December 25, 2025. By CHRISTOPHER MANION We put Christmas candles in the windows of our home the other day. The custom began during Ireland’s Penal Days, when there was a price on the head of every priest. The candle would light a priest’s way through the dark to a house where he could safely celebrate Mass. It’s become a pretty universal decoration today, and secular types call it a quaint folk custom. But since I’m Irish, it reminds me of how deeply my ancestors cherished

Some good news for the faithful in Ireland!

The importance of the Saints and Scholars Foundation’s work is made clear in this recent posting from Rev. Brendan Kilcoyne, speaking to Ireland’s revised state curriculum. Ireland needs independent Catholic schools !