Gospel Conversations by Desmond O’Donnell, OMI is available from Dominican Publications for just €9.99 Gospel Conversations, a Dominican publication , was written by Desmond O’Donnell, OMI and is a collection of imaginary exchanges between various characters from the New Testament. The aim of the book is to enable the reader to engage more fully with… Read More
Category: Faith
St Therese of Lisieux
St Therese, the ‘Little Flower’ of Lisieux St Therese of Lisieux, the ‘little flower’ is remembered especially in her feast day on October 1st. One of the Catholic Church’s most popular Saints, Pope Pius X called her “the greatest saint of modern times.” Thérèse is something of an enigma in that she died when she was… Read More
Do Animals go to heaven?
If there is a Heaven will Animals be there? Recently one of my friends was telling me about how much heartache she suffers when one of her pets dies. She has just lost a beloved cat and the whole issue of whether animals go to Heaven or not is very much on her mind at… 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
Hinduism – Worshipping one God in many forms
Hinduism – worshipping one God in many forms On Monday morning last I went to 7.25am Mass in my local Parish Church. Generally, there is quite a small attendance unless it is a Holy Day. What really struck me was that there were five different Indian families in the congregation. This led me to wonder… 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
Reflection on Jesus in The Lion King and Narnia
Christianity, The Lion King and Narnia This week I finally got to see the new version of The Lion King. I wanted to go once I heard it had been re-made as I loved the original film released in 1994. I personally preferred the earlier one but the essential themes are all there, the main… 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
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 Tale of Two Thomases, More & Cromwell
A Tale of Two Thomases The reign of Henry VIII is always fertile ground for writers partly because of his six wives and, with the exception of Katherine Parr, their decline and fall. Within the last few years two powerful television Series were screened on the BBC, The Tudors and Wolf Hall. The latter… Read More
Cathedrals Anyone? – Things To Do in Dublin
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
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
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