At Prevost meeting, Charlotte’s Martin urged to slow down on cathedral project

In a meeting last month with the future Pope Leo XIV, the Vatican urged Bishop Michael Martin to slow his pace on proposed major changes in the Diocese of Charlotte.

Martin was advised especially to slow down on a plan to relocate the diocesan cathedral, after less than one year leading the North Carolina diocese.

The Vatican’s intervention came at the same time that priests in the diocese were pushing back on the bishop’s plan for broad liturgical changes in the diocese, and after a consulting group flagged Martin’s “speed of change” as an area in need of improvement in the Charlotte diocese.

In April 2024, the Diocese of Charlotte announced plans to build a new cathedral, as the existing St. Patrick’s Cathedral, originally built as a parish church, had become too small for the needs of a fast-growing diocese.

The decision to build a new cathedral came at the recommendation of a task force formed by now-retired Bishop Peter Jugis to study the needs of the diocese.

Soon after Bishop Martin was installed as Charlotte’s bishop in late May 2024, the diocese announced that Martin was examining sites for the cathedral both in and outside the city.

But sources in the Charlotte diocese told The Pillar this week that Martin ultimately nixed the task force’s recommendation to build, and instead considered plans to establish an existing parish as the diocesean cathedral.

After considering three possible parishes as the new Charlotte cathedral, Martin ultimately landed on one earlier this year, sources say — St. Mark’s in Huntersville, North Carolina. The location, some 20 minutes outside the city, came as a surprise to some local Catholics.

The plan saw mixed reactions in the diocese. While some local clerics thought the selection of an existing church might allow for the best possibility architecturally, some raised questions about a diocesan cathedral outside of its see city, and others about the reasons behind the decision — and especially about what would happen to a $10 million bequest to the diocese that was slated to be used to begin the cathedral construction project.

As things proceeded, the Vatican also had questions.

According to sources close to the Dicastery for Bishops, the plan was the subject of a meeting between Bishop Martin and then-Cardinal Prevost in April.

Those sources say Martin had a one-hour meeting April 1 with Prevost — then prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops — largely to discuss the issues.

“There was awareness and concern about the proposal to move the cathedral in the dicastery, so the meeting took place in that context,” a senior Vatican source close to the Dicastery for Bishops told The Pillar.

“It was felt that [Bishop Martin] was moving very fast with big ideas for changes to the diocese, and he had only just arrived. He was asked to consider taking time to know the people and the diocese better before deciding on things which could be received as disruptive.”

“Specifically on the cathedral the desire was for [Martin] to move slowly, much more slowly,” the source told The Pillar.

The meeting was meant as a kind of pastoral encouragement to a recently consecrated bishop, a senior source emphasized, not a disciplinary session.

“Bishops’ meetings in the dicastery, especially with the prefect, are fraternal, sharing the wisdom and benefit of experience, especially for new bishops. Usually, there is receptivity.”

Formally, the pope erects diocesan cathedrals, rather than the diocesan bishop himself.

For its part, the Diocese of Charlotte told The Pillar Thursday that the diocese “is still evaluating a variety of options for a new cathedral, including possible new construction and renovation of an existing church, while also evaluating other construction and pastoral needs across the diocese, particularly in the wake of Hurricane Helene.”

“We are gathering input and studying growth patterns to determine where we need new churches to serve our growing population, and whether any of those locations would make sense to also serve as a cathedral,” communications director Liz Chandler told The Pillar. 

Prevost — now Pope Leo XIV — encouraged Martin to make change more slowly in the diocese at the same time that both Charlotte’s presbyteral council and a diocesan task force pushed back on Martin’s plans for a broad swath of liturgical restrictions in the diocese.

These plans were to include a prohibition on Roman style vestments, altar crucifixes and candles (in favor of those used in the processional and placed next to the altar), the use of the Latin language, and the recitation of vesting prayers, customarily recited by priests as they don the vestments used for Mass.

A draft text detailing those plans was published Wednesday by the traditionalist blog Rorate Caeli; The Pillar reported that the draft had been shelved after pushback in the diocese, with Martin planning a more limited liturgical policy prohibiting the use of altar rails in the diocese.

For its part, the Charlotte diocese told the National Catholic Register Wednesday that the draft text was “an early draft that has gone through considerable changes over several months,” and was still under discussion.

“It represented a starting point to update our liturgical norms and methods of catechesis for receiving the Eucharist,” diocesan communications director Liz Chandler told the National Catholic Register.

But critics of Martin in the Charlotte diocese say the bishop’s approach to the liturgical changes was consistent with his leadership style in the diocese in the year since his installation — and especially a propensity to move quickly toward change, the issue reportedly flagged by Prevost at the Dicastery for Bishops.

Sources in the diocese told The Pillar that an anonymous open letter to Martin — circulated in the diocese in January 2025 — had support from much of the diocesan presbyterate when it was published, as it flagged several alleged issues with Martin’s leadership.

Among the issues noted in the letter were “arbitrary micromanagement,” “the speed of change and lack of pastoral sensitivity,” “failure to consider the effects of decisions”, and insufficient “synodality” in the diocese, which amounted to an “autocratic approach.”

The letter urged Martin to “please consider freezing any major changes for at least two years, allowing time to establish relationships across the diocese, listen, in fulfillment of your word, and provide yourself time to understand the unique needs of this diocese. This pause would demonstrate a true willingness to understand your flock prior to navigating the ship in a new course.”

While sources acknowledged that anonymous open letters in the Church’s life are usually dismissed easily, one source in the diocese explained that “this was unusually well-sourced and informed, respectful, but explained the issues in our diocese really well, which is why it resonated so much with priests across the theological spectrum.”

Some sources pointed to a Catholic Leadership Institute study conducted earlier this year in the Charlotte diocese, which flagged Martin’s “speed of change” and "building trust” as areas in need of improvement in the diocese.

Convicted former Catholic priest exposed by Spotlight investigation dies at 87

James Talbot, a former Catholic priest convicted of sexually assaulting boys in Maine and Massachusetts who was exposed by the investigation that led to the movie “Spotlight,” has died. He was 87.

Talbot, a former Jesuit, appeared on a list provided by the religious order of northeastern Jesuits who faced credible allegations of sexual abuse of a minor. Talbot died on Feb. 28 at a hospice center in St. Louis, said Mike Gabriele, a spokesperson for Jesuits USA East.

