Posted on Leave a comment

Left Out in the Cold

Image: StSavioursPriory Two people I was talking with recently both mentioned in passing that snow is expected later in the year. This is not good news. We have been warned incessantly that we are facing a very difficult winter ahead, mainly as a consequence of the huge rise in energy costs caused by Putin’s war… Read More

Posted on Leave a comment

No Catholics Need Apply !

  Image:members.parliament.uk History was made on two accounts this week when Liz Truss was elected Prime  Minister in the United Kingdom. For the first time the Leader and the Deputy Leader are both women and the latter, Thérèse Coffey, is the first Catholic to serve in this position. There has only been one baptized Catholic… Read More

Posted on Leave a comment

The Desert Road: Lent

This week on Wednesday the Church began its Lenten journey with the distribution of the ashes at Masses.  These are a reminder that our life here is not forever. On this day we start to put into practice the promises we have made, whether to abstain from or take up, various things as we move… Read More

Posted on Leave a comment

The Consecrated Life

On 2 February the Catholic Church celebrates the World Day For Consecrated Life.  Pope St John Paul instituted this annual observance marking it for the first time in 1997. It is celebrated in conjunction with the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, also known as Candlemas Day.  This commemorates the presentation of Christ in… Read More

Posted on Leave a comment

A Visit to Knock

Last Saturday I was in the west of Ireland for the weekend and took the opportunity to pay a visit to Knock Shrine in Co Mayo.  The journey from Ballaghaderreen, where we were based, is a pleasant one through tranquil countryside.  We made our way past houses and shop fronts festooned with Mayo flags in… Read More

Posted on Leave a comment

Celebrating Grandparents

Last Sunday, July 25th, marked the first observation of the Church’s annual Day for Grandparents and the Elderly.  On January 31, 2021, Pope Francis made the announcement of this new event to be celebrated every year on the fourth Sunday in July.   In the Vatican, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, celebrated Mass in St Peter’s Basilica, standing… Read More

Posted on Leave a comment

Fatima – The Movie

This week I had an opportunity to see the film Fatima, directed by Marco Pontecorvo who said he believes it to be a “subject that can talk to everyone, not only Catholics.  It has a meaning, a very powerful meaning, for everyone, not only for believers.” The story centers around three Portuguese children, Lucia dos… Read More

Posted on 1 Comment

Father of the Reformation: Lutheran church

I usually attend Mass on Saturday evenings so when I was invited by a friend to accompany her to a Lutheran service last Sunday morning, I was delighted to be able to accept. It took place in St Finian’s Church in Adelaide Road which has been a permanent place of worship for the Lutheran congregation… Read More

Posted on Leave a comment

Open Doors: Reopening of the Church

  It is certain that most people of faith are law-abiding, consequently in Ireland, there has been Church compliance with the Government’s severe regulations against public worship, even though all across Europe and indeed Britain, churches have opened much earlier for prayer and services. Throughout the long, long days of Lockdown, during the worst of… Read More

Posted on Leave a comment

Patrick, the Man Behind the Myth

Sometimes I find it really amazing to think that St Patrick’s Day is celebrated the world over.  The name of our national saint is known far and wide across the globe. Of course, it has to be acknowledged that what was primarily a religious feast day has become widely secularized. This year because we are… Read More