The continuing fight against Covid-19 means that we are in the middle of another lockdown with no absolute certain end in sight. We heard earlier this week that there will be no St Patrick’s Day parade. While we could probably have predicted this it is still another dampener on our potential plans. In a time… Read More
Violence on the Hill
Last week the world reacted in shocked amazement as an angry mob stormed in Washington and managed to enter and rampage in its hallowed halls. Some even emerged with ‘souvenirs’! The first thing to note is that not every person who turned out to march that day intended such actions to take place, indeed many… Read More
That Sketch – For the Love of God!
There was a time when I did have a television but about five years ago I decided to get rid of same so now I depend mostly on the radio for my news. This, of course means that I did not have the option of watching RTE One’s New Year’s Eve Countdown Show. In view… Read More
Christmas with Covid
One morning this week while listening to the radio I heard a news report broadcast from Dublin Airport. The people interviewed were describing how different their workplace looked this year. The crowds which usually pass through their portals at Christmas have dwindled, all as a result of the restrictions imposed by Covid-19. One woman explained… Read More
Born without Sin: Immaculate Conception of Mary
On Tuesday of this week, we celebrated the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, mother of Jesus and mother of the Church. The dogma of the Immaculate Conception holds that Mary was free from Original Sin from the very moment of her conception. In 1467 the feast of the Immaculate Conception was approved by… Read More
From Advent to Lent
Last Sunday, November 29 marked the beginning of Advent, the first of twenty-five days when we get ready for the great event of Christ’s birth. The word itself has its roots in the Latin, adventus which translates as ‘arrival’, from advenire – ad meaning ‘to’ and venire– ‘come’. Advent is a time of spiritual preparation… Read More
Holistic Healing: A Christian Approach by Pat Collins CM
We are living in a time of Pandemic which has affected us all and the topic of healing has never been more relevant. With healing comes hope and hope is always the mark of the Christian. How timely then is the book Holistic Healing A Christian Approach by Fr Pat Collins CM (Columba Press, €16.99)… Read More
The Pearl of Scotland
On Monday of this week, we celebrated the feast of St Margaret of Scotland, who was born in Hungary in 1045 and who would go on to become Queen of a country which would indeed blossom and flower under her refining and religious influence. Of her eight children three, Edmund, Alexander, and David became kings… Read More
Living with Hope
Living With Hope For the first time this week, the news in relation to Covid-19 was positive as it seems the possibility of a vaccine is now looking likely and there was a cautious optimism expressed by interviewees on the radio. This, allied with the victory of Joe Biden in America proved the truth of… Read More
Irish, Catholicism and the US Presidency
Author- Marie-Therese Cryan. As I write this the American Presidential Election is over but there is still no confirmed winner. It is the main story of the day making a welcome change from Covid-19, even though it seems there may well be some rocky, even worrying days ahead. Already there have been protests, demonstrations and… Read More
November – Remembering the Holy Souls
November – Remembering Our Dead, Month of the Holy Souls This year, we would all I think agree, has been one like no other thanks to Covid-19. Only those among us old enough to have had experience of World War II will remember such a time of ongoing catastrophe. Death of course on a grand… Read More
The Pope to be who saved a young girl’s life
On Thursday of this week, we celebrated the feast day of St Pope John Paul II. This man was the first Polish pope and his election brought great joy to his countrymen and women. When future historians look back on the most influential personalities of the twentieth century his name will unquestionably loom large in… Read More
Mental Health in a Pandemic
I remember a long time ago seeing, perhaps on a poster, the words “Happiness is having something to do, someone to love and something to hope for.” This would also suggest a formula for good mental health. According to the World Health Organization, Mental health is “a state of well-being in which the individual realises… Read More
October: The Month of the Holy Rosary
The Rosary is a much-loved prayer of the Catholic Church and probably the most popular after the Our Father. Its purpose is to help us meditate on the great mysteries of our salvation. In it, we immerse ourselves in Christ’s life from birth, through death, to his glorious Resurrection. It is a celebration of the… Read More
The Guardian Angels
One of the most appealing images remembered from religious instruction in childhood was that of the guardian angels protecting us all from danger, both physical and moral. Just as parents sometimes entrust the younger members of the family to the care of their elder brothers and sisters, so our Father in Heaven commits us to… Read More
Mary’s Dowry and Our Lady of Walsingham
England is a country that is firmly associated with the Protestant religion because it was its King, Henry VIII who broke from Rome when the pope would not allow him to divorce his wife Catherine of Aragon. It was Henry’s daughter Elizabeth I whose compromise between Protestantism and Catholicism resulted in Anglicanism, a hybrid of… Read More