Talbot was one of the subjects of an investigation into priest sex abuse by The Boston Globe that was later adapted into the 2015 movie “Spotlight.” The investigation revealed widespread sexual abuse, and coverup of that abuse, within the Catholic Church. Jesuits USA East did not offer a comment about Talbot's death.

He pleaded guilty in 2018 to gross sexual assault and unlawful sexual contact after charges that he sexually abused a 9-year-old boy at a Maine church in the 1990s. He was ordered to serve three years in prison for that conviction.

Prior to the Maine conviction, Talbot spent six years in prison after pleading guilty to raping and sexually assaulting two students in Boston. He has settled lawsuits with more than a dozen victims in addition to the convictions.

Talbot was a former teacher and athletic coach at Boston College High School from 1972 to 1980 who then transferred to Maine. He was at Cheverus High School in Portland, Maine, until 1998.

Former Boston College High School student Jim Scanlan, 63, reported Talbot's abuse in Massachusetts. The Associated Press does not typically use the names of sexual assault victims without their consent, which Scanlan provided. His reports led to criminal charges against Talbot.

Scanlan said he has reached out to other survivors of Talbot's abuse. He said he holds people in positions of power within the church accountable for allowing Talbot to continue committing abuse over many years.

Scanlan said he has tried to move on from his own anger at Talbot, but it's a long process.

“The opposite of love isn't hate, it's indifference,” Scanlan said. “Maybe I just parked him away a long time ago, resolved I couldn't change what happened.”

Jesuits USA East said Talbot had been residing at the Vianney Renewal Center in Dittmer, Missouri, prior to entering hospice care. The center cares for sexually abusive priests as well as providing other health care services.

Names of priests who served in residential schools made public

The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) has released a list of 140 priests and brothers who worked in Canada’s residential school system as part of the Oblates, a Catholic missionary religious group.

This new research, out today, is the result of years of work between the NCTR and the Oblates of OMI Lacombe Canada. 

The Oblates shared important documents and records that many families have been asking for — especially those still searching for information about survivors and the many children who never came home.

The list is online and available through the NCTR Archives. 

Each profile will include background information about the individual and links to the residential schools where they worked. 

“While this was a devastating system, it was run by ordinary people who chose in a variety of ways to be involved in it,” said Sean Carleton, a historian and Indigenous Studies scholar at the University of Manitoba.

“This is part of the accountability and justice that’s so important for the reconciliation process.”

The Catholic Church operated the largest share of residential schools in Canada, where thousands of Indigenous children faced physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. 

“These personnel files supply a human measure to a story that is too often only institutional,” said Raymond Frogner, Head of Archives and Senior Director of Research at the NCTR, in a press release.

The Oblates had a key role in running residential schools, mainly in western and northern Canada. They operated 48 schools, starting with the Dunbow Industrial School in Alberta in 1884.

For a long time, it was very hard to get information about the priests who worked in these schools. Records were scattered, incomplete, or kept private — sometimes for up to 50 years after a priest died. A new agreement now allows the NCTR to see these files just two years after a priest’s death, speeding up access to important information.

“It can bring a lot of closure to families and survivors,” said Crystal Fraser, a historian and Indigenous studies scholar at the University of Alberta. “It helps people understand more about who they were and where they came from — how an abuser fits into the bigger picture of how these institutions operated.”

The list was compiled with OMI Lacombe and will be updated as more names are confirmed. 

This release comes after years of public pressure and is part of a wider effort to confront the legacy of residential schools, especially after the discovery of unmarked graves at former school sites across the country.

“The Oblates do have a history of being quite secretive, of hiding and protecting their brothers. What this shows is that there is a change — that the Oblates want to work with organizations like the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation to be part of the process of establishing the truth,” Carleton said.

He said that many Canadians mistakenly view residential schools as a chapter in the distant past. But the system operated formally between 1883 and 1997 — meaning many survivors are just middle-aged today.

Fraser said that the system wasn’t limited to residential schools. 

“There were so many other institutions that were connected into this bigger network of colonialism, like Indian hospitals, like orphanages, like receiving homes, psychiatric institutions,” Fraser said. 

She said the knowing these names is important to understand the history of residential schools as part of Canada’s national reckoning with genocide, but also to support the tens of thousands of survivors still living today as they continue their healing journey.

She pointed out that only 15 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action have been completed so far. 

“It was former TRC Commissioner Justice Murray Sinclair who said that this [reconciliation] is something that is going to take many generations to slowly work at and fix and implement. So we’re still just really in the beginning stages,” Fraser said.

New documents reveal what Gateway Church may have known before abuse allegations

New court documents that were filed Friday are shedding more light on what Gateway Church may or may not have known well before the child abuse allegations against founder Robert Morris.

CBS News Texas obtained court documents, filed in Tarrant County, related to a lawsuit against the church over retirement payments. 

A statement issued on Tuesday, June 18, 2024, said that Morris has resigned after a woman said he had abused her on multiple occasions in the 1980s, beginning when she was 12. They include a proposed announcement that he was going to make to the congregation, but it was never made public. 

According to Morris' attorney, the proposed announcement was written by Morris in 2011. 

In it, Morris admits to "inappropriate behavior" with an underage girl, but did not name Cindy Clemishire, who publicly accused Morris of sexually abusing her when she was 12 years old

.That 2011 announcement was never made public because, in a letter in 2007 to the board of elders, the president suggested Morris "should not mention the family or Cindy specifically by name as this would violate their privacy."

On Friday, Gateway Church released a statement that read, in part: "We have consistently and publicly said that there were elders and employees at Gateway who knew about this issue before it became public - and either didn't take action or didn't inquire further. That was fundamentally wrong - the church elders took action, and none of those individuals are a part of Gateway Church today."

Meanwhile, Morris is currently facing five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child in Oklahoma. 

The charges stem from alleged incidents that occurred between 1982 and 1985 in Hominy, Oklahoma, while he was a traveling preacher staying with Clemishire's family.

The Collapse Of The Anglican Church In Canada

In the year of our Lord 1967, the Anglican Church of Canada had 1,218,666 members and 272,400 worshippers on a typical Sunday.

In a recent report, the church found 294,382 members on parish rolls and 58,871 people attending Sunday worship services.

