Henri Nouwen used to publish some of his diaries under the title, On Mourning and Dancing. The title was wholly appropriate since those diaries chronicled much of his own struggle to give public expression to what was bubbling up inside of him and, at the same time, respect a highly sensitive self-consciousness and reticence…
Fr Michael Collins All around the country, young musicians are busy practising. Some are getting ready for their Leaving Certificate and State exams. Others are getting ready for Third Level exams. But a great number are preparing for the Feis Ceoil. Founded in 1896, the Feis Ceoil has seen several generations of musicians…
Pyjamas are back in the news again. The reports that a welfare office in Damastown in north Dublin had posted a notice that its clients coming in for interviews were not to wear pyjamas aroused great comment, even though the topic had been well aired in the media when Maya Derrington’s street-smart film Pyjama Girls…
Visits to the Blessed Sacrament for the 21 Century By Richard Tobin CSsR (Redemptorist Communications,€5/£4.50) This is a little prayer book for private meditations. In his introduction, Fr Tobin writes about the nature of the Eucharist, adding that ”keeping the bread of communion in the tabernacle is a reverent prolonging of the Mass, to give us…
The Course of Irish History Edited by T.W. Moody and F.X. Martin (Mercier Press, €20.00/£16.00) Felix M. Larkin This book, now re-issued in a fifth edition, has been one of the most widely read of our history books. Indeed, it can be said to be itself a part of our history. First published in 1966,…
The Corrymeela Community, in partnership with Auburn Seminary, New York, has opened the application process for an international interfaith youth leadership programme, ‘Face to Face/Faith to Faith’. This programme brings together young people from Northern Ireland, South Africa, the United States and the Middle East with the common goal of working towards peaceful communities.…
The Loving God By Wilfrid Harrington OP (Columba €12.99./ £10.85) Anthony Redmond Albert Einstein once said that the religious person was one who had found an answer to the question: ”What is the ultimate meaning of life?” For the atheist, there is no answer to the ultimate yet immediate questions of human life. Ivan Karamazov…
The Maid and the Queen: the Secret History of Joan of Arc and Yolande of Aragon By Nancy Goldstone (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, €23.95/£20) Peter Hegarty This year marks the 600th anniversary of the birth of Joan of Arc. The story of St Joan, the illiterate peasant girl who led the French army to victory against…
Some of us are to blame for the crash, some are not, writes David Quinn When was Enda Kenny correct? Was it when he told us during his State of the Nation address last year that we were not to blame for our current economic woes, or was he correct when he said last…
Catholic schools deserve credit for their hard work, writes Michael Kelly At a time when some commentators and politicians would propose a narrow narrative that see faith-based schools as divisive, Catholic Schools Week is an opportunity to celebrate the vital contribution of the Catholic sector. More than 100 guests from North and South…
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Peter Costello
David Quinn
Michael Kelly