In a letter to all secondary schools in his diocese, Bishop Colton, the longest-serving Church of Ireland bishop of Cork, Cloyne, and Ross in over 400 years, confirmed he will retire by the end of the school year.

He admits it can be a lonely vocation, but Cork man Tiernan Burke explains to AEDIN JOHNSTON why he has decided to take the first step to becoming a priest this weekend, when he is ordained as a deacon in Whitechurch

This special Mass is to mark the feast day of the Assumption.

Next week marks 40 years since the beginning of the moving statue of Ballinspittle phenomenon. 

JOHN ARNOLD recalls the story of Frances Taylor, who set up a convent in Carrigtowhill 150 years ago. 

In a homily, Brother Patrick Flynn said Brother Kevin gave a “life’s service” to the poor.

To facilitate the increasing numbers taking part, a specially constructed platform and altar was designed for the Grand Parade, with a new radio frequency allowing people to watch live from home.

The 2025 Cork Corpus Christi Eucharistic Procession will take place this Sunday, June 22.

More than half of Irish people (53 per cent) say their favourite thing to talk about over a cup of tea is friends and family

Speaking to The Echo, Bishop Gavin said lay ministers can play a vital role in parish life in the Catholic Church, assisting priests and making contributions to different ministries.

An Post dispatched a package of almost 4,000 Mass cards from Irish people sympathising on the death of Francis for direct delivery to the Vatican in Rome.

The inauguration Mass of Pope Leo XIV was celebrated in St Peter’s Square with hundreds of cardinals, bishops, and priests and before a congregation including world leaders and tens of thousands of Catholic faithful and other pilgrims.

Cork’s Eucharistic procession – for many years the largest in the country - owes its place in the city’s religious heritage to Cork’s position as a central battle ground of Ireland’s Civil War.

Irish premier Micheal Martin and Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill have also congratulated the new pontiff.

Political leaders in Ireland have been passing on congratulations at the new Pope was elected in Rome.

Shortly after 5pm, crowds in St Peter’s Square bore witness to history as white smoke billowed into the air from a specially-erected chimney at the chapel, in the age-old tradition.

A group of 133 cardinal electors began their behind-closed-doors meeting this afternoon.

With the process of electing a successor to the late Pope getting under way today, reporter Concubhar Ó Liatháin spoke to a number of Cork priests to find out what they would like to see from the new papacy.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, people traditionally take flowers from the grotto altar for their homes and the graves of their loved ones. 

Political leaders across the island of Ireland have reflected on the legacy of Pope Francis after attending his funeral on Saturday.

Among the many world leaders who were in attendance at the funeral included an Irish delegation of President Michael D Higgins, Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris.

It comes as a survey of teachers finds that the majority of primary school teachers believe faith formation should not take place in the classroom, and CSO marriage data shows less than a third of couples had a religious ceremony last year.

Speaking ahead of the funeral, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said: “It is an honour to represent the Government and people of Ireland at the funeral of His Holiness Pope Francis, and to reflect on and appreciate the remarkable achievements of his life."

“We queued up on Wednesday night after we arrived – it seemed like a mile long of a queue coming from small streets [in the Vatican area], so we joined one of those and as we came nearer to the Vatican, there were three or four more lines that came together in St Peter’s Square,” he said.

The Sinn Fein vice president has cut short a family holiday to attend Pope Francis’s funeral in Rome.

Marguerite O’Leary and her teenage daughter Ellen stood for more than five hours on Wednesday to be among the first members of the public to see the late pontiff’s remains inside St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.

On Monday, Vatican officials announced the death of Pope Francis at the age of 88. SAM HALL looks at the process involved in electing a new pope.

The late Pope died at 7.35am (Roman time) this morning, just a day after wishing gathered pilgrims in St Peter’s Square a ‘Buona Pasqua/Happy Easter’. 

Francis, who died following a stroke aged 88 on Easter Monday just a day after greeting crowds in Vatican City, drew tributes for his strong advocacy for the poor and marginalised.

Camerlengo Cardinal Kevin Farrell said on Monday: “At 7.35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father."

Cardinal Kevin Farrell, 77, who lived in Drimnagh, Dublin, made the announcement on Easter Monday.

The Vatican has announced the death of Pope Francis. Here, we revisit an article by JOHN DOLAN, which asked if a cardinal with Cork roots could become his successor. 

When I lived out in the country in the ’80s and ’90s, The Stations were a big deal, writes TREVOR LAFFAN. 

The high energy day of faith workshops, musical rehearsals and the concert, entitled Maranatha 2025, were organised by the Diocese of Cork and Ross.

When the time comes to find a successor to Pope Francis, just 138 cardinals will be eligible to participate in the conclave. Will a proud grandson of Cork win the day, asks JOHN DOLAN. 

Some blood tests showed “initial, mild, kidney failure”, but doctors said it was under control.

The Bishop of Cork and Ross, Fintan Gavin, said the Catholic Church is finding new ways of engaging with young people.

The study is one of the first to investigate how people experienced the use of technology in mourning rituals during this time, and showed that people found live-streamed funerals challenging and deeply unfulfilling during the pandemic.

On the threshold of a New Year, people of all religions and none celebrate a time for reflection and thanks, remembering all that has gone before, and anticipating all that is yet to come. 

The Cathedral of St Mary and St Anne was full to capacity as the relics arrived. 

The Relics of St Bernadette are in Ireland for a long-awaited visit, which was initially delayed because of the Covid pandemic.

Last weekend, in a pastoral letter read out in Masses throughout the diocese, Bishop Gavin said that priests continued to deal with unprecedented change, while parishioners were understandably concerned about their parishes’ future.

The sale of the office and former ‘bishop’s palace’ would be used to fund the new pastoral centre which the diocese said would be a space to help train volunteers for leadership and ministry in the families of parishes in the years and decades ahead.

The Echo attempted to make to contact with all the Cork schools where allegations were recorded against alleged abusers in the Report of the Scoping Inquiry into Historical Sexual Abuse in Day and Boarding Schools Run by Religious Orders. Donal O’Keeffe reports the responses from the schools that replied

Clogheen Church Choir and Cork Butter Exchange band take part in 73rd annual event

The Cathedral of St Mary and St Anne has been decked out in red and white flags all week, in anticipation of the Cork team’s match against Clare in Sunday’s All-Ireland hurling final, and parishioners have been keen to show their support too.

The presence of the crucifix in council and the prayer before council meetings is being debated. Amy Campbell hears from city councillors on both sides of the issue.

A number of priests will be retiring from full-time appointments, though their priestly ministry will continue.

John Arnold has been in Lourdes around 30 times. Here he recalls his latest visit

Fr. Fionnbarra Ó Cuilleanáin, a fluent Irish speaker and a competent linguist in a number of languages, was a frequent visitor to Gaeltacht areas such as Cúil Aodha in County Cork.