“The religious institution many of us have long known and loved does not look now as it did even 20 years ago, and it will not look the same 20 years from now,” noted the report, “Creating Pathways for the Transformational Change of the General Synod.”

Waves of declining statistics will “evoke grief, fear and longing. … This report does not seek to reverse current trends, but to respond to them to empower a much smaller church to thrive as it proclaims the gospel today and in the future.”

Obviously, the “church is changing,” noted the Rev. Neil Elliot of the province of British Columbia in the report. “But that change is not the same as the end of the church. That change may be uncomfortable, but being uncomfortable is not the same as the end of the church.” Elliot’s X profile says he is the “official stats nurd for the Anglican Church of Canada.”

The “Creating Pathways” text noted that, while pew-level statistics have plunged 75%, the denomination, as of 2023, has 1,474 parishes, compared to 1,849 in 1967. Meanwhile, the number of bishops has increased from 36 to 39.

While promising to offer “prophetic imagination” and a “refusal to ignore difficult conversations,” the report focuses on cuts and consolidations to increase efficiency, such as through remote work, AI advances and better communication networks. The bottom line: The church’s “30 dioceses, four provinces and two national bodies … have been sustained with a drastically decreased base of support.” 

The General Synod staff has, in recent decades, been cut from 94 to 39.

“This is a very institutional document that is probably more rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic,” said Jeff Walton, the veteran Anglican analyst at the Institute on Religion and Democracy, a conservative think tank in Washington, D.C. “There are more important things at stake here than saving or phasing out pieces of institutional structures.”

It has been decades since Anglicanism was the “dominant form” of Christianity in Canada, Walton noted in a telephone interview. At this point, Anglican leaders “are no longer in denial about their numbers. …. They are no longer on the verge of a collapse. They are experiencing a collapse.”

As a stunning 2019 report to the denomination noted: “Projections from our data indicate that there will be no members, attenders or givers in the Anglican Church of Canada by approximately 2040.”

Belfast Jewish leader hits back after Church of Ireland archbishops call for 'decisive action' over Gaza

A leading figure in the Belfast Jewish community has described a hard-hitting statement by Church of Ireland leaders on Gaza as fails to mention the terrorist group which he says started the catastrophe and which could end it tomorrow.

Michael Black, Deputy Chair of the Belfast Jewish Community, was speaking after Church of Ireland Archbishop John McDowell and Archbishop Michael Jackson released a statement calling for “decisive action” on Gaza.

UN agencies have warned that Gaza's 2.1m population is facing catastrophic levels of hunger after an almost three-month Israeli blockade that was eased last week.

The archbishops said it was "with outrage" that they watch "the desperation, dislocation, and defenceless resident population of Gaza who feel they have been abandoned by the world".

They added that the international community “can no longer stand by and watch the cruel starvation of innocent people, particularly the most vulnerable – children, older people and the ill – as well as the ongoing physical destruction of their lives and surroundings”.

They praised the resilient staff of the Anglican Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City which was bombed and is now operating from a tent.

"We repeat our call for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and the influx of every kind of appropriate aid to alleviate starvation, injury and lack of shelter,” they said.

They prayed that those in positions of power would "stand up and demand an end to this cruelty" and noted that Jesus taught: “Always treat others as you would like them to treat you."

But Michael Black, Deputy Chair of the Belfast Jewish Community, responded that the archbishops did not mention Hamas once in their statement - the group being classed as a terrorist organisation by the EU, Canada, UK and the US.

"The deep concern for the innocent people in Gaza the archbishops espouse is totally understandable,” he told the News Letter.

"However I am most disappointed that they were unable to mention Hamas once in their statement. This extreme Islamist movement started this catastrophe and could end it tomorrow by releasing the hostages dead and alive.

"Their repeated threat to repeat October 7th again and again seems to have somehow been forgotten along with their charter pledging to destroy Israel and kill all Jews.”

Daniel O'Dowd, spokesman for Ireland Israel Alliance, also countered that the statement was "a one-sided". He too noted that it failed to mention Hamas.

"Beyond the token reference to bringing 'all hostages home' their statement pins the conflict entirely on Israel,” he said.

"They make no mention of the fact that Hamas continually commits to repeating the atrocities of October 7 until there is no more Israel.”

He said the situation in Gaza is “difficult for us all to bear witness to”. But he says Hamas has long used basic food supplies as "a means of control and oppression" and that "painfully, Israel has now broken this grip".

Regarding the conduct of the Israeli forces, he asked the archbishops “where is their condemnation” for Hamas using mosques, churches, hospitals and schools as terrorist bases and human shields?

He added: “When we speak about treating others as we would like to be treated, we remember how Hamas beheaded and burned our children and massacred our youth.”

If it was left to the international community, he said, no hostages would have been returned and Hamas would be “stronger than ever”.

Church safeguarding review after abuse allegations

A report into the safeguarding culture and policies at a church has been commissioned after accusations of sexual abuse against its former rector.

St Ebbe's Church in Oxford has ordered the report after allegations of sexually abusive, coercive and controlling behaviour towards women and girls were made against David Fletcher earlier this year.

Mr Fletcher was rector of St Ebbe's Church between 1986 and 1998 and remained a member of its congregation until his death in January 2022, aged 89.

The Church of England previously said information about him was brought to its attention after a review into the actions of serial abuser John Smyth was published in November.

The Makin Review found the Church had covered up Smyth's "abhorrent" abuse, and ultimately led to the resignation of the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.

Mr Fletcher led the Iwerne camps in Dorset between 1967 and 1986 where Smyth met some of those he would go on to abuse.

Smyth, who died in 2018, is said to have subjected as many as 130 boys and young men to traumatic attacks across five decades in the UK and Africa.

Announcing its own review into its safeguarding practices, St Ebbe's said it would "examine past and present safeguarding culture and practice", including allegations against Mr Fletcher made "more recently within the church community".

It said the review would exclusively focus on areas in which the church was "active or for which we have responsibility".

"It is not a review of David Fletcher's activity in other spheres, neither is it restricted to concerns about him," the statement said.

The review, which will be led by Christian Safeguarding Services (CSS), would be carried out with the "utmost care, sensitivity and confidentiality", St Ebbe's added.

Catholic nun in Africa urges Church to address sexual abuse of women religious

In the face of histories of abuse and cover-up by the Church, a Catholic nun in Zambia has challenged Church leaders to stem the tide of abuse against women religious wherever and whenever it happens.

