Remembering Pope Francis, who passed away after a life of humble service and faith. Discover his journey from Buenos Aires to the papacy and his lasting legacy in the Church.
Category: Community
Getting ready For Christmas: Advent
Image: istockphoto.com (Advent) Recently I received an email from my the waste company I subscribe to offering me the perfect solution for my planning and pre-Christmas clear-out…should I have any. This points to the concern so many of us have about getting ready for Christmas and the real panic experienced by some. I was talking… Read More
Celebrating Saint Bernadette and Lourdes
In the year 2001 I remember going to see the relics of St Thérèse of Lisieux which were on an eleven-week tour of Ireland. Now in 2024, we have the privilege of the presence of another saint amongst us, Bernadette of Lourdes. Bernadette Soubirous, the young peasant girl and shepherdess who witnessed apparitions of Our… Read More
Rock Star Danny: A Champion for The Faith
Image: www.irishmirror.ie Last weekend I had the radio on in the background, tuned in to The Brendan O’Connor Show. He was interviewing the lead singer of The Script, Danny O’Donoghue. The Script are an Irish rock band formed in 2001 in Dublin by O’Donoghue, the late Mark Sheehan, and Glen Power. They have won 3… Read More
In Sickness & in Health: Marriage
Image: www.rsvplive.ie It was front-page news two weeks ago, the announcement of the breakdown of Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes’ marriage. The pair had been together for more than two decades and married for 14 years. The former presenters of ITV’s This Morning are very popular in the UK and were seen as a golden… Read More
When Dog Really is Man’s Best friend
Image: www.corkbeo.ie Sometimes when I am on my way to work in the morning there is a young woman on the bus with her guide dog. He or she is a lovely golden colour and has the most beautiful soulful eyes. People, especially children are naturally tempted to engage with guide dogs, but this is… Read More
Love in the Darkness
Image: NYTimes The killing of seven members of World Central Kitchen (WCK) in Gaza adds another dimension of deep sadness to the already tragic litany of events that has been emerging from the Middle East since the outbreak of hostilities in early October last year when Hamas-led militant… Read More
An Endless Conflict in the Middle East
Image: www.skynews.com As Christmas approaches and we prepare to celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace, the situation in the Middle East is a reminder of how much the world needs the Message the Son of God brought. Since the terrible events visited on Israel by Hamas on 7 October, we have been… Read More
France: Religion in a Secular State
Image: www.jusoorpost.com Earlier this week France’s Education Minister Gabriel Affal announced a ban on abayas – the long, flowing dresses worn by some Muslim women – in public schools. Secularism is a key concept in France’s Constitution, and religious markers considered conspicuous or “ostentatious”, including Islamic headscarves, large Christian crosses, and Jewish yarmulkes (skullcaps) have… Read More
Remembering Omagh
Image: www.standard.co.uk At Mass last Sunday in my parish church there was one of the most beautiful displays of flowers that I have ever seen, behind the altar on both sides and on the right at the front. My friend commented to me that she thought they had been there for a wedding which had… Read More
The King and The King of Kings
Image: CNN Last Saturday, 6 May was the day when Westminster Abbey in London was the setting for the first British coronation in 70 years. This event marks in a special way King Charles III’s transition from history’s longest-reigning Prince of Wales into King of the United Kingdom, which comprises England, Scotland, Wales, and the… Read More
Visit to a Troubled Land – Pope Francis’ visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo
Visit to a Troubled Land On the afternoon of Tuesday 31 January, Pope Francis arrived in Kinshasa for the start of a 4-day visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DCR) and South Sudan. Catholics make up around half the population of each country. The Church also owns and runs an extensive network of hospitals,… Read More
At What Cost?: Russia vs Ukraine
Image: www.abc.net.au In recent days the major international news story has been the decision by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz that his government will provide Ukraine with Leopard 2 battle tanks and approve requests by other countries to do the same. Naturally, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed his satisfaction at this development calling them, “important… Read More
Keeping the Crib in Christmas
Image: Br Sean Blackwell The crib in Bethlehem is what Christmas is all about, although with every year that passes it seems that this truth is becoming more and more blurred. We are becoming increasingly aware of the ways in which the Season has become a time for overspending and overindulging, and much has been… Read More
The Greatest Teacher
The Greatest Teacher There is a well-known saying which goes as follows , ‘If you want to feed me today, give me rice. If you want to feed me for the rest of my life, teach me how to grow rice.’ The long-term goal is education, and it is the teacher who is at the… Read More
A Brother to All-Brother Kevin Crowley OFM
Image:www.radiomaria.ie When history looks back at poverty and homelessness in Dublin in our times and at the attempts which were made to tackle them, three names, in particular, will be to the fore: Brother Kevin Crowley OFM, Sister Stanislaus Kennedy RSC and Father Peter McVerry SJ. Recently the first of these, at the age of… Read More