November 1st – All Saints Day All Saints Day, celebrated on November 1st commemorates all the saints of the church, both known and unknown, who have attained Heaven. For Catholics, it is a holy day of obligation. The first evidence for the November 1st date of celebration occurred during the reign of Pope Gregory III (731-741)… Read More
Tag: Catholic
Celebrating Pope St John Paul II
Celebrating Pope St John Paul II This month on Tuesday 22nd, we celebrate the feast day of St Pope John Paul II. From the beginning of his reign, he captured public imagination coming as he did from Poland, long under the jackboot of a Communist regime. His election was a symbol of the Church triumphant… Read More
Gospel Conversations by Desmond O’Donnell
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
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
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
An English Saint for the Irish
An English Saint for the Irish Earlier this week the Vatican made the announcement that Cardinal John Henry Newman is due to be canonised on 13th October by Pope Francis. The elevation to sainthood of Newman, who converted from Anglicanism to Catholicism in 1845 comes after the Vatican announced that it had successfully attributed a… Read More