Sister Linah Siabana was speaking during the Symposium and 6th Annual General Meeting of the Conference of Major Superiors of Africa and Madagascar (COMSAM) in South Africa that ended May 30.

Sexual violence, she explained, encompasses a range of actions that coerce and pressures individuals into engaging in unwanted sexual activities.

“These can manifest in various forms including physical violence, emotional manipulation, or overarching power dynamics that inhibit a person’s capacity to give informed consent,” she said.

She said the tactics used may involve intimidation, threats or grooming behaviors that further complicate the victim’s ability to resist or report the abuse.

“Understanding the peculiarity of sexual abuse is crucial for recognizing the specific vulnerabilities that different demographics face, particularly women and children. These groups often experience heightened risks due to social, economic and cultural factors that can exacerbate their situations within both domestic and institutional settings,” she said.

Noting that sexual abuse represents “a profound and harrowing failure to protect the most vulnerable members of our communities,” she said Catholic leaders bear a collective responsibility in ensuring that the rights and wellbeing of those entrusted to their care are protected.

The Zambian-born nun, who is also a mental health specialist with the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa, came up with tear-provoking accounts of women religious who have been abused either by priests or by fellow Sisters.

“There is a case where a sister was abusing a fellow sister. The abused Sister went through a lot of trauma, and attempted committing suicide three times, because she had lost the sense of being religious, of being human. She felt dirty and felt that whoever looked at her was seeing what she had done,” Siabana said.

She also cited cases of formators abusing those under them, explaining that the physical and psychological toll that abuse has on the victims are incalculable

“These violations not only inflict deep emotional, psychological and physical harm on the victims, but also significantly jeopardize the integrity, trust, and credibility of our religious institutes and congregations,” she said.

She said each incident undermines “the foundation principles of compassion and care that these institutes are built upon.”

Reports of sexual abuse in the Church might have been making headlines in Europe and America, but very few such reports have been made in Africa. There is little research that has been done concerning the issue, but Siabana says it doesn’t mean abuse doesn’t exist on the continent.

“At times, we just get to know about that when a sister is pregnant,” she said.

“She will be asked to leave the congregation even without finding out how she became pregnant. And when we ask her to leave, do we offer accompaniment for her to live a life that is meaningful? Do we even ask if the person who impregnated her is a priest?  Is the priest brought on board, or we let the sister go without daring to ask. We let the sisters by themselves and at times we blame them that they have been running after men,” Siabana said, as she spoke about the conspiracy of silence that usually accompanies abuse in Africa.

She lashed out against internal Church procedures that typically prioritize the institution’s reputation over the welfare of the affected individuals, leading to a minimizing of the gravity of the issues, and a focus on maintaining the Church’s integrity, rather than addressing the needs of the victims.

“As a result, the persuasive culture of silence around this topic continues to hinder justice and healing for those impacted,” she said.

She complained about the intricate structures of power within religious institutions which significantly complicates the response to sexual abuse allegations, noting that the deeply entrenched hierarchical nature of the Church fosters an environment where loyalty to institutional authority often takes precedence over the critical need for accountability and transparency.

“This loyalty frequently affects narratives of abuse, casting them as challenges to the Church’s moral standing rather than recognizing them as serious and legitimate reports of misconduct,” Siabana said.

“Consequently, survivors of abuse may face a profound pressure to remain silent, burdened by the fear of retaliation, disbelief or ostracism within their community. This silence is often compounded by a culture that prioritizes the protection of the institution over the welfare of individuals, leaving many victims feeling isolated and unheard,” she added.

Siabana outlined a range of approaches that can help abuse survivors cope with the scourge. These include creating strong reporting mechanisms, promoting education and training for women to understand signs of abuse, fostering a culture of openness and creating safe spaces where abused victims can express themselves. She said it is critical to “ensure that every voice of the survivor is heard, and every story is valued by fostering open dialogues and promoting educational initiatives within religious communities.”

“We can empower individuals to seek justice and support, transforming the narrative surrounding abuse and enhancing the protection of vulnerable populations,” she explained.

And in the spirit of synodality, she urged all of God’s people to become each other’s keeper.

“If we are to journey together as pilgrims of hope, let us be bearers of hope for one another,” she said.

Pope asks priests to be signs of reconciliation in the church and world

In a church and a world divided and fractured, priests are called to be witnesses of God's love and forgiveness, which reconciles people and makes them one community, Pope Leo XIV told new priests.

Leading Christian communities not as "lords" but as stewards, "we will rebuild the credibility of a wounded church sent to a wounded humanity within a wounded creation," he told the 11 men he was about to ordain to the priesthood May 31.

"It is not important to be perfect, but it is necessary to be credible," the pope said in his homily at the Mass in St. Peter's Basilica. 

The 11 men had been scheduled to be ordained May 10 by Pope Francis, but the ordination was pushed back when the pope died April 21.

Seven of the new priests studied at the Rome diocesan seminary while four of them attended the Rome Redemptoris Mater Seminary, which is run by the diocese and the Neocatechumenal Way.

Pope Leo told the men, who ranged in age from their late 20s to early 40s, "You bear witness to the fact that God has not grown weary of gathering his children, however diverse, and of constituting them into a dynamic unity."

The ministry of a priest, like that of the pope and the bishops, is to gather all people in the church, the pope told them. "Make room for the faithful and for every creature to whom the Risen One is close and in whom he loves to visit us and amaze us."

"The people of God are more numerous than we see," he said. "Let us not define its boundaries."

God will place many people in their paths, Pope Leo told the new priests. "To them consecrate yourselves, without separating yourselves from them, without isolating yourselves, without making the gift you have received some kind of privilege." 

An ordination obviously is a joyful occasion for the church, he said. But "the depth, breadth and even duration of the divine joy we now share is directly proportional to the bonds that exist and will grow between you ordinands and the people from whom you come, of which you remain a part and to which you are sent."

While the identity of the ordained priest "depends on union with Christ the high and eternal priest," the pope said, the church's ordained ministers must recognize and encourage the exercise of the common priesthood of all believers that flows from baptism.

"We are the people of God," he said. "The Second Vatican Council made this awareness more vivid, almost as if anticipating a time when a sense of belonging would become weaker and the sense of God more rarefied."

