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Monica and Augustine

There is a well-known saying that, ‘Behind every great man there is a great woman.’  This certainly applies to St Monica, whose feast day we celebrate last week. Monica’s son, St Augustine, has been described as the most Significant Christian Thinker after St Paul.  His adaptation of classical thought to Christian teaching created a theological… Read More

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Religion and Spirituality

When the Taoiseach, Micheāl Martin spoke to the nation on Tuesday evening, at one point he commented that the government did not want to interfere with the spiritual life of people.  This was in response to a reporter’s question with regard to people going to Mass. His response was interesting because going to Mass is… Read More

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What is the meaning of Religion?

The Coronavirus and resulting Lockdown have taken their toll on many areas of life, including religious practice. Religion and its meaning in peoples’ lives have been the subject of much comment as places of worship across the country were closed for weeks on end. Such a state of affairs was unprecedented in modern times. What… Read More

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Life after Covid19

This week we saw the beginning of what is referred to as the opening up of our country. Hand in hand with this is the notion of ‘the new normal’, a phrase which strikes fear in the hearts of some, intimating that things have changed irrevocably. I am still getting used to the idea of… Read More

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Unsung Heroes- Carers

Following the huge success of the High Hopes Choir and Choir of Age, David Brophy assembled a choir from among Ireland’s 355,000 family carers.  He wanted their involvement in the choir to be therapeutic and fun. In a two-part documentary for RTE, the viewers hear the various different stories as they watched the participants prepare… Read More

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Love Thy Neighbour?

Within the last two weeks the usual headlines regarding Covid-19 have been replaced by another huge news item; sadly not a good one. What should have been a minor incident in Minnesota turned into a world news story, leading to scenes of mass protests and demonstrations across the United States. On May 26, George Floyd… Read More

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The Pope has a Dream

Pope St John Paul II was born one hundred years ago last Monday.  When future historians look back on the most influential personalities of the 20th century, his name will undoubtedly loom large in their accounts.  Even his critics would agree that few individuals have had a greater impact-not just in the field of religion-but… Read More

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Nursing at the Front Line

All of us in Ireland and the rest of the world have been affected by the crisis of Covid-19, none more so than the people working on the front line. One such group is, of course, the nurses, those dedicated women, and men, many of whom have lost their lives, in the fight against this… Read More

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Respecting Our Elders?

This week saw the lifting of the government’s restrictive ban on people aged over seventy. There has been a lot of talk about it in the media, and it was greeted with delight by those in this age bracket. I listened to an interview with former government minister, Mary O’Rourke, speaking about how excited she… Read More

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We are an Easter People

This week we are preparing for Easter Sunday, the highest point in the Liturgical Calendar of the Church.  This is the culmination of the Lenten journey and the day that makes sense of all that went before, some of it dark and terrible. In the Exsultet we are told ‘This is the night that expels… Read More