff and other members of Pax Christi USA. On September 11, participants spent the d... Read More

The English version of Pope Leo XIV's book 'Freedom Under Grace: Reflections on the Spiritual Tradition That Formed Me,' has been released in the US, UK, Australia, and across the Commonwealth. 'Freedom Under Grace' brings together the Holy Father's reflections on the legacy of St Augustine that have shaped his spirituality and vision for the world. In addition to being the first-ever Pope from th... Read More

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem has reopened the Holy Family Catholic School in Gaza City, after it was closed for about three years due to the war, amid a shortage of educational supplies. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem said during a conference in Rome yesterday: "We have reopened a school that accommodates 1,000 students, but we still do not have desks and pe... Read More

The story of an incredible young woman is at the heart of a new film released by school feeding charity Mary's Meals. Lettie, released earlier this month, revisits the story of a girl who featured in its 2012 award-winning documentary Child 31, highlighting her remarkable journey and the legacy of Mary's Meals' work over two decades in Malawi. Mary's Meals, founded in a shed in the Scottish Highla... Read More

As Tower Bridge swung open to allow a barge to pass beneath, a group of pilgrims paused to watch what felt like a fitting finale to a journey through London's rich and often overlooked Christian past. Moments earlier, the walkers had completed three-mile (5km) riverside pilgrimage tracing centuries of history, faith and sacrifice in support of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). Author, journalist an... Read More

A student made to kneel at a checkpoint, a family rationing water and a university student planning every journey around the risk of settler harassment... Matt Adcock reports from Jerusalem and the West Bank on how Palestinian Christians are measuring the latest British announcement against the realities of ordinary life. One young man of 15 arrived late for college while I was visiting Ramallah. ... Read More

Gospel of 16 September 2026 John 17:11b-19 At that time: Jesus lifted up his eyes to heaven, and praying said, 'Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture mig... Read More

Bishop John Arnold, Bishop of Salford and Lead Bishop for Environmental Issues for the Bishops' Conference, has issued a statement halfway through the Season of Creation highlighting how the world's violent conflicts are impacting on our common home. Bishop Arnold also reminds us that we all have a part to play: "We must never assume that changing our own hearts and our own behaviour will have no ... Read More

A Willesden cyclist undertaking an epic 2,246-mile ride from Britain to Jerusalem says faith, prayer and growing physical strength are helping him overcome the toughest stages of his journey. Andrew Foote, who is raising money for Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), has reached Italy after weeks on the road and some of the most demanding terrain he has encountered so far. While many cyclists might ex... Read More

Under the first Catholic Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, the UK Government today has introduced the Repeal Bill to remove the historic religious restrictions which prevents a Roman Catholic or Jewish Prime Minister from carrying out the full constitutional duties of their office. This new legislation will mean Roman Catholic and Jewish Prime Ministers can provide advice on Church of England appoint... Read More