Being part of the people of God and called to lead them, he said, means the priests always must try to be role models of Christian living with the transparency of their lives, "lives known, readable lives, credible lives!"

"We stand within God's people, so that we can stand before them with a credible witness," Pope Leo said.

Like the still-visible wounds of the risen Jesus, the flaws of individuals and the fractures within humanity are also signs that God's love transforms everything and everyone, he said. "Everything that to our eyes seemed broken and lost now appears to us in the sign of reconciliation."

Catholic ‘creative minority’ revitalizing Church in the Netherlands, Dutch cardinal says

The Church in the Netherlands is gaining momentum thanks to the “creative minority” of young people rediscovering the Catholic faith, Cardinal Willem Eijk said.

Though Eijk considers the approximately 3.4 million Catholics as a religious minority in the European country with a total population of 17.9 million people, the Dutch cardinal said he has great hope in the younger generations.

“There are young people who belong to families alienated from the Church for generations and they rediscover Christ in his Church and embrace the doctrine of the Church,” he said in an interview with EWTN Vatican News Director Andreas Thonhauser.

“Every year we see a growing number of young people asking for admission to the Church,” he said. “They discover the truth concerning Christ and the Gospel through the internet, TikTok, and social media.”

Describing his surprise at the impact new technologies have had in attracting attention to the Catholic faith, Eijk said what particularly struck him was how well informed these young people were on Church doctrine prior to asking for the sacraments.

“The only thing, of course, is that you have to introduce them into the community of faith,” he said. “But nevertheless they know much of their faith and these young people are inclined to accept and embrace the whole doctrine of the Catholic Church.”

Noting the declining number of Catholic parents baptizing their children in the Netherlands, Eijk said the Church is “much smaller,” particularly in light of the country’s growing population, but the prelate said he is not overly concerned because of the great faith he witnesses among new Catholics.

“It will be a ‘creative minority’ as Benedict XIV used to say,” he added. “Of course, this is a beautiful expression from Alfred Toynbee, the famous English philosopher of history.”

Toynbee concluded in his “Study of History,” which analyzed 20 world civilizations, that the rise of cultures is a result of smaller groups of people who responded to the challenges of their times.

“I think by forming a group, a small group, of strong believers in Christ, followers and Christ, we will be able to Christianize culture once again,” Eijk told EWTN News.

“We now live in a culture of expressive individualism,” he continued. “Every individual is in his own boat, determines his own philosophy of life, religion, and set of ethical failures but this culture won’t last forever.” 

To foster the faith of the people who belong to the Diocese of Utrecht, Eijk said a variety of formation programs are available to Catholics and particularly for couples preparing for the sacrament of marriage.

“We explain theology of the body, we teach couples also to pray because they don’t know how to pray and it’s really important,” he said. “We also talk about the doctrine of the Church concerning contraception, natural family planning.”

After introducing the courses for couples a few years ago, the cardinal archbishop said several participants shared positive feedback. 

“Mostly they say, ‘Oh, isn’t that beautiful! We had never heard this before,’ and that makes it clear to me that we have to transmit the truth with courage and without ambiguity,” he said.

While Eijk said the new young people coming to Church are not big in numbers, “they’re strong believers” who are the future.

“We see that there is more openness than there was, let’s say, when I started as a parish priest, an assistant parish priest 40 years ago,” he shared. 

“I always saw decline in the Church and now in the last years of my career I see a certain modest revitalization of the Church; modest, but certain,” he said.

Nordic churches express solidarity with those suffering in Gaza

Nordic churches-including the those in Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland and Finland-have released statements calling for restoring the ceasefire between Israel and Palestine, releasing hostages, delivering food and medicine to Gaza, and ending violence against the Palestinian population of the West Bank.

A statement from Bishops' Conference of the Church of Norway, said that we cannot remain silent when individuals are stripped of their humanity. "We are disturbed by, and condemn, the unfolding events in Gaza," reads the statement.

"We hear the call from our Palestinian brothers and sisters in faith, urging us as a church to rise up against the abuses taking place before our eyes."

The National Council of Churches in Denmark, also in a statement, called for an end to hostilities and access to humanitarian aid. "The National Council of Churches in Denmark wishes to express its deepest compassion for both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples," the statement reads.

"We are appalled by the renewed acts of war in Israel and Palestine, which we believe go far beyond proportional response."

The statement reiterates calls for an end to hostilities and an end to the killing of civilians, the release of hostages, and the opening of access for humanitarian aid to Gaza.

"As Christian churches, we proclaim the gospel that God has created all people with the same infinite worth," reads the statement. "This must be reflected in a framework that ensures peace, security, equal rights, and living conditions for all."

The Bishops of the Church of Sweden, in a statement, declared that the war has long since gone beyond all reasonable proportionality. "For the sake of Palestine, Israel, and the whole world, we urge the government of Israel to use the opportunity of the powerful to stop the violence in Gaza and the West Bank," the statement reads. "We call upon the international community, the EU, and the Swedish government to step up their efforts to save lives. All human beings are created in God's image and have equal value and dignity."

In joint statement from their annual meeting, taking place this year on 22-23 May, the 27 member churches of the Christian Council of Sweden urged respect for human dignity as well as international law. "We join the global ecumenical movement in calling for an immediate ceasefire, for humanitarian aid to be allowed access without delay, and for all hostages to be released," the statement reads.

"It is time for God's peace. We pray for it and want to continue to work for it, in Gaza and all of Palestine, in Israel and in the world at large," they conclude.

Bishops in Finland also appealed for peace, an immediate ceasefire, and a lifting of the blockade.

"The human catastrophe is extreme," the statement reads. "More than a million people are estimated to be malnourished and for almost half a million of them the situation is critical."

Icelandic bishops stress the moral responsibility to speak and act: "Violence… can never bring resolution-violence itself is the problem."

Representatives of local churches and nongovernmental organizations in Uppsala also published a "Declaration regarding the Plight of the Palestinian People," specially formulated during the Ecumenical Year 2025, "A Time for God's Peace," 1700 years after the formation of the Nicene Creed began.

Churches and organizations supporting Palestinian Christians gathered under the theme "Time for God's Peace - Palestinian Perspectives." Nearly 200 people came together to hear the stories of Palestinian Christians.

"We are an integral part of the Palestinian people," reads the declaration.

"We confess that all life, all people, all land, all vegetation, all seas and waters are gifts from God," reads the declaration. "Earth, sea, and land belong to no one."

