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
Category: General
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
Exam Fever & What to Do! – Dealing with Exam Stress
This week on Wednesday the State examinations began; yes it’s that time of year again when so many homes all around the country are caught up, with what may seem a never-ending succession of Paper 1 this, and Paper 2 that. I still remember my own Leaving Cert back in the day and am even… 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
Are you suffering with your Mental Health?
Are you suffering with your Mental Health or do you know somebody that is? Thankfully we are living at a time when there is much more awareness of the importance of mental health issues. Adverts on television encourage us to be on the alert for the masks people can wear and there is a realization… 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
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
To Love and to be Loved by Desmond O’Donnell
The book To Love and to be Loved by Desmond O’Donnell is an in-depth reflection on the deeper meaning of love. Of course the term love is much used and more significantly misused, but the central question here is how do we recognise authentic love? The author is a registered psychologist and an Oblate priest. … 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 Valentine: the Patron of Love
Mention St Valentine and all sorts of images come to mind, red hearts, flowers, chocolates, messages of affection and gifts all associated with Romantic Love. Today St Valentine’s Day is second only to Christmas for the large number of cards exchanged and indeed it is a huge money-making industry. But who was St Valentine and how did… Read More