One day last week I noticed that the doors of my parish church were open so I decided to go in and see what was happening. I discovered that a small section of the church was in use for people to make a visit, just to light a candle and say a prayer. There was… Read More
Category: Blog
The Pope has a Dream
Pope St John Paul II was born one hundred years ago last Monday. When future historians look back on the most influential personalities of the 20th century, his name will undoubtedly loom large in their accounts. Even his critics would agree that few individuals have had a greater impact-not just in the field of religion-but… Read More
Nursing at the Front Line
All of us in Ireland and the rest of the world have been affected by the crisis of Covid-19, none more so than the people working on the front line. One such group is, of course, the nurses, those dedicated women, and men, many of whom have lost their lives, in the fight against this… Read More
Respecting Our Elders?
This week saw the lifting of the government’s restrictive ban on people aged over seventy. There has been a lot of talk about it in the media, and it was greeted with delight by those in this age bracket. I listened to an interview with former government minister, Mary O’Rourke, speaking about how excited she… Read More
The Church in a time of crisis
The current unprecedented coronavirus crisis has affected all areas of life including church services. Not only are the churches closed, but we are unable to celebrate the end of life by having a funeral in the normal way. This has been particularly difficult for us Irish who are at our best on social occasions and… Read More
Renew the Face of the Earth
Every year on April 22, Earth Day marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. Its aim is to raise awareness of the negative impact our actions as human beings have on the environment and the earth as a whole. Since it began in 1970, Earth Day has continued to… Read More
Now more than ever, great leaders are needed
What do great leaders do? They inspire confidence and trust; they are not afraid to flout the rules and conventions of the time. Nor are they afraid to fight, even to the point of laying down their life. They empower their listeners to believe that they can overcome all the odds stacked against them. When… Read More
We are an Easter People
This week we are preparing for Easter Sunday, the highest point in the Liturgical Calendar of the Church. This is the culmination of the Lenten journey and the day that makes sense of all that went before, some of it dark and terrible. In the Exsultet we are told ‘This is the night that expels… Read More
Staying in the Moment: Pray and Meditate
On Tuesday of this week, Pope Francis asked if everyone in every country, regardless of their religious faith or otherwise, would pause and come together at eight o’clock, to meditate and pray for the health of the world. Two things struck me about this call from the Pontiff: the need for prayer, especially when we… Read More
Living in Troubled Times: Coronavirus
As I write this our country, and indeed the rest of the world, is experiencing a set of circumstances, the like of which has not been seen since World War II. Some of those among us, who are old enough to remember those years, have said that the limitations we are undergoing now are actually… Read More
Pope Pius XII: A Hero of His Time
Beside my desk, in the office, I have two Noticeboards, one of which I just use for pictures I like, animals, landscapes and photographs. One of these shows Pope Pius XII with a tiny little bird perched on his hand. Pius was head of the Catholic Church from 1939 to 1958. The story behind the… Read More
International Women’s Day – Celebrating Progress & Change
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
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
In A World Where You Can Be Anything, be Kind
“Be friends with one another, and kind, forgiving each other as readily as God forgave you in Christ”. These were some of the words written by St Paul in his letter to the Church at Ephesus. Kindness is an example of love in action as well as being a gift of the Holy Spirit, something… Read More
Dealing with Cancer
Cancer, the very word in itself is enough to strike fear in the hearts of us all. Almost every one of us, at some point or another, will be affected by it and even if we have not had it ourselves we will know a friend or family member who are battling with the disease. … Read More
From Anti-Semitism to Auschwitz
On January 27, 1945 the notorious Nazi death camp at Auschwitz was liberated by Soviet forces. On Monday this week, hundreds of Holocaust survivors joined delegates from world governments, (including our own President Michael D. Higgins) at the site where more than one million people were murdered when the Nazis occupied Poland during World War… Read More