All have the right, as children of God, to call the earth their home, the declaration reads. "No one has the right to drive the Palestinian people- or any other people-from their homes," reads the text. "We profess our faith in Jesus Christ, master of the way of nonviolence, the path to justice, peace, and reconciliation."

The declaration came out of a gathering during which churches hosted Palestinian Christians with roots in Gaza.

Catholic Church still gives a sense of identity to emigrants (Opinion)

We were led through the long, echoing halls of Kilteegan Seminary by a tall, bearded priest with a booming voice and a fondness for one particular word: Mighty.

Everything was mighty - the weather, the breakfast, the rosary beads. 

“It’s a Mayo word,” he told us with a wink, clearly delighted with himself. 

And it surely is - a solid, broad word with a definite meaning of awesomeness back home in Mayo. Mighty weather. Mighty tea. Mighty stuff. But hearing it from a Wicklow priest in sandals, echoing off the walls of a seminary on a cold autumn afternoon, made me feel a little… exposed.

I’d ended up in County Wicklow thanks to that same priest, who’d visited Gortnor Abbey secondary school in Crossmolina and extended an invitation to us boys who might be “feeling the call”. It was my second-to-last year of school and my friend Padraic McNulty and I had signed up - more for the chance to dodge classes than any divine inspiration. 

But on the morning of the trip, Padraic chickened out. I got on the bus alone - first to Dublin and then to Kilteegan after a nervous few hours in Busáras, where the very patient Bus Éireann official answered my increasingly panicky questions about the bus’s departure time with “Soon lad, I won’t forget you”.

Hours later, I was sharing a seat with an older, red-haired boy from the North who casually informed me the RUC had recently detonated his schoolbag.

“Left it on the footpath to bunk off. They thought it was a bomb… the f**kers." 

He didn’t seem overly bothered about it. Yet, I gripped the handles of my bag harder and cursed Padraic under my breath.

We arrived at the seminary - a big, lonely building where generations of missionaries had once trained before heading off to convert the pagans of Africa and Asia. The weekend ahead was meant to be a time of reflection, prayer and perhaps revelation. Instead, it mostly consisted of prayers, long silences, stiff walks around the grounds, more prayers and the kind of enthusiastic group discussions that make teenage boys wish for invisibility. The centrepiece of the retreat - aside from the obligatory prayers - was an evening with three young seminarians, introduced to us by the bearded priest as “the mighty priests of the future”.

One was very large and rather intense in his repeated insistence that “you could still have a girlfriend, up until ordination”. His friend was pale, wild-eyed and told jokes about Honda 50s. He smoked during the breaks and got on particularly well with the would-be IRA bomber. The third trainee sat apart from the others with a prayerbook in hand, quiet and watchful with eyes that drilled into your skull and made you feel like you’ve forgotten to return a library book... even if you never visited a library. We saw him in the early mornings, walking alone through the misty grounds, his lips moving in silent prayer. It should have been comforting, but instead, I remember thinking: I can’t imagine myself here. Not with these lads. Not in this place. I don’t even like Mass!

Kilteegan had once been full of life - young men ready to serve, to preach, to go wherever they were needed for the church. But by the late 1990s, the echo was louder than the song and the empty building reflected the coming crisis in religious vocations. I didn’t know exactly what I believed, but I knew I didn’t want to stay. On the Monday morning, as the bus idled and we waited to leave, the bearded priest found me again. 

“You never told me you were from Mayo, lad! So, how did you find it here?” 

I didn’t know what to say. I smiled and lied.

“It was mighty, Father."

He beamed and charged off for another suspect.

Today, I am reading a recent study by Félix Krawatzek and George Moreton that explored letters from Irish and German migrants. They say that for the Irish, the Catholic Church played an even stronger role in America than it had at home. It wasn’t just about Mass, it was about identity, community, stability. In a strange land, the Church became a familiar presence, a kind of compass pointing toward home. Unlike the Germans, whose churches were often more cultural than communal.

But time moves on. The role of the Church has changed. Irish Americans, like the Irish at home, have drifted from the altar. Pew Research says that 36% of US Catholics are now Hispanic. The Irish presence has faded; it's still there, but quieter now. 

The election of the first American Pope, Robert Francis Prevost, from South Chicago, now Pope Leo XIV, only reinforces the seismic shifts going on in Catholicism. His election, and that of his predecessor Pope Francis from Argentina, reflects that the leadership centre of the Catholic church is no longer solely European. It’s global - shaped by Latin America, Africa, Asia and the immigrant parishes of cities like that of Pope Bob in Chicago (yes, his old friends must call him that).

North Glendale, California, is no different. I live within earshot of four churches. On Sunday mornings, the bells still ring in harmony, never clashing with each other. Sometimes I wander into Mass at the modern Incarnation Catholic Church nearby, though more often I sit quietly in the cool, gothic interior of old St Mark’s Episcopal across the street. The light streams through high windows and the hush has its own kind of holiness. Occasionally, I walk in the soothing serenity of its adjacent open-air atrium.

The local Mormon church offers free English classes on Wednesdays. One evening, I passed the open door and saw a game of basketball going on inside. That surprised me having seen the expensive SUVs parked outside. Or maybe, on reflection, it didn’t.

Farther down the same street is the Armenian church (being renovated), followed by the Baptist, Presbyterian, and Methodist churches, modest and each tucked behind trees or neighbouring buildings, happy not to be noticed unlike the prominent positions usually taken up by the churches in Ireland.

When we first moved here, I had the sudden urge to go to Sunday Mass. I found a seat at the back and as the 10.30am service began, I noticed that arriving late was not just an Irish trait. The congregation was largely Filipino and Latin American. A few European faces, but none that looked like they came from around County Mayo. 

The Mass itself was familiar, though lighter somehow - more celebratory than I was used to. Or maybe that was just me, no longer expecting to feel what I once did. Back home, the church I grew up in is mostly quiet now, except at Christmas and funerals. The congregation is older. Fewer young people, fewer priests.

Last Sunday, our energetic priest in a heavy Hispanic accent, welcomed us new visitors and then launched into the prayers and liturgical actions which I was all very familiar with, before suddenly gasping “I nearly forgot all about our new Pope!” with the church erupting into shared, joyful laughter. As I grinned, I realised that I too was drawn here like so many emigrants before me. It wasn’t just about Mass; it was indeed about identity, community, stability. In this strange land of America, this Catholic Church was a familiar presence, a compass both pointing toward my Mayo home and also welcoming me here to Los Angeles.

