Catechesis – St Erentrude and the Oldest Convent in Salzburg – Fr Peter George Flynn OFMConv and Dr John McCafferty

Fr Peter George Flynn talks to Dr John McCafferty of the Catholic Historical Society of Ireland ahead of its annual conference on Irish Catholic church buildings, past and future, marking 800 years since the death of St Francis. Dr McCafferty explains why pre-emancipation churches were built to be inconspicuous, and what changed the moment Catholics were finally free to build spires again. Along the way: a disconcerting portrait hidden inside a Belfast church, and why a young Irish Franciscan once found himself playing football under a motto about the honour of Ireland, in California.