International Women’s Day – Celebrating Progress & Change This Sunday is the 8th of March and on that date every year we celebrate International Women’s Day. It originated from the trade union movement in America in the early twentieth century, particularly in the activism of the women who worked in the clothing industry “sweatshops” of… Read More
Category: Announcements
Lent: The Fast before the Feast
Wednesday of this week was Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent and the beginning of our journey towards the most important day in the Church’s Calendar, Easter Sunday. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday mark the two days when Catholics are asked to limit their eating to one full meatless meal. Two smaller ones may… Read More
A Hidden Life – A Must See
Is it better to suffer injustice than do it?; is it right to put truth above your needs and the bodily instinct to survive?; is it wrong to think that a caring God would condemn a man for signing a piece of paper when he knows what is in his heart? This week I went… Read More
Stay Connected
Just last week when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced that they would be taking a “step back” from the royal family and its duties they did so on an Instagram post. The BBC posted via Twitter that the royal family was not made aware of Harry and Meghan’s decision before they posted the news… Read More
The Day For All Saints
November 1st – All Saints Day All Saints Day, celebrated on November 1st commemorates all the saints of the church, both known and unknown, who have attained Heaven. For Catholics, it is a holy day of obligation. The first evidence for the November 1st date of celebration occurred during the reign of Pope Gregory III (731-741)… Read More
Celebrating Pope St John Paul II
Celebrating Pope St John Paul II This month on Tuesday 22nd, we celebrate the feast day of St Pope John Paul II. From the beginning of his reign, he captured public imagination coming as he did from Poland, long under the jackboot of a Communist regime. His election was a symbol of the Church triumphant… Read More
Mary: A Possible or Impossible Role-Model?
Mary as a Role – Model The Catholic Church has traditionally dedicated the month of September to Our Lady of Sorrows and on the 8th of this month, we celebrate Mary’s Nativity. Educated by the nuns, I had devotion to her instilled in me from very early days and I remember decorating the May altars… Read More
The Election of a Pope – How it Works
The Election of a Pope. This time last year we were awaiting the visit of Pope Francis to Ireland. Where has the time gone? Those twelve months seem to have flown by. In this blog we focus on Election of a Pope in the Vatican nd how this works when another Pope dies or resigns…. Read More
The Feast of the Assumption – What does it mean?
The Feast of the Assumption – What does it mean? The Feast of the Assumption The word ‘assumption’ means to take something for granted, even without proof. E.g. a mother might say to her child, who is off out to play in the evening, “I assume you have finished all your homework?” In the Catholic… Read More
Christian Persecution – Still Going On
Christian Persecution – Still Going On I was at a Mass recently where the Priest talked about how Christians are the most persecuted religion in the world today. I had heard about this before; back in 2012 the German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the same thing to a gathering of the Lutheran Church. It was… Read More
Brexit – Love Thy Neighbour
Love Thy Neighbour As a country Ireland’s nearest neighbour is of course England, that other island just across the water. Sadly love has seldom come into the relationship between the two countries, although in recent times, and especially since the Good Friday Agreement, relations have improved greatly. Now however, to quote a speaker I heard… Read More
Our Visit to Merchants Quay Ireland
A Visit to Merchants Quay Ireland On Thursday of last week my colleague and I had the opportunity to do a Donor Tour at Riverbank, which is the home of Merchants Quay Ireland, the outreach and support service for homeless people and drug users in Ireland. On the second Thursday of every month, after their… Read More
A Helping Hand – You have helped us to help others
A Helping Hand – St Martin Charities At the St Martin Apostolate we have as our Patron a man who is an inspiration not only because of his humility, but also for his care of the poor and suffering. We still strive to live by his word and example and are very proud to… Read More
Saint Martin Apostolate Supporting Trócaire
Saint Martin Apostolate has been a long standing supporter of Trócaire’s never ending efforts to improve the life of others and assist the most vulnerable in the developing world. Trócaire was established by the Catholic Church in 1973 as a way for Irish people to donate to the development and emergency relief overseas. They work… Read More