As my bearded priest from Kilteegan would surely have said, “It was mighty”.

‘Humanity has lost its heart’: Ireland’s churches react forcefully to `abandoned’ Gaza

Ireland’s two main churches have reacted forcefully to the continuing suffering of the people of Gaza and have demanded action to end it.

“It appears that humanity has lost its heart,” the Catholic bishops have said. “From all over Ireland, parishioners are reporting their horror and helplessness on seeing images of death and communal destruction in Gaza,” they said.

In a joint statement, the two Church of Ireland archbishops said: “It is with outrage that we watch the desperation, dislocation, and defenceless resident population of Gaza who feel they have been abandoned by the world.”

Archbishop of Armagh John McDowell and Archbishop of Dublin and Bishop of Glendalough Michael Jackson said “the international community must grasp reality and respond as never before. They can no longer stand by and watch the cruel starvation of innocent people.”

The Catholic bishops’ statement noted how in Gaza, “exhausted mothers can no longer nourish their young, children are dying of malnutrition, while aid lorries full of supplies are being refused entry into the territory, or are not safely arriving at their destination”.

They said that “to see the relentless bombardment of civilian areas, the deliberate withholding of food from the starving, as well as the callous holding of hostages, it appears that humanity has lost its heart”.

The Church of Ireland archbishops said the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, owned and run by the Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem, has reopened after being bombed on Palm Sunday.

Its “resilient” and “courageous staff” are now “operating in a tent” and “treating the injured and sick as best they can, in what is by anyone’s reckoning a living wasteland”.

They pledged “our continuing support” for them.

The Catholic bishops called “on all Catholics” to make the first Friday, June 6th, a day of prayer and fasting in solidarity with people in the Holy Land. They invited everyone to pray throughout June “for the renewal of heart that our world so desperately needs”.

Archbishops McDowell and Jackson called for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza, the release of all hostages, and the “influx of every kind of appropriate aid to alleviate starvation, injury and lack of shelter”.

They acknowledged many “feel hopeless and powerless to change what is happening in Gaza”.

“We pray that all those in positions of power globally will stand up and demand an end to this cruelty and seek the reinstitution of international law.”

Cardinal Gracias: Pope Leo ‘is the ideal man to lead the church at this time’

“I’m amazed at the speed at which he [Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost] has stepped into the shoes of the pope. He’s comfortable, giving leadership, and he is fulfilling the aspirations of the people. So, I’m very enthusiastic. That’s why I repeatedly say it’s only the Lord who could have chosen the man, prepared the man and given him to us.”

That is what Cardinal Oswald Gracias, archbishop emeritus of Bombay (Mumbai), told America’s Vatican correspondent in this exclusive interview on May 17, given at Santa Marta, the Vatican guesthouse where most cardinals stayed during the conclave and where Pope Francis had lived and died. He attended the pre-conclave meetings of cardinals (known as General Congregations) but could not vote for the election of the new pope as he had turned 80 on Dec. 24, 2024.

One of Asia’s most distinguished prelates, Cardinal Gracias was appointed archbishop of Bombay, India, in 2006, by Pope Benedict and made a cardinal in 2007. He served as president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India and the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (2013-2019). He also participated in the 2013 conclave that elected Pope Francis.

In this interview, Cardinal Gracias spoke not only about his great joy at the election of Leo XIV but also about his close relationship with Pope Francis, his membership of the council of cardinal advisors (C9) and why he considers Francis a saint and prays to him daily.

We’ve got a new pope. Were you surprised?  

I am delighted. I’m surprised because he wasn’t on the list named in the media or in the discussions, but he had a low profile and was a person ideally prepared. So, for me it was a moment of ecstasy, of joy. Once again, my faith is strengthened. The Holy Spirit is with the church and made his presence felt forcefully at this conclave. I was at the last conclave. I felt it then, and I see it very clearly this time too; it would not have been possible without the Holy Spirit’s intervention for 133 leaders of the church to come together and in 24 hours to get a two thirds majority for a common candidate.

I met Leo before he became pope. He’s so well prepared, so very authentic, so much that I feel he is a response from God. The Holy Spirit has given us a pope that we need, that the church needs and that the world needs at this time in history. I think the pope should be a leader of the world, a moral leader of the world.

It’s a very smooth transition, and I think it is God’s will. Looking around, I can honestly say there was no one as well prepared as he, no one more suitable than him [to be elected pope]. So, for me, it’s a moment of faith, a moment of joy, a moment of real expectation and hope and looking forward. Asia would like to give the maximum collaboration with him.

You’ve met him and talked to him. How would you describe him? 

I’ve met him a few times [before he became pope], and we’ve had serious discussions on matters that I was studying. I found it delightful to talk to him. I found him very intelligent. He gets to the point immediately. He is observant. He is not talkative; you have got to ask him questions and then he is very open. I found he is a man who knows his mind, a man who sees the problem, a man who loves the church so much, a man who’s really got the spirituality of a religious who’s so committed to the church—maybe it’s the Augustinian spirit. He’s got a deep inner strength to be able to face difficulties. That’s what I felt. Perhaps it’s his prayer life, it’s a spirituality with deep inner strength.

He’s not Francis II, he’s Leo XIV. That’s very clear from his personality, from my discussion with him, and yet he is fully in the line of Pope Francis, in priorities, in the direction of the church, in theology, political life, ethics, economics. I think he’s the ideal man for the church [at this time in history]. I really thank the Holy Spirit for making his presence forcefully felt in the conclave.

As you look ahead, what do you see? 

I see a very clear continuity with Francis. I see a building on [Francis’ legacy]. I see a pope who will be relevant [to people]; his messages will be relevant. He already has spoken of artificial intelligence, he has spoken of a new “Rerum Novarum,” and he has spoken repeatedly of peace, that was his first word, and he’s been repeating it at different levels ever since.

I was very happy that he’s open to all. He was not just sitting in the Dicastery for Bishops, he was open to the world. He is up to date with the challenges; he knows what the world, not just the church, is facing. He knows the economic problems, the ideological problems, the political problems that artificial intelligence can bring about; it can destabilize the world in so many ways and could take control and dehumanize the world.

