Cathedrals Anyone? Summer is here and many parents will be trying to find ways to entertain their children on holidays from school. It may sound a trifle off-beat but why not consider taking them on a tour of our famous Dublin Cathedrals. They are treasures in their own right as well as testimonies to faith… Read More
Category: Faith
Saint Anthony – The Saint of Lost Items
Yesterday, June 13th marked the feast day of one of the best loved saints in the Roman Catholic Church, Saint Anthony of Padua. He is often invoked by the faithful to help them find lost or missing items. A little jingle goes like this: “St Anthony, please look around; something is lost and something must… Read More
Why do Catholics wear Medals, Scapulars & Venerate Relics?
In Roman Catholicism we have a tradition of wearing medals and scapulars and venerating relics of the saints. For many Protestants and others, this can seem strange, even alien. At best it may seem like worshipping graven images which is forbidden in the Bible and against the second commandment; at worst seeming to believe such… Read More
Religion in Schools – Understanding all Beliefs
Religion in Schools While writing the blog last week on Christianity and Buddhism I realised how little I know about other religions. When I was in school, which as they say was not today or yesterday, we had more class discussions about issues and I do remember watching the series Jesus of Nazareth. However, I… Read More
Christianity and Buddhism
This Sunday sees the celebration of the birthday of Buddha according to the Gregorian calendar. The only thing I knew about the Buddhist religion was their respect for all forms of life so I decided to compare it with Christianity and learn a bit more in the process! Buddhism originated in North-East India sometime between… Read More
Is there a need for Exorcism in Ireland? – Freedom From Evil Spirits
PLEASE NOTE:Fr Pat Collins is actually a Priest of the Vincentian Order, if you would like to Contact him you can do so by contacting the Vincentian Order directly at the following details:Call Vincentians Ireland on 01 810 2561 or email parishmissions@vincentians.ie. Request a Mass Light A Candle Browse our online shop Freedom From Evil Spirits... Read More
Do you know of St Richard of Chichester?
Looking at the Liturgical Calendar this week one saint stood out for me – St Richard of Chichester. On a personal level I like the name and an English friend of mine, now deceased was called Richard. An interesting aspect of this particular saint is that he is also venerated in the Anglican Church as… Read More
A Lenten Reflection
A Mid-Lent Reflection As I am writing this we are just half way through Lent and depending on your outlook that can be good news or bad. “Can I keep going?” or “We are nearly there”! Lent is of course that period of time allocated to our preparation for Easter, the most important time in… Read More
Religion and Young People
Religion and Young People Are you a young person aged between fifteen and twenty – nine? If the answer is yes, then there is a good chance that you no longer go to Church on Sunday, or any other day, except for funerals or weddings of course. Any Catholic will tell you the biggest challenge… Read More
Lent: the journey towards Easter
Did you notice anything unusual about some of the people you encountered on your travels on Wednesday of this week? Many of you might have wondered why they had a big black smudge on their foreheads; others among us will be familiar with the ashes which are distributed every Ash Wednesday during Mass. This is… Read More
Confession is Good for the Soul
Confession is good for the soul Most of us at one time or another will have heard the expression ‘Confession is good for the soul’. It is actually an old Scottish proverb and has no Biblical roots. Of course, confession can have many different interpretations. E.g. someone can confess their love for another person and… Read More
The Virtue of Kindness
I recently learned that February 17, last Sunday, is the date on which National Random Acts of Kindness Day is celebrated. It is celebrated by individuals, groups and organizations nationwide to promote acts of Kindness. Originating in New Zealand it has spread to other countries and indeed it is encouraging to know that the observation… Read More
St Brigid’s Day – Lá Fhéile Bríde
February 1st was originally a pagan festival marking the beginning of the new Season. It was known as Imbolc, which referred to the coming birth of the spring lambs, and observed in Gaelic Ireland during the Middle Ages. Now we celebrate it as the feast day of St Brigid who has been called the Pearl… Read More
Family is at the heart of Christmas
At the heart of the Christmas, the message is the story of a family, the holy family of Nazareth, Jesus, Mary and Joseph. There was a lovely tradition in the country, years ago, where a large red or white candle was lit on Christmas Eve at 6pm, Christmas night and St Stephen’s night to shine… Read More
Coping with Grief
In the month of November, as we pray especially for the Holy Souls, we are reminded naturally of the process of death and the grief, which accompanies it. Nearly all of us have to face the reality of death at some point in our lives and even though the loss is particular to each individual,… Read More
St Martin de Porres: Life and Celebration
On November 3rd we celebrate the feast of St Martin de Porres. But who is this saint and why is he so popular? When I first began working in St Martin Apostolate I did not really know very much at all about St Martin’s life. Over the years however I have become very familiar with… Read More