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
Category: Blog
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
The Cross: From Shame to Triumph
On September 14 we celebrated the feast day of the Exaltation of the Cross. This is a commemoration of two historical events: the Finding of the True Cross and the dedication in 335 of the basilica and shrine built on Calvary by Constantine, which mark the site of the Crucifixion. The Roman Emperor Hadrian (117-38… Read More
Remembering New York’s Saddest Day
Sometimes, when I am watching a film or TV series based in New York, I am saddened when the Twin Towers appear in the background. Not only does it date the program as pre-2001, but it is also a reminder of a time when what happened on 11 September nineteen years ago, was unimaginable. On… Read More
Someone Beautiful For God- Mother Teresa
On the fifth of this month, we celebrated the feast of St Teresa of Calcutta, fondly known to almost everyone as Mother Teresa. The woman who for much of her life was described as “the living saint”, was canonized on September 4, 2010. Teresa, forever associated with India, especially Calcutta (now known by its local… Read More
Monica and Augustine
There is a well-known saying that, ‘Behind every great man there is a great woman.’ This certainly applies to St Monica, whose feast day we celebrate last week. Monica’s son, St Augustine, has been described as the most Significant Christian Thinker after St Paul. His adaptation of classical thought to Christian teaching created a theological… Read More
Religion and Spirituality
When the Taoiseach, Micheāl Martin spoke to the nation on Tuesday evening, at one point he commented that the government did not want to interfere with the spiritual life of people. This was in response to a reporter’s question with regard to people going to Mass. His response was interesting because going to Mass is… Read More
What is the meaning of Religion?
The Coronavirus and resulting Lockdown have taken their toll on many areas of life, including religious practice. Religion and its meaning in peoples’ lives have been the subject of much comment as places of worship across the country were closed for weeks on end. Such a state of affairs was unprecedented in modern times. What… Read More
John Hume – Blessed be the Peacemakers
The main topic in the news this week and the only one to topple Covid-19, albeit temporarily, was the death of John Hume, the man without whom peace would never been attained in Northern Ireland. Those of us who grew up in the 1960s and 1970s here in the south were used to the daily… Read More