I also find him very systematic and strategic in the sense that he knows where he’s going; he has a plan, greater than his talks have shown. There’s a certain process, a certain plan, and he’s going about that. I’m amazed at the speed at which he has stepped into the shoes of the pope. He’s comfortable, giving leadership and he is fulfilling the aspirations of the people. So, I’m very enthusiastic. That’s why I repeatedly say it’s only the Lord who could have chosen the man, prepared the man, and given him to us.

You were present in his first meeting with all the cardinals, which lasted about two hours. How did you read it?  

I felt the meeting was a message to the cardinals. The message was this: “You are important to me, I will need your help, I need your assistance to lead the church.”

I think he had heard most of what they were saying before, so he did not need to take notes. Once again, he gave his priorities of following Vatican II, making sure that the church goes ahead on the line of Francis—synodality. But he also spoke of us working together. It was a good meeting, but I think the meeting was more to say, “I like to listen,” and to tell the cardinals, “I need you. Thank you. I need your help.” I think that was more than just a meeting, that was the message.

You were with Francis throughout his pontificate. You were one of the members of his Council of Cardinal Advisors (C9), from the beginning to the end. What remains in your heart from that experience? 

I appreciate it now. I mean, I regret I didn’t appreciate it even more before, but when I look back at these years, I would say it was a spiritual experience, a personally growing experience in the church. When he appointed me, I remember asking the Secretary of State, Cardinal Bertone, “What am I supposed to do?” He said, “I don't know. But the pope said to contact you and tell you that he wants you to be at the service of the church.” I said, “I feel I am not competent, I don’t deserve this, but whatever he wants I will do.”

And so when we came together, I thought it would be once or twice a year, like [happens] with the Vatican congregations, but in the very first meeting, October [2013], Francis said, “I want to meet you all regularly here,” and he gave us the dates for the following meetings. Then I was surprised that the meetings were well prepared, they were serious; there was follow up, they were consequential. There was an agenda which he approved. [Cardinal] Oscar Maradiaga was our coordinator, and he prepared them well. Oscar would often sit with me to sort of discuss the last meeting and to prepare the next meeting. The Holy Father took us very seriously and I think he took many of his major decisions in consultation with us [C9].

He may not have discussed them in depth, because it was his own Francis style. He would throw out an idea and then ask, “what do you think about this?” And then, only much later, did we realize why he asked us that, because he was testing the ground for something. So I think it [the C9] was a group with which he shared openly what he was thinking, what he was planning, and he took the group very seriously. It was not just a mere consultative group. He took important decisions in consultation with us.

I want to honestly say I sometimes disagreed with him and told him so. I wanted him to see a different perspective; I always felt, in honesty, that I should tell him that I didn’t fully agree on something. But, looking back, he was right so often. I suppose he had the grace of state, he had the wisdom. The [C9] experience has deepened my own faith in the church.

I want to say also he is a saint; he was a man who took his decisions in prayer. I’ve often asked him, “Why do you say this?” And he would say, “I feel Jesus wants it” or, as he said on several occasions, “The Lord wants this.” I think he took his decisions in the chapel in prayer. He was a very human person; he would joke with us at the beginning, and tease us, and vice versa. So, there was the human side of Francis also which I saw in these meetings, he would laugh. But passionately he wanted to do what is best for the church without any hesitation. Again, he was a man who was unafraid. He was aware of opposition, I want to say that. There was obstruction, and I spoke to him also about it, but he was unafraid.

He never cowed down out of fear. He went ahead knowing the Lord wanted it, and that his mission as the head of the church was to lead the church. He was brave, authentic, determined to spend himself for the church, unafraid of death. I spoke about security to him, but he was unafraid of death. He was confident the Lord would protect him as long as he was needed. He was a very dedicated man. I pray to him already.

Is there something that you take away very personally from him?  

I found him very caring. When I was unwell, he was concerned. He was the pope, I was a bishop, but I felt he was a friend. He cared for you, was concerned about you and wanted to help you; he wanted to be there if you needed him. He often asked me about work and so on; he wanted to see if he could help. So I will certainly miss him.

He wanted to go to India, but he never got there, and it was not his fault or yours. 

I would say I was the point man—both the Vatican’s point man and the Indian government’s point man. It was his intense desire to come to India, he often asked me. I don’t know if I should have been more aggressive with the government, but there was an official invitation, everybody knows that. I spoke to the Prime Minister personally several times on behalf of Pope Francis and the Prime Minister [Modi] always wanted [him to come]. Francis, more than once, said he liked Modi. He was fond of Modi, because every time he met him they connected, but he never came to India. I don’t know why? Whose fault was it? Maybe all of us are collectively responsible. I’m sorry about it. I feel sorry I didn’t fulfill that wish of his that told me at the very beginning.

Francis told me that as a young Jesuit, he had dreams of working in India or Japan. He mentioned both these countries and said he would have wanted to come and work there. But, he said, “I never came, but I would like to come and see the place.” I must say, because I want to be fair, the government also had private talks with me about his visit, and it got derailed. I think there were forces against it.

You mean political forces.

Yes, political forces did not allow it. They [the government] kept telling me “Yes, yes, yes.” We had many discussions, and we made progress, but then suddenly they went back on the progress.

Maybe his successor, Leo XIV,will visit India as pope?   

I hope so.

Historic Sligo church reveals restored 1850s stained glass windows after major project

Lissadell Church of Ireland will host a Service of Dedication on Sunday, 8th June marking the restoration of its historic stained glass east windows and honouring the generosity of the local community.

The stained glass windows, crafted in the 1850s by William Warrington & Son of London and originally commissioned by the Gore-Booth family of Lissadell House, are among the oldest of their kind in a religious setting in Ireland.

In 2023, they were conserved by Connon Stained Glass, thanks to funding from the Heritage Council, Sligo County Council, and the support of local donors.

The service also pays tribute to those who contributed to the emergency repair of collapsed stone masonry in 2023, which left the church unusable for several months. 

The resilience and generosity of the local community made it possible to reopen and restore this cherished place of worship.

The service held at 10.30am to catch the sunlight through the east windows, will be followed by refreshments at the Lissadell Centre, just across the road.

Everyone is to attend and donations to the Church Repair Fund are always appreciated, as continued support is vital to safeguarding Lissadell Church for future generations.